All-State Middle School Choir

Dr. Hillman is an examiner for Conservatory Canada and has adjudicated, guest conducted, performed, and presented throughout the United States and Canada, and in Brazil, France, India, Indonesia, Portugal, and Taiwan. He has led All-State, festival, or honor choirs in Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ontario, Rhode Island, Taiwan, Utah, Vermont, and Virginia. Most recently he conducted two national festival choruses at Carnegie Hall with Manhattan Concert Productions and National Concerts. In 2025, he returns to Carnegie Hall to conduct a national festival chorus. Hillman has conducted world premieres by Shireen Abu Khader, Matthew Emery, Sarah Quartel, and Marie-Claire Saindon, among others.

Dr. Hillman has adjudicated for ACDA Pearl Prize, Alberta Music Festival Association, Allerton Vocal Chamber Festival, Bandung International Choir Competition, Canada’s Top Choirs, Cantabile Choirs BIPOC Song Competition, Carowinds Festival of Music, Chronos Vocal Ensemble Choral Composition Competition, Contemporary Showcase, Fantastic Festivals, Festivals of Music, Great East Festivals, Kings Dominion Festival of Music, Kitchener-Waterloo Kiwanis Music Festival, Kiwanis Music Festival Windsor-Essex County; Lacombe and District Performing Arts Festival, Loyola Marymount University Invitational Choral Festival, Manitoba ChoralFest, Marietta Public Schools (Georgia), Massachusetts Instrumental and Choral Conductors Association, Massachusetts Music Educators Association, MusicFest: The Nationals, Music in the Parks, National Collegiate Choral Organization, National Endowment for the Arts, New Brunswick Federation of Music Festivals, New England Music Festival Association, Oilsands Rotary Music Festival, Ontario Arts Council, Ontario Music Festivals Association Provincials, Ontario Vocal Festival, Providence College High School Choral Festival, Rhythms International, San José State University Invitational Choral Festival, Sherwood Park Music Festival, Stratford Kiwanis Festival for the Performing Arts, Tomohon International Choir Competition, Toronto Mendelssohn Choir Choral Composition Competition, Rhode Island ACDA, and WorldStrides. Recent conference presentations include Association for Moral Education, College Music Society, Massachusetts Music Educators Association, New Jersey Music Educators Association, North Carolina Music Educators Association, Utah Music Educators Association, Nova Associação Brasileira de Regentes de Coros, and World Choral Expo.

As a tenor soloist, Hillman has recently performed major choral-orchestral works by Beethoven, R. Nathaniel Dett, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Ramirez, Saint-Saëns, Schubert, and Schütz with choruses and orchestras in the United States, Canada, and Southeast Asia. As a professional choral singer, he has sung with Beckenhorst Singers, Canadian Chamber Choir, Elmer Iseler Singers, Nathaniel Dett Chorale, Soundstreams Choir 21, Toronto Mendelssohn Singers, and Vox Futura.

Hillman’s upcoming engagements include giving masterclasses at Acadia University and guest conducting the Alberta Youth Choir, Nova Scotia Youth Choir, and honor/festival choirs in Illinois, Louisiana, New York, and Ontario. He is the curator and editor of The Jamie Hillman Choral Series published by Santa Barbara Music Publishing. With composer Dan Forrest, he edits Beckenhorst Press’ Concert Series and writes pedagogical curriculum for pieces in the series. Hillman has written articles on choral literature and choral pedagogy that have been published in International Choral Bulletin, Massachusetts Music Educators Journal, and Mass Sings.

Hillman earned an associate diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto) and degrees from Western University (London, Canada), University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Boston University where he studied with Ann Howard Jones. Dr. Hillman is the 2012 laureate of the Leslie Bell Prize for Choral Conducting from the Ontario Arts Council.

• Students auditioning must be in 6th, 7th, or 8th grade.
• The ensemble director of the students auditioning must be a current full LMEA member.
• Students auditioning must be enrolled in a Louisiana-accredited middle school and must be an active member of that school’s ensemble program.
  
• In a situation where there is no ensemble in the school, the student must be enrolled in a Louisiana-accredited middle school and certified by the eligible music teacher at that school or a private teacher who is an LMEA member.
• Students are eligible for membership in only one All-State ensemble.

Student Information Release Form

• 1st Round – District directors will require students to submit either this form or their specific district’s form for 1st round auditions.
• 2nd Round – No student’s audition recording will be accepted for 2nd Round adjudication without the receipt of this form by the District’s recording date. Follow your District Director’s instructions for submitting the LMEA Student Information Release Form.

The following audition materials will be used at both 1st and 2nd round auditions. 

PREPARED SELECTION – There is a 3-year rotation of prepared selections. This portion of the audition will be evaluated on tone quality, note and rhythmic accuracy, intonation, and diction. (90% of score)

Click on the set to access the learning and audition tracks.

