Solo Audition Week

I bet a lot of you are wondering how I pick soloist for each concert.  With 500 students, and many of them wanting a chance to sing alone, I try to be as objective as possible.  When a student auditions, they sing in front of their class to practice singing in front of an audience.  Before this happens, we talk about what a person might feel when they are standing in front of their peers and how we can support them by being a great audience.  It takes a lot of bravery to stand in front of your class!!

For each singer I fill out this rubric:

Name: Teacher: Song: Pitch 1   2   3   4 Rhythm 1   2   3   4 Expression 1   2   3   4 Memorization Yes    No Solo Before Yes    No Notes:

The rubric scale is 1-4, with 4 being the highest and 1 being the lowest.  I show this to students before solo auditions and explain what a 4 looks like, and what a 1 looks like.

Pitch - A 4 would sing all the correct notes
Rhythm - A 4 would sing all the correct rhythms
Expression - A 4 uses facial expression and body movements to convey the meaning of a song
Memorization - Can sing without looking at the words

The notes section is where I note if the student showed any other quality not mentioned in the rubric.  Also, I may note the student's behavior patterns in music class.  I do this because I would like a student representing the grade who is a leader of positive behavior!

After I have heard all singers, I then sort my rubrics from highest to lowest score.  Then, I order the rubrics from those who have not had a solo, to those who have had a solo.  From there I pick the soloists for each grade and I will let those students know as soon as possible.  I will also communicate with their parents to make sure that they will be at school on November 23rd and 24th.  If they are not, I will then pick the next student! 

I hope this answers some of your questions!  Have a great week!