All-State High School Choir

A highly sought-after conductor, clinician, and adjudicator, Nelson has conducted at Carnegie Hall on multiple occasions and directed All-State and honor choirs across the United States and internationally. Early in his career, he was the national winner of the ACDA Graduate Conducting Competition in Los Angeles and was named Outstanding Young Choral Conductor of the Year by ACDA of Minnesota.

Dr. Nelson is a distinguished leader committed to collaboration, empowerment, and service. He seeks to embody the mission of Wartburg College, dedicating his teaching to leadership, faith, and learning. Passionate about creating meaningful musical experiences that enrich and inspire, he challenges students to lead lives of unselfish service and global citizenship. A champion of contemporary choral music, Nelson regularly commissions and performs new works, and the Lee Nelson Choral Series is distributed nationally and internationally by ECS Publishing.

In addition to her choral conducting invitations, Dr. Nápoles is a well known researcher, with numerous publications in journals such as the Journal of Research in Music Education, Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, Journal of Music Teacher Education, Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, and the International Journal of Music Education. She served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Research in Music Education, the premier research journal in music education, the International Journal of Research in Choral Singing, and the Journal of Music Teacher Education. Her research interests center on testing practitioner practices empirically, expressive conducting, burnout, and teacher talk. She has presented at conferences on these topics nationally and internationally. She is presently serving on NAfME’s Executive board of the Society for Research in Music Education.

Dr. Nápoles was recently elected the President-Elect Designate for the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) at the national level. She is currently the Chair of the Research & Publications Standing Committee. Additionally, she served as Assistant Conference Chair for the 2019, 2021, and 2025 conferences, the Honor Choir Coordinator for the 2015 and 2017 conferences. Dr. Nápoles led the writing team of the ACDA COVID-19 task force that drafted a document to assist choral directors at all levels during the pandemic.

• Students auditioning must be in 9^th – 12^th grade.
• The ensemble director of students auditioning must be a current LMEA member.
• Students auditioning must be enrolled in a Louisiana-accredited high school and must be an active member of that school’s choral music program. Click for a list of Nonpublic Accredited Approved Schools 2024-45.
• In a situation where there is no program in the school, the student must be enrolled in a Louisiana-accredited high school and certified by the eligible music teacher at that school or a private teacher who is an LMEA member.
• Students selected to All-State Mixed Choir or Treble Chorus are eligible for membership in only one All-State ensemble.

SCALES – 1st Round

Scales will be included in both the 1st and the 2nd Round auditions.

The process and scale chart found here should be followed for both rounds.

Each student must sing all scales 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. Each singer must sing two scales, each one ascending and descending.

Scale Tracks

• Soprano 1:  E above middle C; G above middle C
• Soprano 2:  E above middle C; A below middle C
• Alto 1:  D above middle C; G below middle C
• Alto 2:  D above middle C; F below middle C
• Tenor 1:  F below middle C; A below middle C
• Tenor 2:  G Below Middle C; C below middle C
• Bass 1:  E below middle C; A below C3 (the C below middle C)
• Bass 2:  D below middle C; F below C3 (the C below middle C)

PREPARED SELECTION – 1st and 2nd Round

• (Omitting in Rotation) – “Richte Mich, Gott” by Mendelssohn, SSAATTBB, Warner Bros., LG70179.
  

Learning Tracks
Audition Tracks

• 2024 – “Shenandoah” arr. by Steven Sametz, SSAATTBB, Oxford University Press, 978-0-19-386633-1 (English)
  Cut: Both 1st and 2nd rounds will include the beginning through measure 35 only.
  

Learning Tracks
Audition Tracks

• 2025 – “Crucifixus” by Lotti, SSAATTBB (Latin), arr. Mason, Walton Music Corp., W6006
  Note:  The CPDL version previously used is no longer available. For consistency, all students must audition using the Walton version of “Crucifixus.” 
  

Learning Tracks
Audition Tracks

• 2026 – TBA – BEGINNING THIS YEAR, we will no longer use the rotation of audition pieces, rather, we will begin auditioning with a selection chosen from the Mixed Choir repertoire list from the current year.

