LMEA sponsors two high shcool All-State choirs – All-State Mixed Choir, which includes approximately 160 students, and All-State Treble Chorus, which includes approximately 60 students. Choir members are selected as a result of district (1st round) and state (2nd round) auditions.
2025 ALL-STATE MIXED CHOIR CLINICIAN: Dr. Lynne Gackle
Dr. Lynne Gackle is the former Associate Professor of Ensembles and Associate Director of Choral Activities at Baylor University, where she conducts the Baylor Bella Voce (Women’s Ensemble) and the Baylor Concert Choir and teaches courses in choral literature and choral conducting. Lynne is an active clinician, conductor and adjudicator for choral clinics, honor choirs, workshops and festivals throughout the United States and abroad. Dr. Gackle has conducted All-State choirs in 28 states, several divisional ACDA honor choirs and two ACDA national honor choirs. Internationally, she conducted the Australian National Choral Association’s High School Women’s Choir in Brisbane, the Alberta Choral Federation’s High School Honour Choir in Calgary, the DoDDS-Europe Honors Music Festival Mixed Choir, (Wiesbaden, Germany), the Haydn Youth Festival in Vienna, and the Association for Music in International Schools (AMIS) International Women’s Honor Choir in Beijing, China. Dr. Gackle is an active author and editor, currently serving on the editorial board for the Choral Journal and was awarded the Florida ACDA chapter’s Wayne Hugoboom Distinguished Service Award for dedicated service, leadership, and excellence. Recognized for her research on the female adolescent voice, Lynne is the author of Finding Ophelia’s Voice, Opening Ophelia’s Heart (Heritage) and is a contributing author for other books published by GIA, Oxford, and Hal Leonard/McGraw Hill. She holds memberships in ACDA, TMEA, TCDA, and NATS.
All-State Program for the Mixed Choir:
Insanae et vanae curae by Haydn (SATB)
The Ground by Ola Gjeilo (SATB)
Arise, My Beloved by Rosephanye Powell (SATB)
Zieguenerleben by Schumann (SATB)
All Things New by Elaine Hagenberg (SATB)
Way Over In Beulah Lan’ by Stacey Gibbs (SATB)
2025 ALL-STATE TREBLE CHOIR CLINICIAN: Dr. Jessica Nápoles
Jessica Nápoles is Professor of Choral Music Education at the University of North Texas. She teaches undergraduate coursework in choral methods, conducts the Concert Choir, and mentors graduate students in research. Dr. Nápoles served as Interim division chair for Conducting & Ensembles in 2019-2020 and Interim division chair for Music Education in Fall of 2020. A native of Florida with a Cuban-American background, Dr. Napoles taught middle school chorus in the public schools of Miami and Orlando, FL. She received her bachelor of music education, master of music education, and PhD in music education from the Florida State University. Prior to her appointment at UNT, she taught at the University of Utah for 11 years. Dr. Nápoles is an active choral conductor, clinician, and adjudicator, frequently engaging in guest conducting opportunities locally, regionally, and nationally. She has conducted All State and honor choirs in 20 states across the United States. She has conducted the Southern, North Central/Central, Eastern, and Western division honor choirs for the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA).
All-State Program for Treble Chorus:
Awake the Trumpet’s Lofty Sound by Handel/arr. John Cramer (SSA)
In the Sweet By and By by Joseph Webster/arr. Hall (SSAA)
Plena by Diana Sáez (SSA)
Mantra by Tim Takach (SSA)
I Need You to Survive by David Rollo Dilworth (SSA)
Holy Is the Lord by Jeffery Ames (SSAA)
INFORMATION ABOUT DISTRICT LEVEL (1st ROUND) AUDITIONS
Each of the nine LMEA Districts will hold a district level 1st round qualifying audition to determine the students who will qualify for the 2nd round state level audition. Students must audition in their school’s LMEA district for the 1st round audition.
DATES, FEES, and LOCATIONS for the 1st Round audition are set by each district. (Be aware of 2nd Round deadlines before setting this date.)
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.
1st Round – District Directors will require students to submit either this form or their specific district’s form.
2nd Round – This form is required for all students eligible for 2nd Round. Follow your District Director’s instructions for submitting the LMEA Student Information Release Form.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
The students’ auditions are evaluated on the following criteria:
Intonation
20 points
Tone Quality
20 points
Part Accuracy
20 points
Diction
10 points
Technique and Interpretation
10 points
Scales
10 points
Sight-Reading
10 points
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.
10 – Soprano 1
10 – Tenor 1
10 – Soprano 2
10 – Tenor 2
10 – Alto 1
10 – Bass 1
10 – Alto 2
10 – Bass 2
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.
