Grant Choir Auditions 2023

Auditions for the Grant Choir Program for the 2023/2024 school year will begin at the start of the 4th Quarter in April. Below is all of the information needed to signup and prepare for an audition. All are welcome, even if you or your student did not forecast for Choir for next year. Please contact John Eisemann (jeisemann@pps.net) with any questions you might have. Good luck – I can’t wait to hear you sing!

 

How do I sign up for an audition?

To audition for choir, simply stop by the choir room at lunch, after school, or FLEX once auditions begin. Prior to your audition, you’ll need to complete an audition form which you can find HERE. If you have any questions, please email Mr. Eisemann at: jeisemann@pps.net.

What am I auditioning for?

Auditions are required for admission into Intermezzo, A Cappella Choir, and the Royal Blues. Treble Choir and Men’s Ensemble do not require a formal audition but it is highly recommended. For information on all of the Grant Choirs, please visit the ABOUT page.

Why should I audition?

The Grant Choir Program is one of the oldest and most popular communities at Grant. Over 12% of the student body is involved and there is a choir for everyone of all voice parts. Choir is a healthy, fun, energetic part of your academic experience. Below are a few extra bullet points as to why you should audition.

  • Students who take choir are more successful in their other academic classes. Fact.

  • Singing in a choir is the most popular community recreational activity in America.

  • If you sign up for Treble Choir or Men’s Ensemble, you are guaranteed to have a class with all of your friends who also sign up.

  • It is a guaranteed A. All Choir students get A’s.

  • There is virtually no homework.

  • It doesn’t interfere with sports or other extracurricular activities. It’s a class period during the day.

  • Most students who sign up end up making the best friends of their high school career in choir.

  • A Cappella is a varsity activity.

  • The Royal Blues travel around the country and the world.

  • The music comes from all different styles, periods, and genres. If you like music, there is a type of choral music for you.

  • Choir singers are generally the nicest, most responsible students in the school.

What if I did not forecast for choir?

No worries! It’s not too late to do an audition and have your counselor change your schedule/forecasting afterward. Approximately 25% of the students currently in the choir program didn’t forecast for it and ended up doing an audition.

What do I need to do before my audition?

You need to do two things before your audition.

  • First, you must fill out an AUDITION FORM. Please complete the form at any point before the audition. If you have questions, you can email Mr. Eisemann (jeisemann@pps.net) or ask at the beginning of the audition.

What is the audition process like?

Auditions for the Grant Choir Program are very low-key. The process is supportive, encouraging, and open to students of all experience levels. The audition is broken into five parts.

  1. Range Check: This portion of the audition is simply to hear how high and low your voice can go. It’s different for everyone and changes as you grow.

  2. Tonal Memory: In this portion, you’ll hear a series of “random” notes and you’ll be asked to sing them back on a neutral syllable such as “doo” or “la.” Click HERE to see an example video.

  3. Chord Tone Matching: This part of the audition involves matching one of the three pitches in a chord. You’ll hear a chord made of up three notes and then be asked to sing one of the three pitches. This can be a difficult exercise if you’ve never practiced it before. Don’t worry if you don’t get it right away. Click HERE for an example video. Here are two websites that can be used to play chords for you to practice with: Autochords and Virtual Keyboard.

  4. Sight Reading: The sight-reading portion of the audition is only required for students who have already had a year of choral instruction, although, all are encouraged to try it. In this portion, you will have a short musical melody excerpt presented for you to sing. Mr. Eisemann will play the starting note and a scale to establish the key. When you’re ready, you will sing the example to the best of your ability on your own. For an example, and to practice, please visit SightReadingFactory.

  5. Solo Song: For the last part of the audition, you will be asked to sing 20 to 30 seconds of any song you like. It can be in any style. Please keep it short, and choose something that has continuous singing rather than long pauses. Sing something that you enjoy and feel you’re good at. It doesn’t matter what you sing, just how you sing it. This part of the audition is to be done completely a cappella, or without any accompaniment or backing tracks. Feel free to look at the lyrics if you need them.

When will I know what choir(s) I’ll be singing with next year?

The choir lists will be posted on Friday, May 26th. Callback auditions for Royal Blues are on June 2nd after school in the choir room. All of the choir audition results will be sent to the counseling department. It is likely that your counselor will reach out to you but you need to get in touch with them as well in order to make sure your schedule is correct for next year.

Thank you for auditioning!