Arizona District NATS Student Auditions
October 26-Nov 6th, 2020
Musical Theater, Contemporary Commercial Music, and
Classical
Purpose:
- Inspire and encourage students and teachers to continue their dedication to, and growth in, the art of singing.
- Create a collegial and supportive atmosphere that encourages excellent artistic singing.
- Provide constructive, written feedback from a panel of experienced and impartial adjudicators.
- Recognize and honor outstanding performances.
Schedule:
Auditions/Registration submission time October 26th-November 6th 2020
Judges Meeting- all teachers are required to attend if registering students
November 7th at 9am or November 9th at 7pm
Judging November 11th-15th
Finals Judging November 16th-20th
Online Workshops/Events November 21st
Awards/Recital Posting November 25th
Location: Online Through Auditionware nats.org > Member Home > NATS audition registration > In the upper left hand corner, change “Chapter” to the ARIZONA DISTRICT and “Save” for details (if not already set) •Make sure you are using the latest update of your preferred browser. Internet Explorer will not work. Registration/Audition Deadline: November 6th, 2020
- Registrations must be completed online by the teacher, by 11:59pm on November 6th. • Teachers will submit YouTube links for each song individually during registration. • Teachers are encouraged to register as early as possible with repertoire so it can be verified before the
deadline. YouTube links and payment may be added later, but they must be in by the deadline. • Teachers need to vet the videos before submitting them. Refer to the Recording Tips as your guide. Student Registration Fee: $28 for each category
Teachers:
- National and Local NATS Chapter dues must be paid by October 1st, 2020.
- You must attend one of the two judges meetings to register your students and judge with the new rules successfully. NATS is a cooperative association of volunteers that needs every member to participate to be as successful as possible.
- Teachers who will be entering students in more than 20 entries (each category for which each student registers counts as an entry) must provide another qualified judge.
Accompaniment:
- Due to the current global pandemic, NATS is allowing accompaniment tracks for this audition only. Students may use tracks made by your accompanist for you, purchased recorded accompaniment, or a live pianist. Students may accompany themselves in CCM only. No background singer in any tracks.
- Music Theater and Classical tracks must be piano only. CCM may have other instruments. No background vocals for any category.
- We are blessed in Arizona with many amazing accompanists and we encourage our members to reach out to them for tracks or any assistance. If you need help finding an accompanist for recordings please email the committee and we will give you a list.
Recordings
- A camera, iPad, or cell phone video will work perfectly for the recordings. We do not encourage hiring a team to record the videos for you. However if you do, please know that any sound engineering (adding reverb, changing pitches, or similar) is not permitted and may result in disqualification.
- Classical and Music Theater categories may not use external microphones in the performance. External microphones are allowed but are not required in CCM.
Questions? Email: The District Auditions Committee azdistrictchair@gmail.com
Recording Tips and Requirements
Label your video(s) “Your Name” AZNATS category song title
Video Settings on YouTube
∙ All audition videos should be posted as Unlisted or Public on YouTube. Private videos cannot be judged.
∙ Please make sure that you select “No, It’s not made for kids” under Audience.
∙ Please disable comments on your audition videos.
Slate
∙ At the beginning state your name, your song title and composer (NO TEACHER NAME) ∙ “I’m _________ and I will be singing ___________ by “composers or arrangers (not the original artist)” and if applicable from ______________
Tips
∙ Try to make each video look and sound as close to the live audition as possible.
∙ The performer should be centered in the video and be viewable from the waist up at the very least. ∙ The best way to get good sound quality is to record in a live space. Choose the room you are recording in with care.
∙ Do not wait until the last day to record.
∙ Be prepared to record as early as possible and do a few trial runs before making your final videos. ∙ Lighting is very important to a good video. Good lighting means no back lighting and enough lighting on the performer that we can see their facial expressions. Don’t overdo the lighting to the point that the performer becomes a white blob in the videos.
∙ Be aware of the background you use in your videos. A neutral background, with no distinguishing characteristics is encouraged.
∙ You do not have to record all songs in a category at the same time or place, or even with the same type of accompaniment.
∙ Dress as if this was a live auditions.
∙ If recording on a cell phone please record horizontally in landscape not vertically in portrait. ∙ Make one video for each song.
∙ Do not upload to the teacher’s YouTube account.
∙ Do not have the teacher visible in any of the video.
∙ Have fun and enjoy singing!
