How I Judge Auditions for Region Choirs

Every judge has their own way of ranking singers for the region contests.  I have been judging Region for three years now, and have developed my own method to sorting out 60+ singers in an audition. Here are the factors, ranked from most to least importance.

1) Tone quality: My first judgment is simple: do I LIKE the voice?  Does it have any vocal issues that seriously distract from their natural tone or prevent the student from blending well in a choir?

2) Accuracy: Does the student match all the pitches and rhythms for the audition?  I actually rank this slightly below tone quality, as I go through auditions all the time, and can forgive a wrong pitch due to nerves once in a while.  So long as you only make one or two mistakes, you are probably fine.  However, if you are not consistent on pitch and rhythm, you will not make region.  If you are accurate, it allows me to look at more stylistic concerns.

3) Style, Artistry, Musicianship:  Parts of this category are very objective; did you perform all the dynamics, accents, and crescendos written in the piece?  However, what separates the top 3 students from the top 10 is a very subjective "X factor" that only a judge can decide on for themselves.  My hint - make sure you learn to love to sing your audition pieces, create stories for yourself on what the piece means, and sing to express emotions.  A machine can match all the pitches.  I want to hear a voice that moves me in the way only a human voice can do.

4) Foreign Language: I am very lenient in regards to accuracy on foreign languages.  Make sure you don't make egregious mistakes.  This is another pass/fail category.

5) Attitude: This is a pass/fail category.  If you make a mistake, PLEASE do not sigh, say negative words etc...If you draw attention to the mistake, you lose FAR more points that the mistake itself was worth.  Wait to criticize yourself until you LEAVE the auditioning room.

DWS