INFORMATION ABOUT STATE LEVEL (2nd ROUND) AUDITIONS
The format of the Second Round audition is a Live Monitored Audition which will be recorded and submitted as an mp3 file.
District directors will verify that teachers of all students participating in these auditions are current members of LMEA.
All “2nd round” auditions will be audio recorded by the District Director or his/her designee(s) and submitted as an mp3 file to the Vocal Division Chair for adjudication.
All students will be required to sing major scales as part of the 2nd round audition.
All students auditioning will sight-read a short exercise, which will be sent to the District Director by the Vocal Division Chair. It is the District Director’s responsibility to send this date to the Vocal Division Chair as soon as it is available.
DEADLINES for 2024:
District Deadlines – District Directors will provide procedural information and set the deadline for receiving checks and student information from schools in their district. This deadline may be before the state’s deadline.
Saturday, October 5, 2024 – Deadline for completion of all 2nd round auditions and the receipt of all student registrations and audition fees by the district director or his/her designee.
Monday, October 14, 2024 (by 11:59 pm) – Results for the All-State Choirs will be posted online. Check BOTH lists. Registration forms for students selected to an ensemble will be opened once rosters are posted.
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.
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.
If you are using Sight Reading Factory, Level 3 is close to this level of difficulty.
COMPOSITE AUDITION TRACKS (Shenandoah) – 2024 These tracks must be used in the audition recording. They include the scale tracks, audition selection, and sight-reading instructions.
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.
The students’ auditions are evaluated on the following criteria:
Intonation
20 points
Tone Quality
20 points
Part Accuracy
20 points
Diction
10 points
Technique and Interpretation
10 points
Scales
10 points
Sight-Reading
10 points
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.
Results will be posted on this website by Monday, October 14, 2024 (11:59 pm) or as soon as possible once they are finalized for all ensembles.
Check results for Mixed Choir and Treble Chorus.
INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS SELECTED TO AN ALL-STATE ENSEMBLE
LOCATION, DEADLINES, FEES
Location – Hilton New Orleans Riverside (all rehearsals and concerts)
Registration Fees – $205
Deadline – Saturday, November 2, 2024 by 11:59pm (All-State registration form, All-State permission form, fees, and if applicable, LMEA Academic Award form)
LMEA is working hard to provide the highest quality All-State experience. All ensembles will rehearse and perform under the leadership of a nationally-celebrated director. Evening concerts will feature Louisiana universities as well as guest artists from around the country.
The registration fee covers rehearsal and performance related expenses, music, an All-State patch, All-State t-shirt, and the LMEA Academic Award (if applicable).
All students will be served a buffet style dinner each night, which will include a fresh salad, hearty main course, two sides, dessert, and beverage. Special meal options will be provided for students with food allergies or dietary restrictions.
Students are on their own for lunch and breakfast. They may take advantage of food options within the Hilton. For lunch, students may choose to eat in the food court of the Riverwalk Outlet, which adjoins the Hilton Riverside. Multiple fast-food options are available and lunch breaks will be staggered to help alleviate crowds.
DONATIONS Links to information and ways to help support Louisiana’s talented LMEA All-State students can be found below. Join us as we celebrate their hard work and dedication, and this prestigious achievement.
Donation Letter – A downloadable Word doc with suggested modifications that teachers can customize to fit each student’s situation
FAQ Sheet– Detailed information on how to support Louisiana’s talented young musicians cover their All-State expenses (registration and evening meals only) by donating to students through LMEA’s portal
Donation Form/LMEA Portal – To donate to a specific student(s), school(s), or All-State ensemble events
SCHEDULE
Onsite check-in and the first rehearsals will be on Thursday, January 16, 2025.
Both concerts will be on Sunday, January 19, 2025.
Student Forms – Important registration information, required forms, and optional forms.
Academic Award Form (OPTIONAL) – A student who has a verified cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher must upload the verified academic award form when completing the online All-State Student Registration Form. (Only 10th, 11th, and 12th graders are eligible for this award.) The deadline is the same as the “registration due” deadline.
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:
Teachers are required to screen students who are discipline problems and not allow them to audition.
Students are expected to follow their school’s rules while at LMEA All-State.
Students must be present and on time for registration, all rehearsals, and any other scheduled All-State events.
Students failing to adhere to their LMEA All-State schedule or the rules and regulations are subject to dismissal.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
The student’s principal, director and parents will be immediately notified of any rule violation.
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.
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.
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.
Any infraction and subsequent dismissal will be referred to the LMEA Executive Board for resolution and clarification.
2025 ALL-STATE MIXED CHOIR CLINICIAN: Dr. Lynne Gackle
2025 ALL-STATE TREBLE CHOIR CLINICIAN: Dr. Jessica Nápoles
DONATIONS