OMEA All-State Children's Chorus Page
2012 OMEA All-State Children’s Chorus
JONA TICKLE and BETH BERKENBILE, 2012 Co-Chairs (Contact Information in directory)
Oklahoma Music Educators Association
All-OMEA Children’s Chorus
Notification Email
Dear OMEA Teachers, (This is information for the 2012 Children's Chorus.)
Well the verdict is in. The CDs have been judged and the scores tabulated. Thank you for sending in your entries for the 2012 All-OMEA Children’s Chorus. The All-OMEA Children’s Chorus audition process shows a range of skills appropriate for the level of music sung at the January Convention. Students who have a keen ear and a strong ability to hold their part against another will do well during the audition and ultimately in performance. We had many wonderful students who auditioned. Unfortunately, we were unable to accept them all. Please find attached a copy of the 2012 All-OMEA Children’s Chorus Roster.
If your child has been selected to participate in the 2012 All-OMEA Children’s Chorus, be looking for a packet in the mail containing information for both you and your student(s). There will be several forms that will require both you and your student’s immediate response. Remember, all acceptance forms and registration money is due November 30th. Also, please check this roster for correct spellings and information and inform us of any changes that need to be made ASAP. This roster will be what we use to print programs and send to the t-shirt company so we want it to be as accurate as possible.
If your student(s) was not accepted this year, here are some optional activities you may like to include in your lesson plans to increase your students’ chances in years to come:
1. Use “Jubilate Deo” as a warm-up in your classroom or choral setting. Sing it both in unison and a round. Encourage students to produce tall vowel sounds and not to breathe in the middle of words or phrases.
2. Do short periods of echoing for your classroom or choral setting. Try many different ones—perhaps ones that are coming up in pieces you will work on in addition to the typical 5-note ascending and descending progression.
3. Practice singing in thirds. There are several rounds that work well such as “Music Alone Shall Live,” “I Love the Mountains,” or “My Rooster,” just to name a few. Teach your choir to sing a scale in solfege and then sing the scale in a canon of thirds.
4. In preparing students to actually record the audition, practice the audition process as a group as well as individually several times before beginning to record.
5. When it comes to recording All-OMEA Children’s Chorus auditions, record the audition in a quiet place; double-check that there is no background noise on the recording. Above all, do NOT sing or play along or talk to the student during the audition or pause in the middle of the recording. These are all possible reasons for automatic disqualification. Also, check for good balance on the recording to make sure both the audition CD AND the student can be heard.
6. Make sure to fill out audition forms completely. We truly need every bit of information asked on the form. Forms without proof of current NAfME (formerly MENC) membership information or proper payment cannot be processed. Make sure you have renewed your membership in plenty of time. Your NAfME card should not expire until at least January of the following year and a photocopy of that card must be included.
7. Listen to your student’s recording and “judge” it yourself with a sample adjudication sheet found online.
8. Make plans to be a part of the judging process next year. There is no better way to learn about the process.
Remind your students who have tried out for both choirs – All OMEA and OCDA – of the responsibility that comes with being in both choirs. They need to be mindful of the amount of music required for each organization as well as the days they will be out of school for each. Since these fall close to each other, too many days out of school could be detrimental to grade point averages.
Hopefully that gives you some ideas for next year. Again, thank you for your participation in Circle the State with Song and participating in the audition process. We look forward to seeing all of you in January at the OMEA Convention in Tulsa.
Sincerely,
Beth Berkenbile and Jona Tickle
All-OMEA Children’s Chorus Chairs
DOWNLOAD THE MEMBERSHIP LIST OF THE 2012 OMEA CHILDREN'S CHORUSpdf format
Application and Audition dates for 2011-2012: (Download in pdf format)
CHILDREN'S CHORUS APPLICATION FORM (Deadline passed) (Download in MSExcel format)
RECORDING DEVICES INSTRUCTIONS (Download in pdf format)
List of past Children's Chorus selections (Download in MSExcel format)
Sample judging form (for trial auditions) (Download in MS Word format)
Form to borrow titles from the OMEA Children's Chorus Library (Download in MS Word format)
Instructions for nomination and audition for All-State Children's Chorus (Click here)