<p>I noticed that several of the singers who earned "Voice" F, HM and M awards in the Young Arts 2011 competition also performed in this. If anyone can give any advice on this:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>For a graduating senior this year, if they make the second or final round would there still be scholarship awards, or would these benefit younger singers in high school (i.e. a junior)? May be a foolish question but I'm curious.</p></li>
<li><p>How many singers usually make the second round?</p></li>
<li><p>Any one who's been there, if one gets to the second or final round, how big of a repertoire should one be prepared to sing?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>(I'm working to convince my S to enter this, just for the experience at least and hopefully to try and advance. Speaking of which, thanks in advance for anyone who can provide information. The people in this organization seem like a very good, helpful group.)</p>
<p>I haven’t been before, but I’m a finalist locally, and I’ll be going to LA to compete in the second round this May. In LA, they have a late prelim on Friday, then the second round, semifinals, and finals. The preliminary rounds are over, but you can still compete in the late preliminary round in LA (I believe), or through an online audition. 30 - 35 singers are supposed to advance to the semifinal round. I can’t tell whether or not your son already participated in a preliminary round. I assume when you say second round, you mean the semifinal round. I’m a sophomore, but most of the other finalists from my location were seniors, and they are going to go to LA. Even if you don’t get scholarships (which mostly go to juniors, because they haven’t made college decisions yet), you still get the chance to participate in a high level competition, and to attend a lot of helpful masterclasses. I think your son should go as a senior - the winners are usually seniors, so it isn’t useless to go as long as you are okay with paying for the trip to LA. I’m sure someone else will be able to give you more insight that has actually been to the national competition, but this is what I know based on the information I’ve been given. I know that I’m beyond excited for this!</p>
<p>Thanks, Imthinking. So I’m guessing one song per round (assuming you make it to the finals)? Just wondering how many songs one needs to be prepared to perform just in case.</p>
<p>You go with a repertoire of three songs - you sing the first one of your choice and then the adjudicators choose the second that they would like to hear. Scholarships are only given to sophomores or juniors because the college decisions and deposits have already been made. Winners of the final round are generally juniors. The masterclasses are the most valuable part of the convention - especially for juniors who are about to start the college application process. I would be happy to send you a private message with more information if you would like - my D participated in this competition in both her sophomore and junior years.</p>
<p>thanks for the input. D made the local finals last year but we did not bother w/ the travel & expenses - although in hind sight, NYC would have been easier to maneuver than LA! -</p>
<p>…but we will attend this year. And, not so much for the competition - although it is a good experience, but mostly for the college info and master classes.</p>
<p>Hey there OTamandua. My name is Evan. I’m also a HS Senior! :^)
I was a National Finalist (1 of 9) in the Competition in 2011 and I’ll be going back this year, if it’s economically feasible. It’s a great experience and I highly recommend it for any high schooler, especially if you’re unsure where you want to attend Undergrad school. This Convention helped me to learn more about different voice programs programs and find who would be the best fit for me. Last year I was a Junior in the competition, and in January, I’ll be participating as a national finalist in the YoungArts Competition 2012 in Miami. There’s certainly some overlap between these competitions. I have many friends who have been successful in both. For example, my friend Sean Plumb won the Classical Singer competition in '09 and received a Gold award in the YoungArts competition in '10. Additionally, my friend Daniel McGrew won CS in '10 and received a Silver award at YoungArts in '11. These big competitions attract lots of talented kids, so don’t go into it expecting to win or even place. </p>
<p>Typically there are about 200 high school singers competing in the 2nd round. About 50 advance to the semi-finals the next day, and in the evening, the finalists (usually about 8-10) compete in a concert setting. </p>
<p>For the high school competition, the judges aren’t looking for who has the biggest voice. They primarily care about proper singing habits and technique. Just sing something that you love and you KNOW you can sing well. They’re looking for good vocal qualities, and you don’t need a big fancy aria to show them that you have them. Schubert lieder is great for high school voices, as are English arts songs by Vaughan Williams and Quilter.</p>
<p>At any rate, it’s a fabulous experience and if your sister decides to go to the 2012 convention, I wish her the best of luck.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for responding to this…sorry I almost missed it.</p>
<p>I think I’ve made the acquaintance of one of the finalists this past May…she’s from the Carolinas and is now at, as I understand, Valparaiso. VERY talented vocalist, and she, too (like my son) was a Young Arts winner though not a finalist (she was Merit, he was HM) in “voice”. But she sure made the finals of the CSC.</p>
<p>God bless and best to you at both events - congratulations on the YA finals!</p>