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All-State Omnibus

The All-State Omnibus contains all policies and documents that govern the audition process for the Florida All-State Choruses. Members of the Florida Vocal Association (FVA) are encouraged to read and become well acquainted with the policies and procedures outlined in the omnibus to ensure that they are in compliance. Should a member of FVA need clarification in any policy contained in the omnibus they should reach out to their FVA District Chairperson or the FVA All-State Chair. For 2020-2021 there are several alterations to the procedures and set-up of our traditional All State Audition Process and Experience due to Covid-19 considerations. Special notes and alterations are noted with an asterisk (*).

Contents I. Overview of Procedures

a. Calendar b. Registration

i. MPA Online Instructions ii. Opt-Out Option (HS Only)

c. Contracts d. Seat Allocation e. Transgender Students f. Security

II. Audition 1: Musicianship Test a. Overview

i. Current Changes ii. Passing Scores

b. Test Criteria and Vocabulary List – High School

c. Test Criteria and Vocabulary List – Middle School

III. Audition 1: Sight-Reading a. Overview

i. Current Changes ii. Passing Scores

b. Procedures c. Sight-Reading Exercises Criteria – HS

d. Sight-Reading Exercises Criteria – MS e. Sight-Reading Resources f. Sight-Reading Audition Form g. Sight-Reading Tally Sheets

IV. Audition 2: Vocal Quality a. Overview b. Audition Procedures

i. Approved Recording Devices ii. Approved Accompaniment

Playback Devices c. Vocalise d. Part Splits Overview e. Repertoire to be auditioned f. Rehearsal Tracks and purchasing

music g. Post-Audition h. Adjudication i. Adjudicator selection j. Scoring Rubric k. Recording verification Form

V. Literature a. Literature Info and Conductors b. Part Splits Listing

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OVERVIEW

The All-State Choruses are comprised of select groups of choral students from Florida's junior, middle and senior high schools who have completed a three-step audition process consisting of the following:

1. written musicianship test * No Musicianship Test for 2020-2021 2. sight-singing *No Sight Singing Assessment for 2020-2021 3. a vocal quality audition on the All- State music

CHORUS CONFIGURATIONS ● Middle School Mixed Chorus (SATB), approximately 300 singers, grades 7-8* ● Middle School Treble Chorus, approximately300 singers, grades 7-8, females and males with

unchanged voices* ● High School Concert Chorus, approximately 300 singers, grades 9-12* ● High School SSAA Chorus, approximately 200 SA singers, grades 9-12* ● High School TTBB Chorus, approximately 150 TB singers, grades 9-12* ● High School Reading Chorus approximately 100 singers, grades 9-12; members of this chorus have

received the highest sight-reading scores in the state. *No Sight Reading Chorus for 2020-2021

*Size of groups will be determined by Social Distancing guidelines set by CDC and FMEA. This will impact the final size of the group which will also determine how many seats will be allocated for each chorus.

CALENDAR Fall - All-State Online Registration and auditions (set by District Chair see below) Testing Windows: Musicianship/Sight-Reading - September 8-19; Vocal Quality - October 5-17 September 15– Deadline for FMEA/FVA Membership (via www.flmusiced.org) September 26 - Conference Pre-Registration opens online (via www.flmusiced.org) September 26 –Tampa hotel blocks open at 9:00 am 2021 October 5&6– Vocal Quality Audition Submissions due via HearOut App for Districts 1-6 October 7&8 – Vocal Quality Audition Submissions due via Heart Out App for Districts 7-12 October 9&10 – Vocal Quality Audition Submissions due via Heart Out App for Districts 13-19 November 6 – All-State Seats announced (via www.fva.net) November 14 - Hotel Cancellation deadline at 5:00 pm November 16- Hotels will charge one night of each room reserved December 13- FMEA Pre-Registration ends at midnight (via www.flmusiced.org)

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REGISTRATION MPA ONLINE INSTRUCTIONS Registration for the 2020-2021 All-State choruses will proceed via MPA Online. The voicings for each chorus will be as follows: HS- S1, S2, A1, A2, T1, T2, B1, B2; MS Mixed- S, A, T, B and MS Treble- T1, T2, T3. Directors will also provide emergency contact information, height, and a student headshot at the time of registration. No changes may be made after the registration window has closed. Registrations will not be accepted after the window has closed set by District Chair. Directors must upload a headshot of each student that is being registered. · Middle School: Maximum of 15 treble/unchanged singers as listed below, unlimited changed voice TB Singers 7-8 Treble Chorus is limited to 3 students each of Treble 1, 2, and 3.