• Set 1 (2024-25) – “She Sings” by Amy Bernon SATB.
• Set 2 (2025-26) – TBA
• Set 3 (2026-27) – TBA

SCALE (5% of score during round one/10% of score during round two)

Each student must sing the scale ascending and descending using the starting pitch indicated for their voice part below. Scales must be sung a cappella using solfege, numbers, or a neutral syllable. Recommended tempo for scales is quarter note = 66-80.

• Sopranos: F (above middle C)
• Altos: D (right beside middle C)
• Tenors: F (below middle C)
• Basses: C (below middle C)

SIGHT-READING (5% of score – 1st Round only)

Students will sight-read a short selection at 1st round using solfege, numbers, or neutral syllables. Ties are broken by the sight-reading score.

Sight reading will consist of grade level appropriate music and will consist of:

• Quarter notes, half notes, and whole notes (and their corresponding rests)
• Notes will move only in step-wise motion (no skips).
• Selection will start and end on “do.”

SELECTION PROCESS:

Each district will determine whether the audition will be an All-State 1st round audition only or combined with a District Honor Choir audition.

MONITORS and AUDITION:

• All middle school choral round one auditions will be live auditions.
• Each District Director will assign a single date to hold 1st round live auditions. All middle school directors should be present to help with the audition process. There should be monitors in each audition room to certify that each auditioner sings the material without any restarts.
• Monitors should be carefully selected by the district director to ensure the procedural continuity of the audition.

AUDITION INSTRUCTIONS and ORDER:

• Students will enter the audition room where the judge is assigned for their specific voice part. There will be a copy of the Sight-Reading (face down), a copy of the current year’s selection, and a device to play the accompaniment track.
• The monitor will read the student identification script. “On (Insert Voice Part), this is Audition Number (Insert Audition Number).”
• Prepared Selection. The student will sing the current year’s prepared selection. (See the Set information above.)
• Scale. Next, the student will sing their scale beginning on the note indicated. Scales must be sung a cappella ascending and descending using solfege, numbers, or a neutral syllable.
  
  • Sopranos: F (above middle C)
  • Altos: D (right beside middle C)
  • Tenors: F (below middle C)
  • Basses: C (below middle C)
• Sight Reading. Next, the student will turn over the sight-reading selection and be allowed one minute of preparation/study time. After one minute, the student will sing the sight reading piece using solfege, numbers, or a neutral syllable.

SCORING CRITERIA:

The students’ auditions are evaluated on the following criteria:

• Prepared Selection – 90%
• Scale – 5% at 1st round; 10% at 2nd round
• Sight-Reading – 5% at 1st round; not included at 2nd round

TIE BREAKER:

• Ties will be broken by the sight-reading score. For example, when two students have the same final score, the one with the higher sight-reading score shall be ranked first.
• If a tie remains, it will be broken by the score for scales.
• If a tie remains, it will be broken by the score for tone quality.

Results. At the conclusion of each district’s 1st round audition, the audition results will be posted or distributed by the district.

District Quota for 2nd Round. Based on the results of 1st round audition, each district will recommend the top ten students from each voice part (SATB) for the 2nd round (state level) audition. All students being recommended for 2nd round must have scored at least 50% of the top score at 1st round.

10 Sopranos
10 Altos
10 Tenors
10 Basses

Alternates: There will be no “alternates” submitted.

AUDITION DATE and LOCATION: Each district will schedule the date, time, and location for recording 2nd round auditions in his/her district. (Allow enough time to complete the upload of all audition recordings and registration information by the deadline.)

REQUIRED FORM:

• Student Release of Information Form – this will need to be printed, signed, and turned in to your district. Follow your district’s instructions for submitting this form. Auditions cannot be adjudicated without this form.

AUDITION FEE:

• $15 per audition
• Ensemble directors must follow their District Director’s instructions and deadline for submitting school checks. Audition fees must be received before an audition will be recorded or adjudicated.
• District Directors must confirm with the Audition Coordinator that they have received all audition fees and forms by the deadline for uploading audition recordings.
• Each District Director will submit a single district check (made out to LMEA) to the Audition Coordinator for all of his/her district’s middle school choir audition entries.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION:

• All auditioner registration information for students who qualify for 2nd round will be submitted on the Allotment Sheets by the District Director or his/her designee.
• Auditioner information includes: Name, School, Grade, Instrument or Voice, All-State Ensemble preference, T-Shirt Size, Audio audition file, Verification of receipt of the “Student Release of Information Form”.
  
• Audition recordings will also be submitted via the Google form by the District Director or his/her designee. (Links will be sent to the District Director.)
• District Directors will provide their teachers with instructions on submitting student information.

Students will sing their scale and the prepared selection. There will be no sight-reading at 2nd round.

All 2nd Round auditions will be recorded as an MP3 file in each district.

MONITORS and AUDITION:

• An audio test of the recorder and room should be done before any auditions begin. Be sure the students will be clearly heard.
• Each District Director will assign one or more monitors to record the second round audition and certify that each auditioner performed the material without any restarts.
• The monitor will read the following script at the beginning of the audition/recording to announce and identify each auditioner: 
  “On (Insert Voice Part), this is Audition Number (Insert Audition Number).”
• Be sure that the voice part and audition number announced on the recording are accurately entered on the track sheet. (A link to the track sheet will be sent to the District Director.)
  
