Green Island Competitions Society

Information for "Newbies"

This page is intended to provide helpful information for those who are new to this type of vocal competition so that you get a good understanding of how the whole thing works.

What is the competition all about?

 At the Green Island Comps, we work hard to provide an environment where you sing on a real stage and be judged in a controlled environment that is fair to all competitors.

Some benefits to singers are:

•  you have a deadline to work towards to learn enough repertoire to enter into the various classes
• you sing on a real stage in an auditorium with a supportive audience
• you get a report from the adjudicator for each song you perform
• oppportunities for some singers to be awarded cups/trophies, certificates and scholarships to celebrate success in performance with your peers
• it is a fun time

The benefits to teachers are :

• Comps provide a platform for teachers to work towards with their singers to challenge them to be able to sing to a recognised standard and be judged against these standards
• they get to see lots of young singers all in one place
• it's a great feeling to see your pupils perform well and achieve wonderful public performances after all the hard work in teaching and encouraging practice
• While comps can be a challenging time for teachers, the love of singing and the achievements seen at comps make it all worthwhile

How do I find the venue?

99 Gordon Road, Mosgiel

Entry to the hall is by the side entrance off the carpark

Who can enter the competition?

 Usually, singers would be taking lessons from a local singing teacher and would be learning proper vocal skills under a well recognised singing tuition programme. The age range is from Under 8 years to Under 21 years.The competitions are an important part of a singer's development because it gives a basis for helping you understand your singing development within a national set of singing guidelines.

How it all works....

The Vocal Competition is run usually in the first half of May each year. The Society is a committee of around eight people who are interested in helping young singers to develop their voices by providing a competition. We organise a venue, adjudicator, schedule of classes to enter, entry forms, a programme, medals, certificates, cups and trophies. Teachers will encourage their pupils to enter the competition and will teach a repertoire of songs that fit with the classes that we offer. You can see these listed in the schedule. The classes are divided by genre (ie Popular song, Sacred song, etc) and then each genre is divided into age-related classes that you can enter.  The adjudicator will write you a report with comments that will help you and your teacher to understand where you are with your singing. They also give a mark and then we give placings (1st, 2nd 3rd etc) for each class and certificates and cups or trophies for the winners.

Classes are grouped into sessions that would usually contain no more than 50 performances. Typically there are seven sessions each year :  Friday afternoon and evening, Saturday morning, afternoon and evening, Sunday morning and afternoon.

Depending on the number of entries, the competition starts around 3:30 or 4pm on Friday afternoon and continues until late Sunday afternoon (around 4 to 5pm).

Accompaniment is normally by live piano. If your teacher is unable to play for you, you must arrange for an accompanist to play for you.

Competition Rules

In order that the competition provides fairness to all, we have developed a set of Competition Rules that everyone must abide by. Most are common sense really, but we do expect that all folk have read and understood all the rules before they submit an entry.

Classes

We offer solo and duet classes covering various genres and some age-grouped test songs. Two of the classes are Action Songs and involve getting dressed up into costume and including some actions in your performance. These are a highlight of the competition each year and can attract a good audience. Test songs are set by the adjudicator each year and are designed to showcase particular voice qualities in each age group. Each singer in a test class sings the same song as every one else in the class. This helps the audience learn the song while they watch the class!

Recitals

We also offer three recital classes for those who are 14 and over. Classes 50 and 51 are the Scholarship Recital classes and Class 54 is the Cleveland Recital.

Background
A recital usually consists of two or three songs sung one after the other in a single performance. The singer would normally introduce their songs and their accompanist before they sing and would include a few words about the pieces they will be singing as this helps to demonstrate their understanding of the song and it's meaning.  The adjudication starts as soon as the singer steps on the stage and ceases when they leave the stage. The audience does not applaud until the end of the recital whether it be two or three songs. This is a step up for many young performers and provides a great challenge for them to achieve as part of their on-going development. At the Green Island Comps, we run all the recital classes on Saturday evening when most competitors and accompanists get dressed up and it is always a lovely evening of singing performance.