7-8 Concert Chorus is limited to 3 Sopranos, 3 Altos, and unlimited Tenors or Basses (changed voices). · High School: Maximum of 12 S/A singers as listed below, unlimited T/B singers

· 3 students each of Soprano 1, Soprano 2, Alto 1, and Alto 2 · Students must sing the voice part for which they are registered. No students will be permitted to change voice parts from their original assignment at any point in the process.

NOTE: In accordance with FSMA policy, 6th graders may not audition for All-State. AUDITION FEE A $20.00 audition fee is charged for each student who is registered to audition. The only accepted forms of payment are school or booster checks, money orders or DIRECTOR Personal checks. Purchase Orders or other personal checks are not accepted as payment. No refunds will be issued for students that do not submit an audition via HeartOut, or in the event that the face-to-face All-State event cannot be held. *There will be no need for the Opt-Out Procedures. See Seat Allotment Section. Seat Allotment All other seats, select and *representative, will be awarded in the order and manner described below: Senior High Students

• *Highest VQ Scores that are recommended for All State (Based on VQ Rubric) will be seated into the Concert Chorus first, to fill the number of approved seats determined by CDC and FMEA guidelines. The next highest scores will then be used to seat the TTBB and SSAA Choruses.

• *Representative Seat Allotment will be determined by availability of space based on CDC and FMEA Distancing Guidelines. In the event that ensembles must be smaller, there may not be representative seats given.

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Middle School Students • *Middle School Treble and Mixed Choruses will both be filled by highest VQ Scores that are

recommended for All State (Based on VQ Rubric) to fill the number of approved seats determined by CDC and FMEA guidelines.

• *Representative Seat Allotment will be determined by availability of space based on CDC and FMEA Distancing Guidelines. In the event that ensembles must be smaller, there may not be representative seats given.

All-State General Regulations

● Applicants for the 7-8 Treble Chorus or 7-8 Mixed Chorus must register for the All-State chorus and voice part for which they wish to be considered. No changes in chorus or voice part will be allowed after the registration deadline. The student must audition on the voice part for which they are registered.

● Applicants for high school choruses must register for the voice part for which they wish to be considered (S1, S2, A1, A2, T1, T2, B1, B2). No changes will be allowed after the registration deadline. All students must audition on the voice part for which they are registered.

*There will be no in-person auditions for 2020-2021. The VQ audition will be submitted by students who are auditioning via their phone. Submissions MUST be uploaded during the scheduled window for a given District. Submissions will not be considered if incomplete or late.

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Checklist for Directors ● Directors, if unable to attend All-State with their students, must have permission in writing from

their principal. The Principal must list the representative who is responsible for the students attending All-State. Except in the case of an unforeseen emergency, this letter must be presented to the FMEA Executive Director prior to registration at clinic and a copy provided to the FVA president.

● If an All-State singer becomes unable to attend the FMEA Conference, it is the responsibility of their choral director to notify the appropriate FVA Officer immediately.

● All participating students must be chaperoned by a school approved chaperone who MUST be registered. For every 6 students registered, one free chaperone and one paid chaperone may be registered unless you have students in more than two performing ensembles. In that case, you may PAY for a chaperone for each performing ensemble in which you have registered students. If you have students from different schools you may PAY for a chaperone for each school for which you have registered students. Please use a separate FMEA student-chaperone registration form for each school.

● All students receiving seats are required to be in attendance and on time for the entire All-State rehearsal and performance schedule.

● Badges with a picture of the student (received on site) must be worn at all times with the participant’s name and the name of the school showing.

● An All-State student should not miss more than one hour of rehearsal to participate in a mini-concert or session demonstration. There are no exceptions.

● Proper attire for All-State concerts is formal school chorus attire (suits, dresses, blazers, robes, etc.) Show Choir attire is not appropriate.

● Directors will be held accountable for the behavior of their students both in and out of rehearsals. Misconduct of students, tardiness or absenteeism will result in expulsion from the chorus and/or notification of the offense(s) to the administration of the school.

