All-State Middle School Choir

A native of Hampton, GA, Dr. Pittman graduated from Lovejoy High School in 2006. She began her teaching career in 2010 at Eddie White K-8 Academy (now Eddie White Middle Academy) in Clayton County, where she built one of the largest choral programs in the district. In 2012, she transitioned to the high school level to revitalize the choral program at Alcovy High School (Newton County School System). In 2019, she took on a similar role at Campbell High School, where she now also serves as the Fine Arts Department Chair. Under her direction, choral programs have performed across the United States, with invitational appearances in Orlando, FL; Nashville, TN; New York, NY; and Los Angeles, CA. In June 2025, Dr. Pittman made her conducting debut at Carnegie Hall with the Campbell High School “Singing Spartans” Chorus Program.

Dr. Pittman actively directs several extracurricular music groups, coaches the GHSA Literary Team, and advises the Tri-M Music Honor Society. In 2017, she was honored as Alcovy High School’s “Teacher of the Year” and again for Campbell High School for 2024-25. Throughout her 15-year career, she has taught students at every level, from elementary to graduate-level college students. Her extensive experience and commitment to excellence have earned her respect as a choral clinician, mentor, music education consultant, instructor, grant writer, and performance adjudicator.

An accomplished flautist, soprano soloist, and choral musician, Dr. Pittman is a member of the Grammy Award-winning Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus (since 2011) and the Atlanta Women’s Chorus (since 2020). She continues to perform with bands, orchestras, choirs, and small vocal ensembles, always seeking opportunities to learn, grow, and develop as a musician, conductor, and educator.

Dr. Pittman is an active member of numerous professional organizations, including the Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA), National Association for Music Education (NAfME), American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), National Education Association (NEA), Georgia Association of Educators (GAE), Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity, Inc., Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., and Tau Beta Sigma National Honorary Band Sorority, Inc.

• 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. Click for a list of Nonpublic Accredited Approved Schools 2024-25.
  
• 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) – “Hold Fast to Dreams” by Susan LaBarr, SATB, Santa Barbara Music Publishing (this selection will be performed at All-State)
• 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.

OFFICIAL COMPOSITE AUDITION TRACKS:
These tracks must be used when recording the audition.

      Set I – 2024-25

      Set II – 2025-26

      Set III – 2026-27

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 Monday, November 24, 2025 (11:59 pm) 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.