Site search
sponsored by
Home
News
ENLARGE
In the choir world, acceptance to Honor Choir and All State Choir are the equivalent to making it to Zone, and then the State Championship game in sports. It is a prestigious and life-changing experience for those students who qualify.
After being initially informed that they had not qualified for Honor Choir it was determined by the Nevada Music Educators Association (the NMEA) that audition tapes of at least two male applicants had definitely not been submitted. In addition, it could not be accurately determined whether at least four other, and possibly more, CCHS students' audition tapes had ever been received or heard.
The NMEA does not allow “do-over” auditions, but because these students had not been heard in the first place, private auditions were scheduled in order to allow fair and equal representation in the audition process.
As a result of this, a group of parent advocates have begun to question the audition process for Honor Choir at both Churchill County High School and the NMEA level.
Termed “Choirgate” by the parent advocates, they have asked Churchill County High School Principal Kevin Lords to investigate the audition process and bring any discrepancies to light.
Due to Churchill County School District policy, Lords was unable to either confirm or deny that an investigation is underway.
Parent advocates Susan and Carl Robertson originally contacted CCHS choir director Kathy Archey after their son was told that he had not been accepted to Honor Choir because they knew that Honor Choir acceptance and participation is a prerequisite in order to audition for All State.
They hoped there was a way to see their son's score sheet and go through an appeal process. After being told there were no available options, the Robertsons contacted a representative from the NMEA to see if there was an appeal process available at that level. It was at this point that they learned that there were missing audition tapes.
The Robertsons were not alone in their concern, and on January 8 and 14th, as a result of the Robertson's and other parent advocates' requests, six CCHS students were given the opportunity to privately audition with NMEA representatives for Honor Choir.
Susan Robertson said, “My son was under the impression that his tape was sent in. But he never thought to check. It wasn't clear that the tapes were going to be pre-screened. We both thought it was more ‘speak up if you don't want your audition sent in', rather than ‘speak up if you want your audition tape sent in'.”
A parent advocate who requested to remain anonymous, said, “If a letter had been sent home saying that the students were going to be pre-screened, I think everyone would be willing to sign it and send it back to school. There was no letter however. It was indicated to the students that everyone's audition had been sent in.”
Due to the NMEA not having specific bylaws prohibiting pre-screening, choir directors are able to pre-screen the students' audition tapes before submitting them to the Honor Choir audition panel.
Lords said, “As I have talked to choir directors from around the state, a majority of them use some sort of pre-screening before they send audition tapes in. They eliminate students who aren't prepared and don't know the words so the panel that is listening to the auditions doesn't listen to a hundred students from one school; they might only listen to fifty.”
However, Spencer Robertson, freshman, who went to Honor Choir and All-State last year and was told that he didn't “make it” this year, received an in-class score of 50 out of 50 for the Honor Choir audition assignment, calling into question the label of being unprepared.
In regard to the audition and selection process, Choir director Kathy Archey declined the opportunity to comment under direction of the local teachers' association.
Since the students' acceptance to Honor Choir at the audition, and with the All State audition coming up quickly, Carl Robertson said, “We have made cds with all of the parts. Several students have been working at my house [preparing] with me and Wendy Nelsen. The whole process has been stressful.”
The 2010 All State audition consists of students auditioning live in front of six judges and 11 additional students. They are scored on rhythmic sight reading, melodic sight reading, singing from aural memory, singing the chromatic scale and being prepared with a positive attitude during the audition. Tone quality, musicality, intonation, precision and accuracy are elements scored as well.
On December 5, 2009, the All State audition sheet music “Salve Regina” was available to students online for free at nmeamusic.org., yet according to several of the students auditioning for All State, they were not informed, given the music, or provided instruction until a week prior to the audition date.
One student auditioning for All State said, “Mr. [Tom] Fleming has taught us [students auditioning for All State] the Latin words and the dynamics of the music and helped us with sight reading the beat, rhythm and notes a. My family has been very supportive and helpful during the practices as well. The group of kids trying out for All State have been getting together and singing at friends' houses as a group. My family took me and a friend to Carson High School and listened to their choir. Their choir has been practicing since the music became available. And we are just now learning the music.”
One parent advocate went on to say that due to the program's realignment this year as a result of budget considerations, “Kathy [Archey] has several responsibilities. She isn't teaching just choir anymore. Her primary job is to teach the standards, however teaching Honor Choir and All State Choir music can be easily implemented.”
Kathy Archey does have a stipend for choir, although Lords said it is not specific as to whether or not that includes being the director of the Honor Choir and All State program at CCHS.
Both Carl and Susan Robertson agreed that “As parents, we assumed this is part of the music program. This situation has been an eye-opener.”
One parent advocate said, “At first I was disheartened on how it was handled, especially the decision to not openly inform the kids that
pre-screening did or was going to
happen, but told my daughter ‘Let's look into this first'.”