Violations

• Infractions of rules for All-State will be brought to the attention of the director involved, by an FVA officer. The FVA officer may recommend to the FVA Ethics Committee that the violation be examined for appropriate disciplinary action by the FVA Board.

• If disciplinary action is recommended, the director will be notified in writing of the action to be recommended and the reason for such recommendation. The director shall then have an opportunity to respond in writing or in person to the Board at the meeting when the action is recommended.

• Depending on the seriousness of the violation, action by the Executive Board may result in a letter of reprimand, a fine and/or probation, or suspension from participation in the All-State choruses.

Waiver of Regulations Any exception to these procedures must be requested and granted in writing from the FVA President in advance. Appeal Procedure A fine, probation or suspension may be appealed in writing within 48 hours to the FVA president for consideration at the next scheduled board meeting.

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CONTRACTS Directors need to print out the FVA All-State contract and the FMEA All-State Participant Contract on the same sheet (double sided) once each student is successfully registered. Signed contracts must be turned in before the first audition. Students will not be able to audition without their contracts. To print your contracts: -Click All-State audition(s) on your MPA Online homepage -Scroll down and click on the link “Participant Contracts” -Make sure to print the contracts on the same sheet (double sided)

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SEAT ALLOCATIONS Seat allocations for the 2020-2021 Florida All-State Choruses will be awarded on a statewide basis, according to highest VQ scores. Seats will be announced via MPA Online prior to hotel cancellation deadline. Every effort will be made to get this information out as early as possible while still ensuring that all results are properly verified and checked by multiple eyes. Thank you for your patience!

FVA POSITION ON TRANSGENDER STUDENTS The Florida Vocal Association strives to be inclusive for students who identify as transgender. Transgender students may audition for the gender-specific All-State ensemble for which they identify. However, it would be expected that the student meets all of the expectations for that ensemble, including demonstrating the necessary vocal range for the voice part for which they are auditioning as part of their Vocal Quality audition. The FVA encourages its members to work with their school and county administration to ensure a positive and inclusive environment for transgender students. This may include placing transgender students in gender-specific ensembles for which they identify, modifying uniform expectations for all students, and increased awareness of transgender students’ hormone therapies which would effect the singing voice.

SECURITY The Florida Vocal Association is committed to providing meaningful, musical, educational opportunities for our Florida students. Safety for our teachers and students is a priority. It is required that each district hire security for all FVA events including the All-State auditions.

MUSICIANSHIP TESTING *Postponed for 2020-2021 Cycle

SIGHT-READING *Postponed for the 2020-2021 Cycle

SIGHT-READING RESOURCES FVA has partnered with Sight Reading Factory (SRF) in order to provide a resource that can be used to practice Sight-Reading exercises that match the criteria above. SRF is web-based program that generates endless exercises to sight read. There is a fee to join SRF but FVA felt that this was the best way to provide fresh, updated Sight-Reading resources that reflect the All-State Sight-Reading part of the audition process.

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SIGHTREADING AUDITION FORM *Not Applicable for 2020-2021

SIGHT-READING TALLY SHEET *Not Applicable for 2020-2021

VOCAL QUALITY AUDITION

OVERVIEW The Vocal Quality/Music Preparation is an individual audition. Students will perform all four sections (vocalises and 3 music excerpts) as an individual with prepared accompaniment tracks. There will be no retests. Students will need to show that they have adequately prepared their registered voice part in the All-State repertoire 2. Demonstrate their range and tonal quality. This audition is recorded and judged blindly by directors across the state against the VQ rubric. Each student is given a unique audition id number that will used for all testing materials, forms and result information. Students will be using the HeartOut App on their phone to submit their VQ audition. Recording Room Set-up:

1. Audio recording device (phone) approximately 3to 4 feet from the face of student with HeartOut App downloaded. Do not hold the phone – prop it up facing student so music can be seen/held.

2. Something to hold music in front of student but not directly blocking phone 3. Privacy- try to record in a quiet room with no distractions. 4. Wired headset (NO Wireless headphones or pods) to hear audio tracks

Recommended Positioning: Approx. 3-4 feet.

