January 6, 2016

Dear SERNATS colleagues,

Happy New Year! As you embark on another season of teaching, performing, and other creative activity, please take a few moments to note the following important upcoming SERNATS events and deadlines:

  1. Have you renewed your membership for 2016? If not, please visit and renew today so you’ll remain in good standing for upcoming chapter and regional auditions.
  2. The deadline for NATSAA applications is almost upon us. If you and/or your student(s) plan to enter the NATSAA competition, visit and complete the application process by January 13. The competition will begin at the regional level this year, with preliminary rounds occurring on Thursday, March 17, with final rounds on Friday, March 18, concurrent with the SERNATS student auditions. Auditions are open to the public, so please attend and encourage your students to do so as your audition commitments allow.
  3. The SERNATS student auditions will be held at Stetson University, Deland, FL March 18-19, with NATSAA and our business meeting/dinner scheduled for March 17. Thanks to our colleagues at Stetson for once again hosting this event.

Hotel and some other information is already posted on our website, The updated SERNATS

auditions guidelines will appear there as soon as the auditions team completes final edits. This document will

include the NSA audition guidelines now used by all NATS entities for auditions

( as well as SERNATS

auditions policies. Please refer to these as you assign repertoire for the auditions.

We will employ an online registration system this year. (Instructions will posted on our website within the

next few days.) Teachers whose membership is in good standing will register their students online, then mail

their repertoire forms and all fees by February 19 postmark deadline.

Beginning this year, all 5 finalists in the NSA categories may advance to the next (YouTube)

round of the NSA competition, so there will be more opportunity for advancement in the NSA.

In order to be well prepared to work in the new adjudication system and better manage the pace of first

auditions day, we will hold our business meeting/dinner on Thursday evening, March 17 at 7:00 pm. Please

make your travel plans accordingly to attend this important event. Our “new business” this year will be the

implementation of the NSA auditions guidelines. It is crucial that every member be familiar with the

adjudication system and the repertoire requirements for the categories they will adjudicate during the event,

along with all other aspects of the new guidelines. This is simply too important to adequately address in our

Friday morning business meeting, so please familiarize yourself with this information before the meeting so

you are prepared to participate in the discussion and to adjudicate. There are helpful tutorials available

through the nats website for your convenience. Thank you in advance for accommodating this change.

  1. Finally, it’s not too early to make your plans for the upcoming NATS conference in Chicago! See for more information.

Best wishes for a successful and fulfilling spring. I’ll look forward to seeing you in Deland in March and in Chicago

this summer!

Sincerely,

Melanie Williams

Governor, NATS Southeastern Region