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POLICIES AND PROCEDURES (B Y-LAWS)

I. AMENDMENT PROCEDURES

REGION IV Policies and Procedures (By-Laws) shall be amended by a simple majority of voting members present at the regular business meeting, (10:00 AM), at the Regional Festival.

II. MEMBERSHIP: REGION IV STATE CHORUS

PREREQUISITES

REFER TO PMEA STATEWIDE REGIONAL FESTIVAL POLICIES

REQUISITES

1) Choral Membership is determined by auditions held at the DISTRICT FESTIVALS.

a. The first ten places in each vocal section will advance to the REGIONAL FESTIVAL. Positions eleven and twelve will be designated as alternates. Therefore, ties will be broken, at the District level, to provide an alternate for positions eleven and twelve.

b. Each Regional Host will have a guarantee of one student in the Regional Chorus. The student will be selected from his/her participants in District Chorus.

c. Only one piano accompanist from each district will advance to the Region IV State Festival.

2) Accompanist Auditions

a) Students auditioning as piano accompanist are to be informed of all procedures and information prior to auditioning.

b) Students will audition on all District Festival Selections which are scored for piano accompaniment.

c) The auditioning committee shall consist of at least two(2) directors from each District, none of which has a student auditioning as accompanist, and, whenever possible, the guest conductor.

d) Based on auditions, the Committee will recommend which selections each student will accompany. However, final determination will be made by the guest conductor.

e) If any accompanist selected is unable to play the accompaniments to the satisfaction of the Auditioning Committee and/or the Guest Conductor, then:

1) The auditioning directors and/or guest conductor must exprcss their concerns to the Host Director and the Regional Chairperson by the end of rehearsals Thursday evening.

2) The Auditioning Directors, Host Director. Guest Conductor and District President will meet as a group to decide on an appropriate course of action.

3) This group is empowered to engage one or more professionals, either salaried or unsalaried, to accompany the chorus on the selection(s) as needed.

4) Whenever possible. the unsalaried professional(s) shall be drawn from a list of choral directors who will serve as volunteer "backup" accompanist(s) for this purpose.

5) Directors on the volunteer list will be assigned by the host director one or more specific selections from the program provided by the guest conductor to the host director. Each "backup" accompanist will be responsible to prepare the specific selection(s).

3) Exception: State rule of ONCE IN A LIFE-TIME... A student granted this exception will have scores of zero entered for the purpose of ranking.

III. AUDITION TIMES

A. Option One: The REGIONAL FESTIVAL will start WEDNESDAY EVENING. Auditions will be held at that time for the ALL-STATE CHORUS.

B. Option Two: The REGIONAL FESTIVAL will start THURSDAY MORNING.

1. The auditions for the STATE CHORUS will be held at a time convenient for the Host Director.

2. The NEUTRAL MUSIC,(unfamiliar to both districts), WILL NOT BE REHEARSED UNTIL AFTER THE AUDITIONS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED!

3. If this option is used, time lines will be adjusted accordingly.

C. Option Three: Under Emergency Conditions, schedules will be established by the Host and both District Presidents and/or their representatives.

IV. DIRECTORS MEETING PRIOR TO STATE AUDITIONS

THIS MEETING WILL FOLLOW A THREE PART FIXED AGENDA:

1. Regional business and general information necessary to open the festival.

2. comments and discussion concerning the Festival music.

3. An IN-SERVICE consisting of a discussion of the audition, the audition forms, and the responsibilities of each member of the committee. This procedure is to establish a consensus, an understanding of each category and to ensure a consistent and equitable audition for every student.

V. AUDITIONS

A. AUDITION COMMITTEE

1. There will be five directors assigned to each voice part. a) The make up of the committee should represent both districts and both genders. b) There will be an equal number of chairpersons from each district. c) Four directors will judge. d) The fifth will serve as the Student Advocate.

EXCEPTION: If there should be a shortage of directors the position of Student Advocate could be performed by any adult

2. The make-up of the four judges should represent both districts, two from each, and whenever possible both genders. Every effort will be made to avoid directors judging their students.

