 2. Start now to get your ‘judges copies' of BOTH of your songs together. If you are a soloist, you must remember that you must take into the solo performance room, TWO COPIES of the book that your solo is from. One copy is for the judge, the other copy is for the piano player. If your accompanist prefers to use a photo copy in a binder, that's ok if the 2nd copy of the book is at least sitting on top of the piano. BUT REMEMBER that you will not be able to perform, and you will get our school into trouble if you do not have those TWO COPIES OF THE BOOK from which your solo comes. And that means FOUR books, if your two solos come from two books!!! Any questions, please ask Mr. Cleveland about this, just don't wait till the last minute! If you are in an ensemble, realize that you must have TWO copies of BOTH of the ACTUAL SONGS. NO PHOTO COPIES are allowed for ensembles. 3. Get a good night sleep each night of the week of festival and especially the night before. In case you don't know, when you don't get enough sleep the first thing to go is your voice, and the second is your sense of humor! 4. Eat a healthy breakfast before festival. Don't come to Festival with an empty stomach! 5. As a soloist, dress up to show respect for your art. As a member of an ensemble discuss what you will wear with all other members. Many choose to wear their choir uniforms. Sometimes it's just easier. Create an attractive, professional, uniform appearance. Don't forget the accessories. Don't forget to polish the shoes, even with all this messy slush…look like a real professional. 6. If there is not a link for a map to the school site, then Google it. Don't just guess. And make sure that you allow enough time to get up, shower, do your hair and anything else you need to do to look fantastic! If you need it, set TWO ALARM CLOCKS in the am. Do not be late. You should arrive at least 45 minutes before your first performance time so that you can check the location of both your warm up room and your performance room ahead of time. 7. Use the restroom before you go to the warm up room. Get a drink of water between warm up and performance if you need it. Sometimes you can find WLW water bottles at our table in the cafeteria.Think about drinking room temperature water the day you are singing. Cold drinks constrict the vocal folds. 8. When you enter the room where you will perform, walk to the judge, greet him or her, and introduce yourself. Give the scores (with the measures numbered and pages marked) to them. Do not make any excuses, like I "have a cold" or "I've been sick all week", just do your best! A few tips just in case you aren't in perfect vocal health: a. Gargle with very warm tap water and a half teaspoon of salt. Mix it in a small glass and gargle/spit it out, about 6 times. NO. Don't drink this stuff. b. If you are even more serious try adding a shot of apple cider vinegar to the above mixture. It really works. c. If you are having a day when you are really dealing alot with 'phlegm' trying eating a GREEN APPLE. Not a red one, but a green apple. You can always find these at the grocery store. This is a trick that I learned from some professional singers and voice overs in the recording studio. d. Refrain from drinking coffee or tea before you sing as the caffeeine drys out the vocal chords. If you like something warm to sip on, try hot or warm water. Really. e. Of course, stay away from milk and milky products, plus grease and greasy foods. Yes, fries fall into this category.  10. Before you begin your performance, introduce yourself and your songs (complete with composers) to the audience (if there is one) and to the judge (again). 11. Do your best to communicate the meaning of each piece of music and give an artistic performance. Remember that you are an artist! Sing form your soul! Be the Song! This is not a Broadway show so you don't need to dance…but you DO need to act. 12. After each song, show good manners by bowing in thanks for the audience's applause. Smile! 13. If you make a mistake, do not show it on your face or in your body. Go on. A baseball player is considered a great hitter if their batting average is .333 You are going to sing a much higher percentage of the notes and rhythms correctly! 14. Sing to your audience and your judge. Sometimes choosing a 'spot' in the back of the room is good to focus on, but not all the time. Don't stare at your accompanist while you sing. 15. When you are finished with both songs, the judge will work work you for a few minutes. Listen carefully to the suggestions they make. Remember as much as you can! This is the reason we go. 16. When your clinic is over with the judge, thank him or her and shake their hand. Then be sure to get your music back from the judge before you leave. 17. Thank your accompanist! If you have not paid him/her by this time, you have your check read to hand to them. Make the check directly out in their name. 18. Even though the reason we go to S&E Festival is to learn, you will most certainly be interested in receiving the judges comments and final rating. The only people who can go in the office and get the rating are the directors. Please wait about an hour before asking for your rating so that all the paperwork can be processed. Then you may purchase your medal, if you wish to do so. The price is usually $3.00. You will also get a certificate. both medals and certificates are blue for a ìIî rating and red for a ìIIî rating. 19. If your rating is not what you thought it would be, do your best to accept it with grace. This is not always easy. Remember that your rating is one personís opinion on one day. A different judge might have given you something completely different. Remember that the main reason we go is to learn and improve! 20. Invite your parents to come hear you sing. They love you and have paid for all those lessons! 21. Support all of your fellow singers from your school by going to their performances and giving then moral support. Clap, but do not shout whistle or cheer at the end of their performances. Remember that you are from WLW and all that our school choir program stands for. It means that you have a lot of be proud of. It also means that being a caring person is also important. S & E can be an emotional day for many people. Please be thoughtful to anyone you deal with. Consider saying thank you to them. All of the voluneteers that work the festival do not get paid for it. Let them know how much you appreciate their assistance |
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21 Tips to Succeed |