Region XVII University Interscholastic League
High School Concert and Sight Reading Contest

Wednesday & Thursday, March 29-30, 2006

Brazosport College

Clarion Performance Hall

Lake Jackson, Texas

Executive Secretary: David Lambert

Contest Chairman: Rodney Mason and Bill Few

Contest Host: Rodney Mason

Concert Adjudicators:Sight Reading Adjudicators:

Heather OrrJudy McEnany

Mike LinderSally Schott

Woody SchoberSusan Bauer

General Information (Please read carefully)

Parking: Bus parking is directly in front of the Clarion. There is a map available at or at

Check-In: Enter the main Lobby. The contest office is located in the “Green Room” to your left. Before the contest day, please visit one of the websites listed above for a contest flow chart.

In order to complete the registration process, please bring Three Original copies of your music with measures numbered. Please submit your updated Form #1. Please arrive at least 30 minutes prior to your first warm-up time.

Check-Out: Checkout is in the same contest office. Directors will pick up his/her comment sheets, awards and CD, and then sign out.

Warm-Up: Choir Room. You will be escorted to the room by a monitor who will continue with you throughout the contest process. The choir room will have six sections of four step risers and a piano. You will 20 minutes of warm-up time. Please be prepared to move on schedule, and do NOT leave anything in the warm-up room.

Concert: Your monitor will ask the choir to exit the choir room and go directly to the auditorium for the concert contest. There will be six sections of four step risers and a 9- foot concert grand piano on the stage. The performance will be open to the public. After the choir’s performance, the monitor will lead the choir directly to the band hall for the sight-reading contest. Do NOT leave anything in the auditorium.

Sight-reading: The monitor will lead the choir from the auditorium to the band room. There will be six risers with four steps and a Piano. Instructions to you and the choir before sight-reading are listed below. Please read this information to your choir before arriving at the contest. Be prepared to tell the timer specifically how you want to divide your six minutes for warnings. (For example, a one minute warning, at three, two, etc.) Following the sight-reading contest, the monitor will lead the choir out of the band room to the lobby to await your director.

You are welcome to take your students to the auditorium. DO NOT ENTER the auditorium until the choir on stage is finished. If you leave your students, please make sure that you have a chaperone to stay with your choir.

Instructions: Instead of reading sight-reading instructions at the contest, we are providing the information ahead of time. It is always the director’s responsibility to insure that their students are fully informed and that they follow all contest rules.

During the sight-reading contest, you will be asked the following question: “Has any member in this choir seen, rehearsed, or performed this music prior to this contest?”

Ratings: Ratings will be available in the contest office and will be posted on the region websites at the end of each day.

Chaperones: Each school is responsible for having chaperones to supervise student behavior. Each school deserves the best audience for their performance. Please remind your students to appropriate concert manners.

Conduct: Please advise students on general good behavior and concert etiquette. Students should remain quiet and respect those who are performing on stage. It is the custom at this concert contest to hold your applause until the conclusion of the third number.

Dressing Rooms:While there are restrooms in the lobby area, they are not dressing rooms. Please be in your concert attire before arriving at this event.

Schedule:All groups will perform in the scheduled order.

Sight-Reading Instructions:

Here is the official document link -

General Summary

(Always refer to the original as the official document)

  1. Time: A director of a choral group will be given six minutes to study the score and instruct the organization.
  2. Instructions: at any time during the instruction period the tonic chord may, be played once in broken chord style. The students may not reproduce it. The director may instruct the group by tapping out rhythms and talking about any passage of the music, but may not hum, sing any part, or allow it to be played on the piano. Students may chant rhythms and/or text and tap or clap rhythms. But they may not reproduce the music tonally. Students may ask questions and make comments, according to the director’s wishes.
  3. Marking Music: neither the director nor the students may mark on the sight-reading music unless instructed to do so by a judge.
  4. FIRST READING: At the completion of the instruction period, choral groups will be given the tonic chord in broken style. At that time, the students may reproduce the tonic chord, utilizing their preferred method of sight reading (numbers, syllables, etc.) The accompanist will then give the starting pitches. Each section may sing, again utilizing their preferred method. No further warm-up instructions or verbal communications are permitted by the director. This includes the use of verbal counting to initiate the reading. The selection will then be sung without piano accompaniment and using the group’s preferred method of sight-reading. The director may choose to read the piece in the printed key or any other key suitable for the group.
  5. Second Instruction Period: Following the first reading, the director will have two minutes for instruction. The procedures described in (2) will apply.
  6. Second Reading: The procedures in (4) will apply. The selection will then be sung without accompaniment. All groups may continue to use their preferred method of sight-reading or may sing the words printed in the score. The directors decision to use text or not will have NO bearing on the final rating. Both readings will be judged.
  7. DISQUALIFICATION: A choral group whose director makes an obvious contribution to the performance by either singing with or speaking to the students or making other audible contributions while they are performing will be disqualified. An obvious attempt by a director to be disqualified may result in a rating. (A judges’ decision of what is obvious is FINAL.)

Food:

A cafeteria style buffet with choice of two entrees and four vegetables, bread and dessert/fruit, beverages is available in the campus cafeteria for around $6. An a-la-carte snack bar with sandwiches, burgers and etc. is also available. The food service is open 11:00 am - 1:30 pm.

We will also have a concession bar open for students. It will offer beverages and snacks. Proceeds will benefit the Brazosport College Choral program trip fund. Student and director lunches may be purchased at the college food service in the main building. NO FOOD OR DRINKS ALLOWED ANYWHERE EXCEPT CLARION LOBBY OR OUTDOOR PATIOS.