Scholarship Recitals
There are two classes available as Scholarship Recitals, Class 50 is for 14U16 years and Class 51 is for 16U18 years. The term "Scholarship" just means that there is a monetary prize as well as a trophy for the winner and, in this case, also monetary prizes for the 2nd and 3rd placegetters. The recital  consists of two songs, an Own Selection and a National Song.  These songs are not included in the schedule separately for these age groups. The trick to be aware of with the Scholarship Recital is that to be elegible to win the money, the winning competitor must have also entered and performed in two other classes. Read that last sentence very carefully.  If someone won the recital but didn't perform in at least two other classes, then they win the trophy only together with a cup certificate but they do not receive the prize money. It is not necessary that they WIN the other two classes, but they just need to perform in them.

Cleveland Recital
The Cleveland Recital was instituted in 2009 to give slightly older competitors something to work towards with their singing if they did not want to enter a senior vocal competition. This class is for 18 and under 21 years and includes three songs as set out in the schedule. Since all other classes are for competitors who are under 18, then this is the ONLY class for this age group. Note that the total fees for this class cover both the entry and the family pass.

Adjudicator

We arrange an adjudicator from out of town so there is less likelihood of them teaching anyone locally. We work hard to find adjudicators who are usually well respected singers in their own right, well qualified, and experienced in adjudication. If you have had teaching contact with the adjudicator within two years of the start of the competition, then you may not enter.

Entering the Competition

Your teacher will usually help with song selections for the various classes that you might enter.

Test song selections are provided  at the start of February to coincide with the start of singing lesson terms. This gives teachers as much time as possible to teach the test songs.

The Schedule and Entry Forms are made available around the start of March and we advise at that time the date when entries close. We now developed an online entry form which you can access from the "Enter the Competition" page on this website, You can complete an entry and submit it on a computer, tablet or phone. (Computer is easiest,)  Alternatively, you can download forms and fill them in with a pen, and mail them. Payment can be by mailing a cheque or by internet banking transfer. 

Once all entries are received, we organise a programme so that we have a balance of age groups and genres throughout the competition weekend. You would normally pre-pay for at least one programme when you pay your fees and this will be mailed to your address about one month before the competition. This means that you will know when your classes are programmed and when to turn up at the competition. This also gives time for people from out of town to plan accommodation etc.

Arriving at the competition

You are required to present yourself at the music table outside the auditorium AT LEAST 15 minutes, but preferably 30 minutes, before your class starts. You need to bring sheet music with you for every song that you are singing with each piece clearly marked with your name and class. There are extra requirements for the committee to process with music so It is best to arrive in plenty of time so that we have time to process all the music for the adjudicator to get under way on time. If everyone arrived only 15 minutes before a class, then we would always run late.

Music

The original music for every song that you sing MUST be present in the auditorium while the song is being sung. This is very important as the society can be held to account by authorities if this is not complied with.
There are strict rules that we must abide by with regard to copyright of sheet music. Read the rules very carefully regarding this. New Zealand law does not allow for photocopying of any music. However, there are provisions for the competition where you may make a photocopy for the adjudicator and one for your accompanist. It is always best to find original music and this makes it quite simple to comply with these provisions. Music that you pay for on a website and that you print on your printer are considered originals and should be clearly marked "ORIGINAL" so we can give them back to you.  Photocopies need to be accompanied by a signed form attached to the front of the music for both the adjudicator and accompanist. Adjudicator copies must be destroyed by the Society but accompanist copies are the responsibility of the singer to destroy after the competition.

Performances and Auditorium Etiquette

Once we announce that a session is starting, the adjudicator takes control.

• When the adjudicator is ready, a bell is rung. This signals the start of competition and we expect silence and no movement in the auditorium at this point.
• The first singer should be waiting with his or her accompanist at seating near the stage. The following singer should also be waiting nearby so that no time is wasted in starting performance. Singers need to remember to have their music for their accompanist with them if needed.
• Someone will be at the  stage and will announce the class, and who is going to perform.
• The singer and their accompanist take the stage usually by the left hand side stair and the performance starts as soon as the accompanist is ready. You stand where your teacher shows you.
• When the performance is finished, the singer acknowledges the audience applause by bowing and should acknowledge their accompanist by extending their arm toward their accompanist to include them in the applause. They then both leave the stage.
• The singer and accompanist move quickly and quietly to a seat.
• The adjudicator may take a few moments to complete the report and will ring the bell when ready for the next competitor. We ask that any conversation be kept very quiet to allow the adjudicator to think about comments and placings.

