Goals for All Music Competitions
- To give honor and praise to God for the wonderful gift of music.
- To encourage the study of music among our young people.
- To encourage mastery of performance and musical technique.
- To provide a unique forum for the sharing of music with peers.
- To give recognition and praise to God for those who excel in this gift.
Description
The vocal competition is open to solo and small ensembles (groups). “Ensembles” are made up of two or more singers, but no more than eight (8). (Note: More than eight (8) vocalists is considered a choir.) Music for the Vocal Ensemble groups should be written in two or more voice parts, (i.e. soprano and alto), not only in unison. If a piece is written with a piano accompaniment, a piano accompanist must be used.
Contestants will be adjudicated in five categories:
- Intonation and Musical Accuracy
- Diction (pronunciation)
- Breath Control
- Vocal Quality (clear tone)
- Stage Presence (posture, presentation, facial expression)
Rules / Regulations
Singers should choose music of good quality written primarily for the voice. The use of contemporary ‘pop’ music is discouraged. The music should be memorized, and the use of a piano accompanist is required if the music is written for piano and voice. Music given to the adjudicator must be copied in a front/back/booklet format in the running order of the song selection – adding pages to this booklet (if applicable) to avoid any turning back for any repeats that the piece may contain. L.E.S.T. reserves the right to adjust requirements for this competition from year to year.
Regarding Scheduling: Scheduled times and performance rooms may need to be adjusted since multiple events will be running concurrently. Singers may appear out of order due to schedule conflicts; please communicate with the adjudicator prior to any performance change so that the events may continue on time. It is very important that registration be filled out completely with particular attention paid to the part where a listing is given of other L.E.S.T. events in which each individual will be participating. This can help prevent potential conflicts in scheduling performances.
The following limits are placed on participants per school in each category. Please note that this has changed from previous years, now based on number of LEST Participants rather than school size:
- Standard Participation allows for up to eight (8) Vocal Solo participants in each grade division (8 in 5th/6th and 8 in 7th/8th), and four (4) Vocal Ensembles.
- Schools with 40+ total LEST Participation in the 5th/6th levels or the 7th/8th levels may have up to 12 Vocal Solo participants in the respective grade level division, and six (6) Vocal Ensembles.
How to Participate
- All participants must be pre-registered by the deadline. Registration details and deadlines are found on the Registration Page.
- The Registration form must include the Music Coordinator’s name and email, total LEST Participation count in 5th/6th and 7th/8th, and for each vocalist: First and Last Name, Grade Level, Performance piece and composer. This same information is required for all members of a vocal ensemble, as well.
Awards for Music Competitions
Points Placement Award
22-25 First Blue
17-21 Second
10-16 Third
Students are adjudicated on their own performance, not compared to other performers. Awards will be given for blue ribbon winners only. The adjudicator’s rating sheets, with valuable comments, will be given to each school after the Closing Ceremony of L.E.S.T.
Adjudication
Individual adjudication forms may be accessed by clicking the appropriate buttons below:
LEST Northwest 