1. Recording Device (Phone)

Student

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AUDITION PROCEDURES *As of September 7th, 2020 – instructions subject to change

Students will need to follow the following procedures to successfully submit their VQ recording. Directors are encouraged to go over these procedures before students complete their VQ recording. The submission of the VQ recording MUST be done during the assigned window for your District#.

1. Install the HeartOut app on your phone from the App Store or Google Play store. 2. Tap Mock Audition and follow the instructions to learn the recording process by submitting a few

mock auditions. These will not count toward your actual audition. 3. Tap Or Try a Recording Test at the bottom to do some test recordings before you try the mock

audition. After watching the test recordings, make adjustments to your phone’s placement for the best sound quality.

a. Make sure the phone is sitting sideways/horizontally so the microphone on the bottom of the phone is not blocked.

b. Stand approximately 3 to 4 feet away from your phone. c. Different phones may record better quality closer or farther away than these

recommended distances. Use the Recording Test function as many times as you need to in order to find the best placement for the highest audio quality with no distortion.

d. Do not use an external microphone while recording Use wired headphones or earphones not wireless to listen to backing tracks while performing)

e. Aim the phone’s camera at yourself. Adjudicators will only be able to hear the audio, but you must be recognizable in the video so your director can confirm it was you performing the audition.

4. Registering for an Account: Tap Sign-In and then “Don’t have an account? Register” a. Full Name: (If you or your parents would rather you only enter your last initial instead

of your last name for online privacy, that will be fine) b. Email: (If this email address is incorrect, use the correct one and notify your director

as soon as possible so they can change it in MPA- Online) 5. When you are ready to record your audition, tap Private Auditions on the bottom tab bar and

enter the Invitation Code: a. If you are only auditioning on one instrument or for only one ensemble, use the

invitation code 6. In the Information: Answer these questions for your audition section enter your Audition ID: Double-

and Triple-check that this number was entered accurately before tapping the button to continue. 7. You can do more Recording Tests if you want to. Tap New Audition when you’re ready to start

recording your first try of the official audition. 8. Follow the on-screen instructions to put your phone in Airplane Mode, position your phone,

and tap the heart button to start recording the first take of your EnsembleName Instrument/VoicePart audition.

9. You must record your audition in this order, beginning to end. Have your music in order. There should be no talking during the recording. Chorus - the backing track will play continuously through all parts of the audition DO NOT stop the audition. There will be brief pauses included in the backtrack to transition from one part of the audition to the next. Please have your music in order and ready:

a. Ascending Vocalise b. Descending Vocalise c. Excerpts 1, 2, and 3.

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10. Tap the “Stop” button when you have finished performing all the sections of the audition. Don’t stop early! You only get to record three(3) takes, and every time you tap “Stop” you use one of them.

11. Follow the on-screen instructions to turn off Airplane Mode and reconnect to WiFi. 12. If you want to record a second or third version of your audition, tap Record New Video. 13. Once you have recorded all three versions, watch each one and decide which is your best. Tap

to put a checkmark under your best recording that you would like to submit, and then tap the Submit Audition button.

14. When you see “Your audition was submitted successfully” you’re all done!

APPROVED RECORDING PROCESS It is very important that all student adhere to recommendations and procedures regarding recording for the VQ audition. Poor recordings can impact the quality of the submission for adjudication. Judges are asked to listen to what is presented and if they cannot clearly listen to a submission they must score it accordingly.

APPROVED ACCOMPANIMENT PLAYBACK PROCESS

1. The student’s phone will serve as the recording devise AND the playback device for the VQ audition. In order for the app to work correctly, students need to use wired headphones/earphones to be able to hear the audio tracks.

2. The student will sing with the audio track as it plays in their ears.

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VOCALISE The following vocalises will be performed on the syllable “zaw” (IPA: [za]) without reiterating the consonant sound on each pitch by each student auditioning. Each vocalise will be performed SIX times– the first two repetitions will be accompanied by the piano; the remaining repetitions will be performed a cappella with a click track and chromatic cues in between each repetition. The vocalises are performed at a tempo of 100 beats per minute. Vocalise 1 will be ascend by half steps. Vocalise 2 will descend by half steps. NOTE: The Vocalise tracks can be found on the FVA website.

Zaw------------------------------------------------------------------- x6

Ranges of Vocalise:

REPERTOIRE TO BE AUDITIONED For the Vocal Quality Audition, students are required to prepare the voice part that they were registered for at the start of the audition process.