Once a session has started, we restrict movement in and out of the auditorium so that singers do not get put off by people moving around. We do allow you to enter or leave the auditorium between classes but we do not allow any movements at all from the time a singer steps onto the stage until they step off the stage at the end of their performance. We expect people to be very careful about this and would consider restricting all movement in and out of the auditorium if this aspect is not respected or if a performer is disadvantaged by movement in the auditorium.

We don't allow food in the auditorium nor do we allow flash photography as this is liable to put a performer off. Family are permitted to take photos of their own family members performances, but not with a flash. Video of your own family members performing is also permiitted provided that this is arranged so as not to disrupt either the performer or the audience.

Cellphones are required to be switched off or silent in the auditorium.

We encourage performers to stay in the auditorium and support the other singers in their class as this also gives the opportunity to learn from others in this environment.

Placings, Scholarships, Special Prizes

Depending on the number of entries in each class, placings are usually provided for 1st, 2nd and 3rd. The adjudicator also has the option of awarding Very Highly Commended (VHC), Highly Commended (HC) and Commended (C) certificates for those whose performances are deserving of a special mention. Not everyone gets a certificate awarded in each class.  This is up to the Adjudicator's discretion.

The Society is able to award some scholarships (monetary prizes) each year in addition to cups /trophies in certain classes. These are listed on the Schedule.
Note that Classes 52 and 53 require no specific entry as such. Everyone who enters the required classes is automatically considered for these scholarships. The winner is the competitor who scores the most points from placings gained in the four classes listed for each scholarship class.

Special Prizes, also listed in the Schedule, are awarded after the final session and these are completely the adjudicator's choice.  It gives them the opportunity to award a prize for other aspects of performance that may not necessarily be taken into account during the competition. This means that someone who may not have won any placings may have impressed the adjudicator in some other way and can be encouraged by a Special Prize.

Cups and Trophies

Cups and trophies are the property of the Society and many of them contain a great history of winners over many years. We expect winners to take good care of any cups/trophies won and to pay for the year and their name to be engraved. Winners keep the cups/trophies for a year and must return them all in the same condition, cleaned, by the date indicated on the following year's schedule. This is usually the same date as the closing date for entries. Failure to do so will incur a fee to replace the trophy.

At the end of a session

We ask the adjudicator to make some general comments at the end of each session before they award cups/trophies for first placing in each class. It is useful to be present for these comments as they provide some insight to what the adjudicator is looking for and this can help with improving performances over the course of the competition. After this, results are made available at the music table for collection together with music returned to performers.

Waiting to sing, eating, changing  into costumes, talking with friends, practising, messaging on your phone etc...

There is a large "green room" available for use with chairs and tables on the ground floor away from the auditorium. Tea/coffee making facilities are made available for a gold coin donation per cup. You can use this room when you are not required to be in the auditorium. Be aware that noise does carry through walls and we ask that the noise level of excited children be kept  to a reasonable level in this room so that no distractions are heard in the auditorium. Toilets are available on the ground floor near the side entrance to the hall. The 2nd floor and access stairway are out of bounds to all but the committee.

Parking

There is a small carpark alongside the hall for about 10 cars. Parking is restricted by signage at the back of this carpark due to council access to facilities there.

Each year, we try to make arrangements with the funeral director next door to allow competition goers to park in the large carpark adjacent to the funeral director. This is only possible as long as there are no funerals planned for the weekend. We advise you at the comps whether or not parking will be available there.

Otherwise parking is available on the street.

Adverse weather and cancellation

If snow or other adverse weather conditions would render the roads unsafe to travel, the committee would be likely cancel the competition. Should this happen, the cancellation will be advised on radio and by email to all competitors and teachers.