3. One judge on each committee must be of the same voice as the part being auditioned. That person will give the starting pitch first by playing the starting note on a pitch pipe and then by singing the note on a neutral syllable.

4. Judging Forms used by the audition committee will be those of the Host District.

5. The Student Advocate, a.k.a., the Door Person will record the first three (3) auditions. a) After the tenth (10th) audition the committee will review the first three. (3) auditions.

1) A judge may reconsider and change any score EXCEPT TONE QUALITY .

2) If a score is changed a new form must be used and the old form destroyed. No altered form will be accepted by the Tally Committee.

b) The tapes are to be collected by the regional president and erased. The recordings are to be heard only by the audition committee. Under no circumstance are they to be available to other directors.

B. MUSIC

1. A list of music must be made available to the District Presidents by Saturday prior to the District Chorus Festivals. The list of music will be made available to the Directors at the Saturday morning Directors Meeting. It must not be revealed before this time. This list will specify the neutral music.

2. In the event of a District delaying its festival by one week, the music supplier will be requested not to mail the music prior to the Saturday of the later festival date.

3. Music for the audition will be selected, for a given voice part, by all five directors in the assigned audition room immediately prior to the first audition. They will also select the order of performance at this time.

4. Music for the audition will be taken from two different titles/compositions of the neutral music.

a. NEUTRAL: new music not used by either district.

b. Sections designated in the score as "SOLO" will not be used.

c. All selections must have a text.

d. The combined singing time of the two selections should be a minimum of one and one-half minutes.

e. Selections in a foreign language, French, German, Italian, English or Latin, will be auditioned in that language according to the approved pronunciation guidelines:

1) Latin According to Roman Usage 2) At Rehearsal 3) Any other language will not be considered for auditions unless pronunciation guides are provided by Region Host, postmarked no later than the Saturday following the District Chorus Festivals.

VI. AUDITION LOGISTICS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

A. STUDENT CONTACT AND TRAFFIC FLOW

1. Student contact and traffic flow will be established in such a way as to prevent disclosure of the specific material being auditioned, by a committee, to students of the same voice part who have not auditioned.

2. Students waiting to audition will be kept isolated from students who have auditioned.

3. Traffic flow to and from holding rooms and the audition room will be monitored to prevent contact.

4. Ethically, a director should avoid contact with his/her students during the auditions.

B. RUNNER (Student)

1. Will conduct students from the "Holding Room" to a position near the audition room, yet far enough away as to prevent the student from hearing the current audition of that students voice part.

2. Will return the student to the "Pick-Up Area' after the audition. The student is not permitted to return to the "Holding Room"!

C. STUDENT ADVOCATE (Director)

1. The Advocate is responsible to bring a tape recorder to the Festival.

2. The advocate by attitude and action will establish the best possible atmosphere for the audition. 1

3. Check the student name, number, grade, school, and whether he/she will continue to All-State Chorus if accepted.

4. Mark the beginning, mid-point, and ending in both copies of the student's music.

5. Brief the student on the audition procedures.

a. No talking during the audition.

b. The first three students will be taped for review by the audition committee.

6. Announce the student?s number and when the student is ready, request the starting pitch.

D. CHAIRPERSON

1. Is the first person on the list.

2. Will check for a difference of a greater than a ten point spread and if so will conduct a discussion to meet this requirement.

3. Will not accept any altered score sheets.

4. Should return tape, student advocate list, and any additional forms to the Tally Room at the end of auditions.

6. See that all altered sheets are destroyed.

7. The Student Advocate must not comment while the judges are scoring any students.

E. JUDGES (PMEA Directors)

1. Will bring music and pitch pipes.

2. Judges will not face the student being auditioned.

3. Judges will not discuss auditions until after the chairperson has checked for a difference of ten or more points in the total score. If a difference of more than ten points exists:

a. Judging forms will be returned to the judges.

b. The chairperson will conduct a discussion of scores.

c. The judges will modify their scoring to come within the ten point spread in the total score.

d. Any changed score requires a new score sheet. No altered score sheet will be accepted by the chairperson. Altered score sheets must be destroyed.

