Audition Host

High School District Audition Host, Green Mountain District V, Vermont (Fall 2015-Present)

  • Meet with all parties at school to choose a date for auditions 
    • This may be principal, athletic director, etc. 
  • Find rooms for the auditions
    • HS: flute, clarinet/double reeds, saxophones, trumpet/French horn, low brass, percussion,  jazz winds, jazz rhythm, jazz sight reading, three vocal rooms, instrumental warm-up, choral warm-up, tabulation 
      • Percussion: Snare drum and stand, mallet instrument, timpani, music stand
      • Jazz wind room must have: a stand, a way to play audio
      • Jazz rhythm room must have: a stand, a piano/keyboard, an amplifier for bass and guitar
      • All instrumental rooms must have a stand
      • Additional rubrics are encouraged to be included in each room 
    • Set up an information desk at the school entrance
      • Should include audition times for each school’s students
      • List of schools
      • Room numbers 
      • Maps 
    • Provide maps of the audition area
    • Work with the president and vice president to schedule audition times if necessary
    • Inform teachers at least two weeks prior to the audition date
      • Remember- teachers must make bus accommodations
    • When creating audition times:
      • Try to audition at schools that are far away first 
      • Look for students with multiple auditions and spread out their audition times as best as possible 
      • MS - block schedule times can work
        • Just make sure to include how many students from each school each judge should expect. 
      • Teachers may reach out to you with specific requests. Do your best to accommodate, but it is not always possible. 
      • You may need to schedule a dinner break for judges, depending on how many auditions there are. 
    • Create a document for each adjudication room for each judge so they know how many students from each school they are expecting. At the HS level, it is helpful to write down specific audition times and names. 
    • Assign your own students to proctor each room/hallway to monitor and control the noise level. It is helpful to have a student in each room if able. 
    • Once your schedule is complete, send it to the president/vice president so it can be emailed out. If any specifics need to be noted about your school, include them then. Remind adjudicators to arrive 30 minutes before the first audition and to be in their respective rooms 10 minutes before the start of auditions. Auditions should begin at 4 PM.

Adjudicator

Middle School Flute Adjudicator, Green Mountain District V, Vermont (Fall 2015-Present)

  • Should arrive 1/2 hour before the first audition, check in with the Adjudicator Manager, and proceed to their respective room. All adjudicators should be in their respective rooms 10 minutes before the first audition. Remember to bring a copy of the audition music, an extra rubric, a copy of the scales sheet, and a pencil. Make sure to get a copy of the sight-reading material from the District Audition Chair before the audition. 
    • Judges are asked:
      • To make students feel comfortable
      • Write 2-3 appropriate comments in legible handwriting
      • Adhere to the allotted time frame
      • Bring your own pencils
      • Smile at the student, be positive, and thank the student for auditioning
      • Remember, this is an educational endeavor but you are not there to give private lessons
      • Make sure to familiarize yourself with all parts of your particular audition. See the Audition Guidelines for more information. 
        • HS instrumental scales are memorized, MS are not (you will need to provide a clean scale sheet for students)
        • Students will choose one major scale; the judge will choose an additional major scale. This is in addition to the chromatic scale. 
        • There should be no repetition of sight-reading.
      • Remind the student of all parts of the audition (scales, solo, sight-reading)
      • Evaluate the parts of the audition according to the rubric.
        • Judges are reminded to choose only the numbers on the rubric (i.e., no half numbers). 
      • Judges are reminded that adjudication sheets will be picked up periodically by Audition Host helpers or teachers. It is not the judge’s job to tabulate the score. Any ties will be brought to your attention at the end of the evening. 
      • Make sure to check into the tabulation room and double-check with the Adjudicator Manager before leaving the Audition site for the evening.

GMMDV President

President, Green Mountain District V, Vermont (Spring 2019- Spring 2021; Spring 2023 – Spring 2025)

  • Revised the festival handbook as needed
  • Responsible for conferring with the Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Managers, Audition Host, and anyone else needed to make sure events run smoothly
  • Arranged and presided over all district meetings and festivals
  • Responsible for creating and sending out an agenda
    • Made sure to ask members for announcements and agenda items at least a week prior to the meeting
  • Responsible for overseeing District Festivals
  • Attended VMEA executive board meetings
  • Contacted members who were not fulfilling their roles within GMMDV
  • Responded to all emails and phone calls as needed
  • Attended MS/HS auditions
  • Emceed District Festivals
  • Updated the conductor and accompanist contracts 
  • Made inclement weather decisions regarding District Festivals
  • Facilitated initial planning and contact for where Festivals and Auditions are to be held
  • Responsible for providing a calendar of dates for the upcoming year at the last meeting of the year
  • Created an alternative, virtual plan for GMMDV auditions and festivals during the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Created a new handbook for GMMDV
  • Streamlined many of GMMDV’s processes

GMMDV Past President

Past President, Green Mountain District V, Vermont (Spring 2021 – Spring 2023)

  • Conferred with the President and other members of membership to make decisions about GMMDV to keep the organization running smoothly. 
  • Maintained the ineligibility list
  • Presided over district meetings in lieu of the President and attended VMEA meetings if necessary. 
  • Attended both MS/HS auditions.
  • Assisted in making District meeting agendas. 
  • Assisted in making inclement weather decisions regarding District Festivals. 
  • Helped homeschool parents and students navigate the GMMDV audition and Festival process and answered any questions they might have.
  • Communicates any concerns and/or questions with the President.

GMMDV President Elect

President Elect, Green Mountain District V, Vermont (Spring 2017- Spring 2019)

  • Assumed Presidential duties at district meetings and festivals in the absence of the President
  • Attended all District meetings
  • Responsible for overseeing managers and festival operations
  • Arranged housing for all conductors for the District Music Festivals
  • Attended state Vermont Music Educator Association (VMEA) executive board meetings when called upon

VMEA Conference Chair

Conference Chair, Vermont Music Educators Association, Vermont (Spring 2015-Fall 2017)   

  • Organized and ran the 2015 Vermont Music Educators Association (VMEA)
  • Contracted Keynote Speakers: Scott Sheehan, National Association for Music Education Eastern Division President (2015 VMEA Conference), Robert Sheldon, Composer and Member of the National Association for Music Education Small Schools Initiative
  • Contracted Clinicians
    • Supervised Conference Committee
  • Coordinate Logistics of the Conference
    • Booked a conference venue and food requirements for conference attendees
    • Ensure technology availability for clinicians
    • Manage Conference Registration
  • Maintained VMEA Conference Website
  • Publicized VMEA Conference
    • Created a ‘mailer’ for music educators across the state, a session catalog, and ads for the VMEA journal, VMEA newsletter, and social media