SIGHT-SINGING – 1st Round

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

The sight-reading material will be emailed to the district director prior to the district’s audition date. It is the District Director’s responsibility to get the audition date to the Vocal Chairman or Audition Coordinator.

The sight-reading material will follow the following criteria:

• There will only be skips within the Tonic (I) chord. All other movements will be step-wise.
• It will be in common time (4/4).
• The range will be no greater than the Sol (V) below the tonic (I) chord to the La (VI) above the tonic chord.
• The rhythmic difficulty will consist of whole, half, quarter, dotted quarter followed by an eighth note. There will only be quarter note rests.
• The example will be eight measures long.
• It will begin on Do (I) and end on Do (I)
• There will not be a pickup measure to begin with and will include no accidentals.

If you are using Sight Reading Factory, Level 3 is close to this level of difficulty.

Recorded instructions and keys for sight-reading auditions

District Directors – Please send your Round 1 Audition date to [email protected] as soon as possible.

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

ORDER OF AUDITION:

1. Scales
If scales are included at 1st Round, the process and scale chart given below under “AUDITION REQUIREMENTS (2nd Round) – Scales” should be followed. Scales must be included in the 2nd Round audition.

2. Prepared Selection
The prepared selection should be performed next and must be performed with the audition track.

• 1st Round – If the District Director or his/her designee wishes to shorten the piece for Round 1, they may audition on a section (cut) of “O Vos Omnes.”
• 2nd Round – The selection will be performed in its entirety for the Round 2 recorded audition. If a cut is made, it will be sent by the Vocal Chair and must be used in all districts.
  

3. Sight-Reading
Sight-reading is performed next and must use the recorded instructions and track.

SCORING CRITERIA:

The students’ auditions are evaluated on the following criteria:

Note: If scales are not included as part of the 1st Round audition, then “Technique” should receive 10 points and “Interpretation” should receive 10 points.

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 will be posted or distributed by the district.

District Quota for 2nd Round. Based on the results of each district’s 1st round audition, students will be recommended for the 2nd round (state level) audition subject to the following quotas. All students being recommended for 2nd round must have scored at least 50% of the top score at 1st round.

Alternates: There will be no “alternates” submitted.

Quota Spreadsheet: Once a district has completed its 1st round audition and students have been selected to continue to 2nd round, the District Director or the district’s designated vocal chair will submit these names to the Vocal Division Chair on the All-State quota spreadsheet, ranked by parts. The quota sheet will be emailed to the District Directors (or Vocal Chair) by the Division Chair. Follow the Division Chair’s instructions and deadlines.

After the deadline, districts may not make changes to their 2nd round audition list. Should a district not have enough students to qualify in one of the voice parts, the Vocal Division Chair should be notified immediately so a student from another district may advance to 2nd round auditions.

Student Release of Information Form – This form will need to be printed, signed, and must be turned in to your district. Follow your District Director’s instructions for submitting it. A student’s 2nd round audition will not be adjudicated without this form.

Registration – the information for all students who qualify for 2nd round must be submitted on the Allotments Sheets by the District Director or the District’s designee by Monday, October 7, 2024. Students and their directors must follow their districts instructions and deadlines for submitting this information and registration fee.

• The District Director (or the District’s designee) is responsible for uploading all information and audition recordings on the Google form. (A link will be sent by the Division Chair.)
  
• Students who qualify for 2nd Round and their directors must follow their District Director’s instructions and deadlines for submitting all information and registration fees.
• Students auditioning for more than one ensemble must indicate their preference of ensembles when their audition registration information is submitted. This information will be used should he/she be selected to participate in more than one of this year’s LMEA All-State ensembles.

DATE and LOCATION: Each district director will schedule the date, time, and location for recording the 2nd round audition in his/her district. Allow enough time to comply with state deadlines.

AUDITION FEE and REGISTRATION:

• $15 per audition
• Ensemble directors must follow their District Director’s instructions and deadline for submitting school checks.
• District Directors must confirm that they have received all audition fees and forms by the date the audition files are uploaded. An audition cannot be adjudicated if the audition fee has not been received.
• All auditioner information will be submitted by the District Director or his/her designee. This includes: Name, School, Grade, Instrument or Voice, All-State Ensemble preference, T-Shirt Size, Audio audition file, Verification of receipt of the “Release of Information” Form.
• All second round audition recordings and registration forms must be submitted via the Google form by 11:59 pm on Monday, October 7, 2024 by the District Director or his/her designee. (Links will be sent to the District Director.)