4. No judge will be required to change a ?tone quality? score to meet the requirement of the 10 point spread rule.

5. Judges will sign every sheet and will restrict their comments to constructive statements.

6. Judges will send score sheets to tally after every third audition.

7. Judges will observe the no smoking rule in the audition room.

F. HOST

1. Host will provide the guest conductor with a list of past programs from both Districts 8 & 9, Regional, and All-State within the past three(3) years to prevent repeating any previously performed music

2. Will provide a list of the Regional Concert Music to the District Presidents by Saturday prior to the District Chorus Festivals. This list will specify the NEUTRAL music.

3. Will provide, in advance, a list of the following festival assignments:

a) Audition Assignments

1) Chairperson

2) Student Advocate - bring tape recorder

3) Person to give pitch - bring pitch pipe

b) Tally Committee

4. A music stand will be placed in bach audition room.

VII. TALLY

A. TALLY ROOM

1. THE TALLY ROOM IS OFF LIMITS TO DIRECTORS DURING THE TALLY.

2. The tally will be done by computer if available.

3. The tally room may be staffed by NON-PMEA

4. The District Presidents and/or their designated representatives will share equally the responsibility to supervise and certify the tally.

B. TALLY COMMITTEE RESPONSIBILITIES

1 Will accept only unaltered score sheets.

2. Tally scores.

3. Write school name and total score on the score sheet.

4. Separate and staple forms.

5. Alphabetize (yellow/blue) sheets by school.

C. SCORES

1. Scores will not be ranked Wednesday night. Total scores will be placed on students score sheets and arranged by schools.

2. Score sheets will be available, first thing in the morning, for directors to counter check for errors. Any errors will be reported to members of the tally committee who will be present during the counter check. No score sheet will be given to students until after the All-State announcement has been made.

3. Errors must be reported by 10:00 AM Thursday. Scores become official at this point. No changes will be honored after 1 0:00 AM.

4. The first four places in each vocal section will advance to the ALL-STATE FESTIVAL. Positions five and six will be designated as alternates. Therefore, ties will be broken, at the Regional level, to provide an alternate for position's five and six.

5. A tie for the first position will not be broken.

6. At 10:00, the Tally Committee will make corrections in the computers and rank the scores.

7. It is the intention of the tally committee to have the ranking completed in time to be announced just prior to the lunch break, if possible

8. Student score sheets and a computer print-out will be made available only to the directors as soon as possible. The print-out should contain the name, school, grade, total score, and rank. The print-out will be posted for directors? perusal only.

VIII. CONCERT/CABARET SOLOS

A. PROGRAM

1. Each PUBLIC CONCERT may have two SOLO SPOTS at the discretion of the Festival Host and/or guest conductor.

2. When there are two concerts and/or an assembly, different performers may be selected for each performance.

3. A concert assignment, i.e., day and order, will be recommended by the committee.

4. A student may be selected to perform both a SOLO spot and an incidental SOLO [from within the concert repertoire].

5. Directors must preregister their students for SOLO, (spot, incidental, and cabaret), within the deadline designated by the host.

B. AUDITIONS

1. A judging committee consists of at least five directors, representing both districts. In addition one door person and a time keeper will facilitate the audition. This is an open committee, so anyone interested is invited to serve as a judge. No director may comment or vote on his/her student.

2. Singing time for the SOLO audition will be limited to one and one half minutes. Time will be called at the end of one and one half minutes by the time keeper.

3. Selection will be made by consensus and not by a system of points.

4. In the event of a tie the deciding vote will be cast by the time keeper.

IX. CONCERT DRESS

Refer to PMEA Statewide Regional Festival Policies

X. GUIDELINES FOR THE CABARET

1. Whenever possible a cabaret should be included in the festival format.

2. A public concert, SOLO performance, during a festival. will not exclude students from performing in the cabaret.

3. Students may audition in one or more of the following categories:

a. Soloist

b. Duet or Trio

c. Quartet or larger ensemble