Although there are several types of ensembles for which auditions will be held, high school, college or university, and community (including select community based chorales and large, less selective choruses), the audition for each is based on a fundamental audition procedure. That procedure includes an evaluation of the prospective member's vocal capabilities and obtaining some information from the person necessary for the records of the chorus.

The vocal part of the choral audition has three primary purposes: (1) to determine membership, (2) to place singers in sections and (3) to give the conductor knowledge of the quality of the voice. Auditions for a select ensemble will involve all three purposes, whereas the audition for a non-select training choir will be used mostly to place voices in sections. Other information of value is also obtained from the audition, including: musical experience, general health, soloistic qualities, and other information the director determines necessary.

Everybody faces auditions with a certain amount of trepidation, particularly young singers. Generally, younger students have had little private voice study or experience singing alone. The knowledge that the audition will determine their admission to an ensemble makes them even more nervous. There is always a feeling of insecurity that comes from knowing they might not be selected.

Because of this, the director should bend over backward to make the student feel as much at ease as possible during an audition. A friendly word or two at the beginning of the audition can help the student relax and decide that the audition is not going to be the ordeal he thought it would be. And, as the audition progresses continued words of encouragment will be helpful and likely to result in a better evaluation of the person's capabilities.

It is necessary to obtain some information about the student, not only to aid the director in making an objective decision about the audition, but also to have phone numbers, addresses, and other information on file for future ref­erence. A sample data card is given in figure 1. Often, local situations will warrant the inclusion of additional information and a variation of this card may be used. ONe can also iinput the information directly into a computer if one is available to use during the audition. Soome feel that the computer "gets in between the director and the student" whereas the use of a small card does not. Having the data available in a computer file later can be advantageus.

If you do not use a computer, it is best to use cards rather than paper for this information because they file easier and are more durable. A 4" X 6" card will serve well. As you can see, the data card in figure 1 requests only minimal information about the

Figure 7.1. 

student's personal or family background. Some directors recommend that more information be obtained that can be used later to evaluate the student's pos­sibilities regarding smaller groups chosen from the choir. At the outset, this information is unnecessary and clutters the file card, a card that you want to be as simple as possible. This information, which will be necessary for only a small number of the students, can be obtained later when needed, and on a form designed solely for that purpose. You can then obtain information about the student's other school activities, outside involvements, transportation, and any other pertinent information, when it is most appropriate and up-to-date. The student's schedule can be completed on the reverse side of the Personal Data Card (see fig. 2).

Unless you place the information into a computer file it is best to have a small filing case available where the personal data cards can be filed. Keep each card until the student is no longer in school. A student may not be selected one year but may reaudition the following year. It will be worthwhile to be able to refer to his previous audition card and your comments on his earlier audition. A director will also have occasional students, who, for one reason or another, will be able to sing in choir one year and not the next. The card should be kept on this student as he may return to sing the third year. The comments on the card will serve better than your memory as a re­minder of the student's capabilities and contributions while a member of the choir.

It is generally not the practice to meet with all of the auditioning students to discuss the audition and the choir's goals and activities prior to the audi­tions. In many situations it will be helpful to type a brief description of the

Figure 7.2. 

activities of the choir including: dates of the known concerts, possible number of extra concerts, smaller ensembles to be selected from this group, fund-raising campaigns in which students are expected to participate, required wearing apparel, trips, and your expectations of each student beyond the regularly scheduled rehearsals. This handout should be brief, to the point and restrained but truthful in its demands described for the student. The handout can be available for the students to read while they wait to audition. Indications of extra rehearsals, for example, can look quite foreboding in writing; whereas in reality, they may not require very much extra time at all. It is best not to make the choir appear that it will require almost all of the student's free time. This could discourage excellent students from auditioning.

Although this module usually refers to the person auditiioning as the student, one can apply it to any situation. The non-musical portiion can be helpul in other auditioning situations. The audition really begins before the student begins to sing. It begins when the student enters the room. Remember, he has probably been waiting for several minutes while you finished the preceding audition and has had more opportunity to become nervous. You can reassure the student and make him as comfortable as possible by greeting him pleasantly when he enters, taking the audition card he has completed and quickly scanning it to be certain it is legible and complete. This is a good time to say something to the student to help him feel as comfortable as possible. It is a good idea to read his name aloud, helping you to learn to pronounce it correctly and to remember it. It is also helpful to the student if you call him by name during the audition. While scanning the audition card ask the student one or two questions of a general, conversational nature. This helps the student relax a little by speaking and lets you have some idea of the approximate middle range of the voice.

