Teacher Guidebook

Teacher Guidebook

Welcome VANATS Members! We’re so excited to have you at our VANATS Conference and Student Auditions. Below is a guide for teachers on how to prepare and participate in the VANATS Conference.

Preparing for Auditions

Membership & Fees

Make sure your national and local chapter membership is up to date. When renewing your national membership, make sure to select Virginia as your local chapter and pay the dues prior to Student Audition registration.

Chapter dues: $25.00 (Chapter dues should be paid on the NATS national site along with national dues.)

Conference Registration Fee:  $40.00

Join the Facebook Group

To stay up to date on the latest announcements, make sure to request access to the VANATS Members Facebook Group. This is where you can ask questions and keep up to date in a faster pace environment.

Your membership needs to be active and verified by our membership coordinator to be approved, so please have patience with this part of the process.

NSA Resource Center

Become familiar with the NSA Resource Center. Many questions about how VANATS runs Student Auditions can be answered at the National level. VANATS works hard to make our regulations consistent with our national chapter.

This page provides:

  • Category information

  • Adjudication guidelines and resources

  • Rubrics

  • Adjudication Form Samples

  • FAQs

  • and more

Review this information carefully so you know what to expect on audition day.

Register Your Students

Teachers are responsible for registering students for VANATS Student Auditions.

To ensure you have all the necessary information needed from each singer, share the form in the button below with your students.

When it comes to the formal registration process, teachers are responsible for registering students. To register, follow the directions linked in the button below.

Know your registration deadline by visiting the Virginia NSA>Conference Details page.

IMPORTANT UPDATE:
VANATS will follow a different process for Spring 2024. Please see the Conference Details page for registration information.

Repertoire Changes

Repertoire changes cannot be made after registering your student(s). This is due to the decreased length of time for registration.

Music Scores

Teachers and singers are responsible for providing legal and authorized copies of music to their accompanist/staff accompanist. Please review the copyright policy carefully using the button below.

If using music notes or similar resources, make sure the copy states “Authorized for use by “Student Name”.

Please note that using illegal copies, or copies not authorized for use, may result in disqualification. Review this information carefully to avoid any penalties.

Conference Expectations

Attendance

When enrolling students in the VANATS Student Auditions, teachers are expected to judge both Friday and Saturday. If you are unable to judge one or both days, you are required to pay a $100 substitute judge fee.

Teachers are expected to attend the membership meeting each morning, typically 8:00am, both Friday and Saturday. This is time for the board to communicate judging expectations, as well as vote on important membership topics, including new board members.

Attire

While we ask that you dress professionally for each conference day, dress comfortably as the days run long. We encourage teachers to dress in layers, as the rooms can vary from warm to cool.

Adjudication Preparation

All adjudicators are encouraged to review the Adjudication 101 video prior to Student Auditions. This video walks through expectations for adjudicating, including repertoire, copyright, knowing your category, and best practices.

Adjudication Assignments & Student Schedules

Students and teachers will receive an email during the week leading up to the auditions with audition and adjudication schedules. Members can also see these by logging in to NATS.org, clicking your member menu, and selecting NATS Audition Registration.

Please note that NATS is using a new software for the 2023-2024 season, so we don’t yet have directions on how to access this information. There will be a learning curve, and we will do our best to get information out to you as soon as we have it.

Meals

Lunch will be provided for teachers and VANATS staff pianists. Pianists hired by individual teachers are responsible for their own meals.

We encourage members to have dinner together, especially after a long day of adjudication. If you would like to coordinate a dinner gathering, please let the board know and we will be happy to reach out to membership, or let others know via the VANATS Members Facebook Group.

Adjudication

Adjudication will be done online. Please bring your device to the judges meeting, making full it’s fully charged each day. We cannot guarantee access to chargers or outlets for each judge, so please come prepared.

Make sure the sound is turned off of your device during the adjudication.

Remember to give feedback that is both helpful and respectful to both the singer and the teacher. Always assume the best of your colleagues when it comes to repertoire choices.

Adjudicators are not responsible for policing copyright infringement during auditions. If there is a concern regarding copyright, do not bring it up during a singer’s audition. Please make note of this and bring it up with the board when submitting your sheets to the tally room.

When giving feedback, focus on simple, actionable next-steps for the singer. Help validate their strengths, and let them know what they could focus on next for their vocal growth.

For more information regarding adjudication, review the information in the NSA Resource Center.

Results and Comments

Results will be posted on the website and social media pages.

Check and refresh the Student Audition Results page over the course of the audition day for placement and honors announcements.

Results will also be posted on Instagram and Facebook stories for singers to follow and share.

Teachers will receive the written feedback forms following the Honors Recital.