• Monitors should verify that the recording is on the recorder before the auditioner leaves the room if possible. (This can be done by playing a few seconds of the recording and checking the length of the file on the recorder.)
• Audition restarts will only be allowed if there is a technical issue with the recorder.
• Each recorded audition must be unedited and made in one single file – do not dub any portion of the audition.

TRACK SHEET:

• A track sheet will be shared via Google Sheets to enter the audition information at the “room” level. This includes:  Room Number, Recorder Number, File Name, File Duration, Last Name, First Name, Instrument/Voice, Audition Number.
• The Room Number, Recorder Number, File Name and Audition Number are to be determined by the District Director or his/her designee.
• There should be one track sheet for each room used at the audition.

RECORDING EQUIPMENT:

• It is paramount that the district director or the designated choral representative make every effort to utilize recording equipment that exceeds that of consumer grade.
• The recommended recorder is a typical “voice recorder” like those used for adjudicators at large ensemble assessment. District Directors have received information about these recorders.
• For optimal results and to ensure an even playing field for students, have students stand no more than four feet away from the microphone.

AUDITION INSTRUCTIONS and ORDER:

1. Start the recorder.
2. Identification Information: The monitor will read the student identification script (see above).
3. Scales: The student will then sing the scale listed above.
4. Prepared Selections: Next, the student will sing the prepared selections listed in the current year’s set.

AUDITION FILE SUBMISSION PROCEDURE:

• Each District Director (or designee) will be responsible for submitting the auditioner information and uploading audio audition recordings into the Google form shared by the audition coordinator no later than the deadline set by the choral division chair.
• District Directors will communicate to their district regarding how they want to receive student information – name, school, grade, instrument, All-State ensemble preference, t-shirt size, audio audition file, verification of receipt of the “Student Release of Information Form.”
• Google Drive is one of the easiest and most accessible platforms to use for file sharing. However, some school districts restrict the sharing of files from their school google drives. Files must be accessible to the chairperson to be judged for inclusion in the All-State ensemble. Discussions with your school district’s IT department may be necessary to ensure files are accessible.

AUDITION RESULTS for the Louisiana All-State Middle School Choir will be posted on this website by (date TBA) or as soon as possible once the adjudication process is completed.

The final middle school choir will consist of 120 students. There will be 30 Sopranos, 30 Altos, and 30 Tenor and 30 Bass voices.

• Student Forms:  Important information (including the rehearsal schedule), required forms with instructions, and optional forms can be found under the All-State: Student Forms tab in the menu. Scroll down to the appropriate ensemble’s section.
  
• Hotel Information:  Information can be found under the All-State: Hotel Information tab in the menu.

All-State Rules and Regulations are part of the All-State Entry form and are to be signed by each student, parent, director and principal involved.

Rules and Regulations for LMEA All-State:

1. Teachers are required to screen students who are discipline problems and not allow them to audition.
2. Students are expected to follow their school’s rules while at LMEA All-State.
3. Students must be present and on time for registration, all rehearsals, and any other scheduled All-State events.
4. Students failing to adhere to their LMEA All-State schedules or the rules and regulations are subject to dismissal.
5. Students are responsible for their personal equipment and instruments, including any school instruments or other items checked out to them. LMEA will not assume responsibility for lost, damaged or stolen equipment or instruments.
6. Any student who participates in any type of vandalism will be subject to immediate dismissal. The student and the school will be held responsible for damages.
7. Any student in possession of prescription drugs without a doctor’s prescription, any illegal drugs or other illegal substances, including alcoholic beverages, or who consumes any of these will be subject to immediate dismissal. The parent, director, and administrator will be notified.
8. Students’ teachers are required to be current LMEA members and to register for and be present at the All-State event and Professional Development Conference to ensure students are supervised/chaperoned when not in rehearsals or another scheduled All-State activity.
9. Students and parents are hereby notified that LMEA’s authority and responsibility extends until a student is released to return home.

Consequences and procedures related to the violation of any rules:

1. The student’s principal, director and parents will be immediately notified of any rule violation.
2. A disciplinary committee consisting of the Executive Director, the LMEA President, and the Band, Orchestra, Vocal, Guitar or Jazz Ensemble Chairperson (as pertinent) shall review any disciplinary problems before dismissal from the All-State group is recommended.
3. Any student dismissed (sent home) from an All-State event will be prohibited from participating in any LMEA event for one (1) full year starting from the time of the dismissal.
4. Any school organization whose student (or students) must be dismissed from an LMEA All-State event will be placed on a one-year probation. If a student is dismissed within the probation period, that school organization will be prohibited from participating in LMEA All-State events the following year.
5. Any infraction and subsequent dismissal will be referred to the LMEA Executive Board for resolution and clarification.