Ask the student to stand several feet from the piano, facing you, but un­able to see the keyboard. This will allow you to have the student sing in various parts of his range without his knowing the actual pitches he is singing, there­fore not being able to become psychologically thwarted by specific pitches he believes to be too high or too low for him. It will also eliminate asking him to move later when you come to the pitch retention part of the audition.

The exercise shown in figure 1, in the middle part of the student's prob­able range, works well for the first part of the audition. Let the singer gain some confidence in his singing, keeping in the middle range, for six to eight repetitions of the sequence, transposing it by steps and half-steps

Figure 7.3. 

This can be followed by the second exercise (fig. 2), which requires the singer to negotiate easy intervals (the triad), followed by step-wise notes, re­lated to the first exercise.

Figure 7.4. 

After six to ten repetitions of exercise two, the third exercise may be used (fig. 3). It too is related to the previous exercises, but instead of beginning with a downward motion triad it begins at the root of the triad. The "yah" syl­lable will help the singer place more emphasis on the notes and create more intensity and volume in the voice. This is what you will want to hear at this point. You need to know the volume capabilities of the voice as well as the quality at several volume levels. Ask the student to accent the first three notes of this exercise and maintain a forte level throughout. Move the student to the top and bottom of his range with this exercise.

Figure 7.5. 

Change vowels in the exercises as appropriate and for variation. You will encounter some untrained, and occasionally, trained voices in which the vowel is formed so deeply that it is best to vocalize on "ee" or "ay". This helps project the voice forward and can give you a clearer idea of the capabilities of the voice. Generally, it is best to use "ah" and "aw" when asking the singer to vocalize at the top and bottom of the range. By varying the vowel sound used in the audition you will also get a truer aural picture of the total sound of the voice.

The pitch retention test is one of the best determinants of the student's pos­sibilities for success in a choral ensemble. It will tell you, quite accurately, of the student's potential to learn to read music and to learn choral repertoire. This method of auditioning is used by a number of leading high school, col­lege, and university choral directors.

To require sight-reading at choral auditions may be of value when au­ditioning very experienced and well-trained singers, but a sight-reading test in a choral audition of younger, rather inexperienced singers is of little value. It generally reveals what a nervous person, faced with a new piece of music with unfamiliar words, cannot do while under the watchful eye (and ear) of the choral director. It does not indicate the potential of the person to read music or to learn choral repertoire in a choral rehearsal situation. This au­thor's experience, and the experience of others, has shown conclusively that a pitch retention (PR) test is a reliable guide for the selection of choir members. It has been found that, when good voices with low scores on the PR were admitted to a very select ensemble with high performance demands, it was usually regretted later. On the other hand, when a student with little back­ground but with a high score on the PR was admitted, even in place of a more experienced person whose PR score was lower, that decision was never re­gretted. The PR also indicates to the choral director persons who will have difficulty singing in tune. Since intonation is such a crucial factor in a choral ensemble, this information is very useful at the time selection is made. A di­rector may have to use a PR test for some time before he will place full con­fidence in it, but eventually he will be able to rely on it as an accurate guide to a student's potential as a choral singer. After using a pitch retention test the choral director will most likely wish to eliminate sight-reading from most auditions completely.

The pitch retention test given in figure 1 has proved successful at the high school, college, university, and community levels.

When administering the test be certain that:

1. The room is free of other noises and distractions.

2. Waiting students cannot hear the test.

3. Each exercise is played only once, asking the student not to hum the notes as they are being played. If the student asks to have the ex­ercise repeated, subtract a proportionate amount from his score.

4. The results are scored so a glance at the card later will provide you with all the information you desire. The sample card allows for six exercises and a total score. Each director will find it easy to deter­mine his own method of scoring.

5. Each exercise is played accurately, with all notes played at the same volume level.

6. The piano has recently been tuned.

This author recommends that directors who wish to have students sight- read in addition to the pitch retention test write several short exercises for this part of the audition. More reading problems can be incorporated in this manner and less time wasted than when a choral score is used.

Figure 7.6. 

The total length of the audition for the student select ensemble should be no more than ten minutes. Auditions for adult select ensembles may be longer depending on the situation. You will often have students audition whose singing abilities are poor and it will become apparent very early in the audition that you will not be able to use them. If they can be placed in another group, perhaps a training choir, the audition can be modified toward that goal. Even if this is not possible, it is still best to give the student a good hearing. If the audition is cut too short, the student will feel that he did not receive a thorough hearing and was unfairly eliminated. It is not necessary, however, to use the full time for this type of student. A modified audition can be used, which will satisfy the student that he has been given the same chance that all other students received. This will also help point out to the student his own inadequacies and the reasons why he will not be selected.

