>>>
>>> THE
>>> THE MAIN CHAPTER OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF TEACHERS OF SINGING ALSO KNOWN
AS MAINE NATS4@4@ HOLDS SINGING
COMPETITIONS BUT IT'S AN
OPPORTUNITY FOR THE STUDENTS TO
SHOWCASE TH4@EIR SKILLS, PERFOR
COMPETITIONS BUT IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE STUDENTS TO SHOWCASE TH4@EIR SKILLS, PERFOR@
AND BE JUDGED BY SOMEONE OTHER
THAN THE USUAL TEACHER PICK
>> THAT COMPETITION WENT ONLINE
THIS YEAR, NO SURPRISE.
HOW YOU CONDUCT A SINGIN4@G
COMPETITION VIRTUALLY?
IT TOOK SOME QUICK THINKING AS
MAIN MAINE 4@NATS RESIDENT4@ SP
PICK
>> STUDENTS FROM ALL OVER THE
STATE OF MAINE, JUNIOR DIVISION,
ALL THE WAY UP THROUGH
AVOCATIONAL, WHICH IS4@ AGES4@ @
AND ABOVE, TO COMPETE, BUT THEY
COMPETE LIVE.
THAT IS WHY WE CALL IT A
FESTIVAL.
PEOPLE CAN COME AND MEET 4@AND
GREET AND LISTEN TO ONE ANOTHER.
JUST BEFORE WE WERE GOING TO GO
LIVE WITH OUR CLASSICAL,4@ 4@CO
HIT.
MOST OF THE STATES DID CANCEL.
THEY WERE JUST NOT PREPARED TO
DO IT AT THAT LEVEL.4@
MAINE NATS HAS NEVER CANCELED A
FESTIVAL.
WE SAID LET'S DO IT.4@
THE STUDENTS4@ HAVE GROWN UP WI
THIS TECHNOLOGY.
IS THERE EVERY DAY LIFE.4@
TO ASK THEM TO MAKE VIDEOS AND
SUBMIT THEM ONLINE WAS EASY
STREET 4@FOR THEM.
THE ONES THAT WERE HAVING THE
DIFFICULTY WITH THE TEACHERS.
[ LAUGHTER ] IT WAS ALMOST THE
TEACHER HAD BECOME THE STUDENT.
IT WAS A GREAT LEARNING PROCESS
FOR US ALL.
WE 4@DID IT4@. WHAT WE FOUND WA
IT WAS A GREAT LEARNING PROCESS FOR US ALL. WE 4@DID IT4@. WHAT WE FOUND WA@
WERE RECEIVING MORE
PARTICIPANTS AND AUDITIONS VIA
ONLINE THEN WE WOULD IN LIFE 4@
COMPETITION.
THERE WAS SOMETHING THAT
ALLOWED THEM TO BE MORE
COMFORTABLE IN THEIR 4@OWN SPAC
AT HOME, AND FILMING IN A WAY
THAT THEY HAD ALWAYS BEEN
FILMING. 4@
THEY FELT MORE COMFORTABLE THAT
WAY RENDER THEN 4@RATHER THAN
STANDING ON STAGE WITH JUDGES.4
>> WITH A SINGING4@ COMPETITION
YOU ARE GOING TO WANT THE AUDIO
TO 4@BE SPOT ON.
WAS THERE ANY 4@FRICTION OR4@
TROUBLE WITH THE KIDS
PRESENTING WHAT THEY WA4@NTED T
WAS THERE ANY 4@FRICTION OR4@ TROUBLE WITH THE KIDS PRESENTING WHAT THEY WA4@NTED T@
PRESENT ON VIDEO, AND THE
QUALITY BEING WHERE IT NEEDED
TO BE?
>> WE DID HAVE TO DRAW UP A 4@
STUDENT GUIDE THAT SPECIFICALLY
DEALT WITH A LOT OF THOSE
MECHANICS.4@ 4@4@
IT HAD TO BE ONE CAMERA PICK WE
ALSO HAD TO TELL THE JUDGES
THAT THEY WERE NOT ALLOWED TO
JUDGE ON THE QUALITY OF 4@THE
AUDIO4@ OR THE VIDEO, SO THAT W
ALSO COULD LEVEL THAT PLAYING
FIELD FOR ALL.
>>4@ THAT'S A PRETTY GREAT
OPPORTUNITY REGARDLESS OF THE
OUTCOME.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
THE STUDENTS DO NOT 4@JUST SEEI
FOR SCORES.
THEY ALSO HAVE COMMENTS SHEETS.
THE JUDGES COMMENT4@ ON HOW THE
PERFORMED4@ AND IT'S VERY
VALUABLE FEEDBACK.4@
>> YOU GUYS PIVOTED, YOU 4@HAD
YOUR SPRING4@ FESTIVAL, IT 4@WA
>> YOU GUYS PIVOTED, YOU 4@HAD YOUR SPRING4@ FESTIVAL, IT 4@WA@ WILDLY SUCCESSFUL, AND AS YOU
SAID, YOU ARE ONE OF FEW, IF AN@
, WHO ACTUALLY DID DO TH4@E
ONLINE THING RATHER THAN JUST
CANCELING PICK
>> WE WERE THE ONLY ONE IN THE
NEW ENGLAND CHAPTER AFTER THE
FIVE STATES THAT DID IT.
>> NOW YOU ARE UNDERWAY WITH
YOUR FALL FESTIVAL, WHICH IS
MUSICAL THEATER, IS THAT
CORRECT?4@
>> YES.
>> HOW HAS THIS ONE DONE?
>> EVEN BETTER THAN BEFORE.
WE HAVE HAD A RECORD NUMBER OF
PARTICIPANTS FOR THIS VERY
FESTIVAL.4@ 4@
NOW, STUDENTS4@ CAN BE AS FAR
AWAY AS POSSIBLE IN THE STATE 4@
OF MAINE TO SUBMIT THEIR VIDEOS
ONLINE AND NEVER HAVE TO LEAVE
THE HOUSE.4@
WE HAD A RECORD NUMBER OF
REGISTRANTS, ALL OF OUR JUDGES
ARE FROM4@ AS FAR AWAY AS NEW
YORK CITY, WORKING ON BROADWAY
PICK
>> IT REALLY OPENED THINGS UP A
LITTLE BIT IN A WAY THAT YOU
PROBABLY COULD NOT HAVE
ANTICIPATED.
>> EXACTLY.4@
WE FIRST4@ PANICKED, WE THOUGHT
HOW ARE WE GOING TO DO THIS?4@
BUT IT ALMOST WAS A SILVER
LINING, IT WAS ALMOST A
BLESSING IN DISGUISE, AND WE
HAVE STARTED TO SHIFT OUR 4@
THINKING INTO IS THIS THE NEW
WAY OF THE FUTURE?4@4@
>>4@ THERE WAS CERTAINLY A
FAMILIAR FACE IN THAT STORY,
WASN'T THERE?
>> THAT CAME AS A BIT OF A
SURPRISE, BUT NICE TO SEE. 4@
>> THIS COMPETITION SOLICITED
80 AUDITIONS IN VARIOUS AGE
GROUPS.
THE WINNERS HAVE BEEN NAMED.
MAINE NATS OFFER THESE
COMPETITIONS TWICE A YEAR.
CLASSICAL IN MACON THE MUSICAL
THEATER 4@IN NOVEMBER.4@