CONCERT CHORUS: High School students will audition on 3 (three) pieces selected from the Concert Chorus repertoire. Learning tracks for all of the repertoire is available for purchase and download from ChoralTracks. All audition pieces will be announced and made available before October.

MS MIXED CHORUS: Students auditioning for the Middle School Mixed Chorus will audition on 3 (three) pieces. Learning tracks for all of the repertoire is available for purchase and download from ChoralTracks. All audition pieces will be announced and made available before October.

MS TREBLE CHORUS: Students auditioning for the Middle School Treble Chorus will audition on 3 (three) pieces. Learning tracks for all the repertoire is available for purchase and download from ChoralTracks. All audition pieces will be announced and made available before October.

VOCALISE #1

VOCALISE #2

HS S1, MS S, MS Tr1 HS S2, MS Tr2 HS A1, MS A, MS Tr3 HS A2

HS T1, MS T HS T2 HS B1, MS B HS B2

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LITERATURE LISTS & PART SPLITS The literature for All-State is chosen by each guest conductor with input from the FVA board. The literature is announced at each FVA Summer Conference along with assigned part splits that directors must adhere to. A complete list of literature and part split assignments are listed below.

If a voice part splits beyond the part divisions already established in the registered voice part, for example a tenor line has two pitches, Districts 1-8 will learn the upper notes and Districts 9-19 will learn the lower notes. This is to ensure that there is a somewhat equal distribution for the conductors to work with in January. Clinicians may decide to re-voice at that time. Additional or unique part splits are listed in this omnibus. PLEASE make sure your students are learning the correct voice parts and splits if applicable. Failure to learn the correct part split may impact VQ score.

REHEARSAL TRACKS & PURCHASING MUSIC Music:

Music for the auditions will be provided by FVA and posted on FVA.net. Students that pass the audition and receive a seat in an All State Choir will receive instructions for purchasing original octavos to use at All State.

Rehearsal Tracks:

For the VQ auditions, FVA will provide tacks for student use to prepare for the audition. Tracks will be posted on FVA.net.

FVA uses ChoralTracks to create all the VQ audition tracks. ChoralTracks also makes practice tracks for all the All-State choruses. Directors may want to consider purchasing practice tracks as a resource for students as they prepare for All-State. ChoralTracks is solely responsible to produce their product. Should you have any questions contact them directly. Please visit their website for pricing and details.

Choral Tracks offers 4 permutations of each track that is purchased:

Balanced voices, Part predominant, Part muted, and Accompaniment only.

POST-AUDITION All recordings that are loaded to MPA Online are organized by All-State ensemble and voicing and made available to the adjudicators who will grade each audition and select whether to “recommend” or “not recommend” for All-State. Auditions are blind as they only have the audition ID number associated with it. If recommended, their earned points will be calculated and ranked.

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ADJUDICATION Adjudicators will receive adjudication instructions via e-mail and will have about two weeks to finish their adjudication. Scores will be inputted directly into the MPA Online program. Each recording will be scored using a rubric based on the Vocal Solo and Choral Performance MPA adjudication sheets. The maximum Vocal Audition score will be 80. Each recording will be adjudicated by three judges. The final score will be an average of the 3 judges’ scores. Each adjudicator will listen to a minimum of 5 recordings at random to help set a baseline. A “random” button will be used for this purpose and will not show the All-State ID number of the student being heard to establish a baseline. Judges will have the option to indicate that they do not recommend a student for All-State, based on the student’s recording. If 2 out of 3 judges do not recommend a student, the student will not be seated in an All-State chorus unless they meet a balance need.

ADJUDICATION SELECTION The FVA All-State Chair coordinates an Audition Chair for each voice part. The Audition Chairs are spread throughout the state and will be responsible for selecting two other adjudicators for their assigned voice part and coordinate adjudication with their committee and communicating with FVA. That committees will confer to establish a baseline for grading and will communicate throughout the adjudication to ensure scores are consistent with each other. They will be paid for their services. *Coming Soon: FVA is looking at expanding the pool of adjudicators for All-State VQ recordings. application and training program is in development to allow members who are qualified and interested in serving FVA become involved in the adjudication process.

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SCORING RUBRIC

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LITERATURE

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