1. SCALES – 2nd Round
Scales will be required as part of both the 1st and the 2nd round auditions.

Each student must sing all scales 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. Each singer must sing two scales, each one ascending and descending.

Scale Tracks

• Soprano 1:  E above middle C; G above middle C
• Soprano 2:  E above middle C; A below middle C
• Alto 1:  D above middle C; G below middle C
• Alto 2:  D above middle C; F below middle C
• Tenor 1:  F below middle C; A below middle C
• Tenor 2:  G Below Middle C; C below middle C
• Bass 1:  E below middle C; A below C3 (the C below middle C)
• Bass 2:  D below middle C; F below C3 (the C below middle C)

2. PREPARED SELECTION – 2nd Round.
The 1st and 2nd Round prepared selections are the same. If a cut is made for 2nd Round, the Vocal Chair will send it to all District Directors and it will be posted on this page. If a cut is made, all districts must use the same cut. Any cut made will be listed under 1st Round “Prepared Selection” above.

Learning Tracks and Audition Tracks can be accessed under 1st Round Audition Requirements.

3. SIGHT-SINGING PROCESS – 2nd Round – Important information for District Directors:

• The sight-reading material will be emailed to the district director by the Vocal Chair prior to the district’s audition date. It is the District Director’s responsibility to get the audition date to the Vocal Chairman or Audition Coordinator asap.
• District directors should keep these files in strict confidentiality throughout the audition process.
• District directors should print and catalog the sight-reading as needed for distribution to auditioners (during the audition only), judges and monitors.
• Monitors will return all sight-reading copies to the district director at the conclusion of the audition recording. These copies will be discarded by the district director once he/she has verified that all copies have been returned.

SIGHT-SINGING – Information for Students and Teachers – 2nd Round

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

The sight-reading material will follow the following criteria:

• There will only be skips within the Tonic (I) chord. All other movements will be step-wise.
• It will be in common time (4/4).
• The range will be no greater than the Sol (V) below the tonic (I) chord to the La (VI) above the tonic chord.
• The rhythmic difficulty will consist of whole, half, quarter, dotted quarter followed by an eighth note. There will only be quarter note rests.
• The example will be eight measures long.
• It will begin on Do (I) and end on Do (I)
• There will not be a pickup measure to begin with and will include no accidentals.

All auditions must use the recorded instructions and keys for sight-reading auditions.

If you are using Sight Reading Factory, Level 3 is close to this level of difficulty.

MONITORS and the AUDITION:

• All 2nd round auditions will be audio recorded (.mp3 file).
• Each District Director will assign one or more monitors to record the 2nd round audition and certify that each auditioner performed the material without any restarts.
• Monitors should be carefully selected by the district director to ensure procedural continuity of the audition. It is recommended that monitors are choir directors within each district.
• An audio test of the recorder and room should be done before any auditions begin to ensure a proper balance between student and the accompaniment track. Be sure the student will be clearly heard.
  
• 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.
• 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.

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 Part, 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 second round audition.

RECORDING EQUIPMENT

• 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.

2nd ROUND AUDITION FILE SUBMISSION PROCEDURE:

• Each district director (or designee) will be responsible for submitting auditioners’ information and uploading all audio audition recordings into the Google form shared by the audition coordinator.
• All student registration information and audition recordings must be submitted by 11:59 pm on Monday, October 7, 2024. 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 an All-State ensemble. Discussions with your school district’s IT department may be necessary to ensure required access to the All-State audition.

SCORING CRITERIA:

The students’ auditions are evaluated on the following criteria:

Note: If scales are not included as part of the 1st Round audition, then “Technique” should receive 10 points and “Interpretation” should receive 10 points.

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 the score remains tied, the scale score shall be used to break the tie.
• If the score remains tied, the tie will be broken by the students’ score for tone quality.

All-State Rules and Regulations are part of the All-State School and Emergency Permission 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 schedule 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. Parents or a designated chaperone are responsible for students when they are not in a rehearsal or at an LMEA sponsored event.

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, Handbell, 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.