How will i pull this off?

Question:Okay I'm going to NYSSMA for Trumpet (All-State Audition: I already know the piece perfect), French Horn (All-State: Almost have it perfect) Brass Quintet Level 6 (We have our song down) but then.... there's something i'm a bit worried about. I've been singing for about 3 months now and my teacher thinks I can do an All State Audition (As a Baritone or Tenor 2). Seeing how i've only been around singing for a short time... I have no clue what an All-State judge is looking for in singing. And also... what kind of grade would i need to get to get into conference All-State? I know it would be a little easier for tenor because there are so few tenors compared to Baritones and Basses. I'm singing "Oh, How I Love Thee". What do I even have to do for the Audition???

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Okay I'm going to NYSSMA for Trumpet (All-State Audition: I already know the piece perfect), French Horn (All-State: Almost have it perfect) Brass Quintet Level 6 (We have our song down) but then.... there's something i'm a bit worried about. I've been singing for about 3 months now and my teacher thinks I can do an All State Audition (As a Baritone or Tenor 2). Seeing how i've only been around singing for a short time... I have no clue what an All-State judge is looking for in singing. And also... what kind of grade would i need to get to get into conference All-State? I know it would be a little easier for tenor because there are so few tenors compared to Baritones and Basses. I'm singing "Oh, How I Love Thee". What do I even have to do for the Audition???

I am a NYSSMA judge. You sound like you are musically accomplished, and therefore your choral teacher must think you have some kind of chance to get into AS Mixed Chorus. I have had zillions of my vocal students do this over the years. However, the HARDEST categories to get into, statistically, are the middle voices - B1, T2 and A1 and S2 for girls. Even S1 fills up fast. But T1 and B2 have the lesser amount of competition - and everybody knows it. So - T2s try to ramp up to that tessitura, and B1s have been known to try to do odd things to make their voice lower - they do not work. My son ( now 27) made AS as a B2 with a freak 3-leger line A flat - but he is a freak (now a HS director himself).

The audition will have your solo, and the grading is TOUGH. There are stats in the School Music News every year (teacher mag) that tell you how many kids tried out in every category, and how FEW get recommended forward. Also, your audition will have sight-singing - the rubric telling you what is on it is in the front of the NYSSMA Manual. You need to use solfege or numbers or an idenifyting system like that. It will LOOK a lot easier than your instrumental SR - but you have to *audiate* this (hear it in your head before you can sing it) and then produce it in solfege, etc. with high accuracy in all parameters.

Do many fine instrumentalists make good singers? Sure - and you should try - but have a realistic expectation. You sure have your pieces worked up early - there are not even any NYSSMAs until March except in a few Cow Country spots. I am Zone 9, and judging in contiguous Zones from there - hope you do well. I won't ever be your judge - I do woodwinds and piano (no voice - I have to teach it all day long!)