Out of the many Talented Students from all over the area, you made it. Congrats!
Very important to reach each line and if it says “Response Required” you will need to make sure you answer that question when you reply.
1] Response Required– Please Reply back to this email as soon as you read it, add your name to the Subject Line and Send it back to us to confirm you received it as soon as possible (today).
Add your name to the Subject Line on all emails going forward so we can quickly identify you.
Read the rest of this email and respond to what it asks by the deadline provided please.
Round 1 will be the week end of April 24th, 25th and 26th. We are spreading the students out over the 3 days. All students must compete one of these days to go through to the next round.
2] Response Required by April 18th - What days you are available for Round 1?
IF YOU ARE ABLE TO MAKE A DATE, PLEASE SAY YOU CAN, EVEN IF IT’S NOT YOUR PREFERRED DATE(S):
When you reply, simply tell us the order of your preferred dates
Example: SAT; SUN; FRI would tell us that you can make all three dates,
but prefer Saturday over the other dates.
Ask your parent(s) to help you make sure to respond correctly.
Dates, Locations and times for Round 1 available:
Friday, April 24th – Student Arrival time no later than 5:30 pm. Doors will open for the public between 5:30 & 6 PM
Location: Mt. Scott Community Center; 5530 SE 72nd Ave, Portland, Oregon (Essentially 72nd & Foster)
Saturday, April 25th – Student Arrival time no later than 1:30 pm. Doors will open for the public between 1:30 & 2 PM
Location: Matt Dishman Community Center; 77 NE Knott St, Portland, Oregon (Near NIKE Store off MLK)
Sunday, April 25th – Student Arrival time no later than 1:30 pm. Doors will open for the public between 1:30 & 2 PM
Location: Matt Dishman Community Center; 77 NE Knott St, Portland, Oregon (Near NIKE Store off MLK)
Tickets are $5 flat cost for all attendees. As this program is nonprofit, ticket sales help pay for the awards, venues, the tour and activities. Nobody profits from ticket sales.
Tickets go on sale for general admission on Monday April 13th. Make sure we confirm the day you are performing before having anyone buy tickets.
If anyone’s family has financial difficulty in paying for seating, email us at and we will make arrangements for immediate family members of the contestant.
Students that have more than 5 tickets sold in their name, will receive an extra point toward their score up to 10 pts – As artists, your future success will be based on getting people to your performances.
In the unfortunate event you cannot make any of these dates, please let us know at . We may not be able to do anything but in the off chance, please let us know.
Some extreme circumstances, depending on your experience and how far you have gone in other contests, we may make an exception, but we can’t guarantee anything.
3] Response RequiredBy April 18th - Give us a list of your top 3 song choices – make them in order of preference - # 1 being your first choice (see tips below before selecting)
You will be singing 1 song for 90 – 120 seconds on stage in front of 2 – 3 judges and an audience– it will be acapella like the auditions – no accompaniment.
No lyrics will be allowed for this round. Make sure to memorize your song.
In case of tie, the first person to send their email response, gets it, then we go to your second choice.
Make sure you time your audition, there will be penalty points for going under or over by 10 seconds or more.
We will notify you as soon as possible after you email your song list to confirm your song selection. Again ties are based on email receipt time.
List your songs like below, include the song and the artist as shown below:
Example (our friends/artists):
1] Spread Your Wings; by Jason Moss
2] Jake Man; by Travis Stewart
3] I’m Ready; by Steve Sporre
Reply with your name in the subject every time!This helps us make sure to keep each person separate.
We will call you if you don’t reply by 4/18
If emails and phone calls are unanswered or we cannot reach you, or you do not respond by this date, we will place you on a date as a place holder only through until 4/20.
If we don’t hear from by 4/20, we may have to drop you so please respond.
Post about making it to the next round on all of your social sites, Facebook, Twitter etc please.The more exposure, the better.
Please LIKE our Facebook page at and encourage your friends, family and classmates to do the same. It really is simple, but it helps the organization in general.
Practice, Practice PRACTICE!
We will notify you as soon as possible, what song you will be singing – but start practicing your # 1 song.
Tips for the next round:
1] Pick songs that are fun that the crowd and judges can relate to. Obscure, dark, really slow and boring, will not help your score.
2] Don’t choose a song that’s too big for you. If you sing it and you struggle, it may not be right for you.
3] Make sure you sing the song at the right speed and that you time it to stay under 2 minutes.
4] Have others listen to you and have them agree that it sounds good – tell them to be honest – sometimes it’s hard to know what it sounds like to others
5] Watch people online from various competitions perform that song – see how they move, interact with the audience/judges and really own the song.
6] Wear appropriate clothing – so many students wear things that don’t match up with the song – if you are singing ‘Summer Time’ in slacks or bulky sweater, well……
7] Practice – having the words and the song down pat, will really help. Stage presence, interacting with the judges and the audience is great.
8] Be on time – for us, your call time is the time you should arrive – get to the venue early, but don’t enter it until it’s time. It’s hard to manage folks when we’re not ready.
9] Have fun – although many contestants will be cut this round, it’s supposed to be fun and educational, an opportunity to grow and make new friends.
10] Practice a ton! The more practice, the less nervous and more polished you will be.
If you have additional questions, make sure your name is in the email subject line and send it to
Recap:
Reply confirming you received this message right away - add your name added to the subject
Figure out what dates you can perform
Decide on your top 3 songs
Email us your date and song selections as soon as possible
Look for confirmation of song and date by April 20th
Thank you again for participating in our program.
Dennis C. Gleason, Executive Producer
Dark Wing Productions
Founder - Dark Wing Foundation
503-708-3487 cell
Treasurer, Oregon Media Production Association (OMPA)
Executive Producer, Teen Idol
Find me on Facebook and Linked In.