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Repertoire & Resources

What advice can you offer those who are pre- and follow the guidelines for the audition. As a director,
paring students to audition for honor choirs? clearly communicate with those auditioning how many
times they will get to record each component of the
Ferrie: From the very beginning, I set clear expecta- audition. I usually will not record any component more
tions with both students and their parents regarding than three times. I record in a room that is neutral as
audition preparation and recording. I make it known far as acoustic—not a dead space, but not a lively one
that I will not record a student who arrives unprepared. either. I usually record with an iPhone voice memo or
If a singer shows up without adequate preparation, I video recording, depending on the instructions given.
will send them home and allow only one additional op- I suggest avoiding DAWs such as GarageBand if you
portunity to attempt their audition. forget to check the settings, as it is pretty easy to hear
To ensure the process reflects the authenticity of a when an audition has been digitally enhanced or al-
live audition, I limit each student to two takes, selecting tered.
the stronger one. No audition is perfect, and I believe it Finally, I share with those auditioning what criteria
is important that the recording resembles what adjudi- their audition will be graded on. While they usually
cators would hear in person. While I support students never see their scores from these auditions, I find it is
by providing rehearsal tracks, offering group sectionals, informative for them to know how many points the au-
and helping them learn the music, I emphasize that it dition is worth, what categories there are for scoring, as
is ultimately their responsibility to put in the time and this can guide them to grow musically and record the
effort to be prepared. best audition they can. After the audition is recorded, I
Recordings are made in my choir room using my remind each student that if they did the best they could
iPhone—without specialized equipment or digital al- on that day and time when they recorded, whether they
terations. Having served on multiple honor choir lis- make the honor choir or not, they have grown as a mu-
tening committees, I know how evident it becomes sician through the process and that itself is worthwhile.
when recordings have been edited or when directors
provide prompts during the process. As sponsors, it is
our responsibility to be fully familiar with the rules to What advice do you have for creating a strong
ensure students are not unintentionally disqualified. interest session proposal for state, regional, or
While most students record with me present, I do allow national conference consideration?
those I trust to record independently, even in a practice
room without a director. In fact, I have had students Ferrie: One of the most important pieces of advice I
successfully earn placement in honor choirs through can offer is this: make sure your submission is applica-
this approach. Ultimately, what matters most is that ble to the division you are submitting to. As the nation-
students come fully prepared, sing with a forward tone, al R&R chair for middle school/junior high, part of
and demonstrate musicality in their audition. my role is to help adjudicate submissions for the nation-
al conference. During the last conference cycle, unfor-
Brown: Timelines and learning goals, that’s it for me. tunately, more than 95 percent of the submissions we
If the audition is due by a given date, find out who is received for the MS/JH division had little or nothing to
interested in auditioning early on. Then communicate do with our age group.
with them where they need to be in their demonstrated If you are a middle school or junior high choir di-
learning by giving dates leading up to the audition. If it rector, you do have something to contribute. Too often,
is a live audition, help the student know what the phys- we hold ourselves back because we believe we are not
ical environment of the audition will feel like, how to qualified, that our work is not significant, or that no one
slow things down before they sing or start the audition, would be interested in what we have to share. That is
and how to stay present in the moment and let things simply not true. You may not be selected the first time,
go as the audition unfolds. or even the second, but persistence is key.
If it is a recorded audition, I make sure students read I remember in 2014, a now close friend of mine

24 CHORAL JOURNAL November/December 2025 Volume 66 Number 4