Carl said, “The best thing that has come from this situation is that we need to be more aware and more involved. We [parents] need to understand and know what we can do to prepare the students, even if at home.”
After being initially informed that they had not qualified for Honor Choir it was determined by the Nevada Music Educators Association (the NMEA) that audition tapes of at least two male applicants had definitely not been submitted. In addition, it could not be accurately determined whether at least four other, and possibly more, CCHS students' audition tapes had ever been received or heard.
The NMEA does not allow “do-over” auditions, but because these students had not been heard in the first place, private auditions were scheduled in order to allow fair and equal representation in the audition process.
As a result of this, a group of parent advocates have begun to question the audition process for Honor Choir at both Churchill County High School and the NMEA level.
Termed “Choirgate” by the parent advocates, they have asked Churchill County High School Principal Kevin Lords to investigate the audition process and bring any discrepancies to light.
Due to Churchill County School District policy, Lords was unable to either confirm or deny that an investigation is underway.
Parent advocates Susan and Carl Robertson originally contacted CCHS choir director Kathy Archey after their son was told that he had not been accepted to Honor Choir because they knew that Honor Choir acceptance and participation is a prerequisite in order to audition for All State.
They hoped there was a way to see their son's score sheet and go through an appeal process. After being told there were no available options, the Robertsons contacted a representative from the NMEA to see if there was an appeal process available at that level. It was at this point that they learned that there were missing audition tapes.
The Robertsons were not alone in their concern, and on January 8 and 14th, as a result of the Robertson's and other parent advocates' requests, six CCHS students were given the opportunity to privately audition with NMEA representatives for Honor Choir.
Susan Robertson said, “My son was under the impression that his tape was sent in. But he never thought to check. It wasn't clear that the tapes were going to be pre-screened. We both thought it was more ‘speak up if you don't want your audition sent in', rather than ‘speak up if you want your audition tape sent in'.”
A parent advocate who requested to remain anonymous, said, “If a letter had been sent home saying that the students were going to be pre-screened, I think everyone would be willing to sign it and send it back to school. There was no letter however. It was indicated to the students that everyone's audition had been sent in.”
Due to the NMEA not having specific bylaws prohibiting pre-screening, choir directors are able to pre-screen the students' audition tapes before submitting them to the Honor Choir audition panel.
Lords said, “As I have talked to choir directors from around the state, a majority of them use some sort of pre-screening before they send audition tapes in. They eliminate students who aren't prepared and don't know the words so the panel that is listening to the auditions doesn't listen to a hundred students from one school; they might only listen to fifty.”
However, Spencer Robertson, freshman, who went to Honor Choir and All-State last year and was told that he didn't “make it” this year, received an in-class score of 50 out of 50 for the Honor Choir audition assignment, calling into question the label of being unprepared.
In regard to the audition and selection process, Choir director Kathy Archey declined the opportunity to comment under direction of the local teachers' association.
Since the students' acceptance to Honor Choir at the audition, and with the All State audition coming up quickly, Carl Robertson said, “We have made cds with all of the parts. Several students have been working at my house [preparing] with me and Wendy Nelsen. The whole process has been stressful.”
The 2010 All State audition consists of students auditioning live in front of six judges and 11 additional students. They are scored on rhythmic sight reading, melodic sight reading, singing from aural memory, singing the chromatic scale and being prepared with a positive attitude during the audition. Tone quality, musicality, intonation, precision and accuracy are elements scored as well.
On December 5, 2009, the All State audition sheet music “Salve Regina” was available to students online for free at nmeamusic.org., yet according to several of the students auditioning for All State, they were not informed, given the music, or provided instruction until a week prior to the audition date.
One student auditioning for All State said, “Mr. [Tom] Fleming has taught us [students auditioning for All State] the Latin words and the dynamics of the music and helped us with sight reading the beat, rhythm and notes a. My family has been very supportive and helpful during the practices as well. The group of kids trying out for All State have been getting together and singing at friends' houses as a group. My family took me and a friend to Carson High School and listened to their choir. Their choir has been practicing since the music became available. And we are just now learning the music.”
One parent advocate went on to say that due to the program's realignment this year as a result of budget considerations, “Kathy [Archey] has several responsibilities. She isn't teaching just choir anymore. Her primary job is to teach the standards, however teaching Honor Choir and All State Choir music can be easily implemented.”
Kathy Archey does have a stipend for choir, although Lords said it is not specific as to whether or not that includes being the director of the Honor Choir and All State program at CCHS.
Both Carl and Susan Robertson agreed that “As parents, we assumed this is part of the music program. This situation has been an eye-opener.”
One parent advocate said, “At first I was disheartened on how it was handled, especially the decision to not openly inform the kids that
pre-screening did or was going to
happen, but told my daughter ‘Let's look into this first'.”
Carl said, “The best thing that has come from this situation is that we need to be more aware and more involved. We [parents] need to understand and know what we can do to prepare the students, even if at home.”