When any audition is completed, thank the student and, if it was not made clear before, let him know when and he will be informed ofr the result. Often, the person can be told at the end of the audition that you wanto him in the ensemble. This decision must be weighed against not telling others immediately. It is often best to post the results later, rather than attempting to make decisions on each student at the audition. With the exception of the very talented and the very poor singers it is very difficult to make any selec­tions until after all the students have auditioned because you will be comparing voice qualitites and ranges in order to select the complete ensemble.

Again, there is more than one level of ensemble and the audition should be modified to meet the level needed. The adult, community-based chorus may be placed in one of the following categories; large select chorus, large non- select chorus, select chorale, church choir, and a small group of soloists. Church choirs are of several types; strictly volunteer, volunteer with a core of paid singers, and a very few totally paid choirs. Most are in the first category. Con­sequently, it is important to adapt the audition to the type of choir being au­ditioned. For example, the audition for a large, select chorus may include sight- reading, vocalizing, a Pitch Retention test, and the singing of an art song or aria. The times and dates of this audition should be announced publicly, a pianist should be provided and enough time given to complete all the parts of the audition. These auditions can be arranged by appointment within a specified block of time. The audition for a select choral ensemble of adults, twenty to thirty singers, for example, should also include those parts of an audition as mentioned above. In either case, the prospective member should know what repertoire the en­semble will perform and of the rehearsal and performance obligations prior to or at the audition. The additional requirement of an art song or aria pro­vides an opportunity to assess musicianship, diction, tone quality, and solo ca­pabilities in the framework of performance. This assessment is very important to the selection of singers for these choirs. Certainly, these audition techniques should be modified to meet the requirements of the situation.

Large, nonselect choruses and volunteer church choirs are two ensembles for which a variety of audition procedures can be used. In some cases, the large, nonselect chorus may not be auditioned at all. For example, if the group comes together as a community event once a year there will probably not be any audition. If the essence of the group is that anybody can sing without an audition, there will not be an audition. In some instances, there can be brief auditions, separate from the rehearsal, to determine voice quality and capa­bilities, where appropriate.

Most volunteer church choirs are just that, and not enough volunteers seem to be available. It is often most appropriate to find a time before "the next rehearsal" to audition a new member. Again, it will probably be a min­imal audition, mostly to assess tone quality and capabilities.

Although you may intend to accept all of the interested students for a non- select choir, it is still best to audition each of them. It may not be possible or even necessary to do this before the first meeting of the ensemble. If the schedule determines that the audition must be held during the first rehearsal, have the students come, one at a time, to another room for this brief hearing or in front in groups of four to six.

Assuming that these students have no previous choral experience, the au­dition will not need to be as rigorous as that for the select choir. Begin with a three note exercise in a downward progression (see fig. 1).

Start in what you believe to be the middle of the person's range and do not be discouraged if the student seems unable to sing even the opening pitch. Students that are completely inexperienced and very nervous sometimes will not match pitch except in a limited part of their range. It is necessary for you to find that usable part of the range and begin there.

Figure 7.7. 

Use a step-wise ascending and descending exercise up to the fifth, as in figure 2, for the next part of the audition.

Figure 7.8. 

The pitch retention test can be used, not to determine membership, but to provide you with an accurate indication of potential that you will later want to have. The pitch retention test should be modified to fit particular situations and age levels of the students.

Each voice is different in some way from every other voice. It is necessary to place voices into categories by means of range and quality. These two items determine in which section a voice is to be placed. Voices that are constantly changing and maturing may be placed in one section for a year, or even a part of a year, and later moved to another section as the change in quality and range indicate. High school age voices should be reauditioned periodically because they are in a constant state of flux and need close attention.

A brief description of the voice characteristics of each type is listed. In the example specific ranges are shown. These are almost the extremes of each range. Young singers are most effective in a range that is two piteches below the top and two pitches above the bottom. A director could not place voices with this information alone. He must have heard a true tenor or alto, for instance, in order to know the actual sound described. For those wishing more information, there are several excellent books on the voice listed on page in chapter five and in the bibliography.

Figure 7.9. 

Soprano—lyric voice, light and bell-like. The second soprano will have more depth in the lower part of the range.

Alto—heavier quality than soprano, more mellowness. The second alto will have a deeper tone in the lower range and will sing notes below middle C with less pressure and more ease.

Tenor—lyric quality with brightness in the middle and upper range. The seco