Regional NSA Guidelines, Tips & Reminders
While the NSA Resource Centre provides a wealth of information and should be your reference for everything NSA, we understand the quantity of information on there can be overwhelming and so, we wanted to zoom in on a few important items we've identified during our last NSA Regional Round and bring those to you.
Where to start?
Review the NSA FULL REGULATIONS.
Seriously, do! Take an afternoon, pour yourself a glass of wine and read it all!
We know it is an extensive document, but most of the answers are in there. When you contact us with your questions, we refer to that document.
ALWAYS refer to the NSA Full Regulations and other NSA documents on nats.org for latest updates; DO NOT refer to your old saved copies from previous years.
Can't find what you are looking for? The chain of action is: Ask your Chapter Audition Chair ---> Ask one of our new Classical, Musical Theatre or Contemporary Music Chair, or the Region Coordinator ---> If we don't have the answer, we'll find out for you from the National NSA Team.
Gentle reminder: the Region also MUST follow all National rules and guidelines; while Chapters and Regions do have some leeway in the way they run their auditions, we do not have the authority to change rules and requirements of the NSA.
Students Registrations
- The student's age on September 1st will be used to determine the student's category(s) of entry. No aging out of a category mid-NSA cycle allowed.
- Students MUST use and have access to the same valid email throughout the whole NSA process; their profile will be associated with that unique email (one email = one account) and that email will be used for all NSA communications. Families with siblings MUST use a different email for each child.
Regional Registration Fees
- The Student Participation Fee will remain at $20 ($4/student going to National finance fee). The money collected will be redistributed through our money awards to our regional winners to support students on their NSA journey.
- The Teacher Fee will remain at $20. That money collected will cover NSA varied admin costs such as the hiring of last minute replacement adjudicators or non-NATS expert adjudicators for certain category (if need be); the remaining money will be kept into a fund to provide subsidies to teachers with financial needs wanting to participate in future regional events (for example, the upcoming Regional Conference in November in Victoria).
Repertoire
- Chapters MUST follow ALL National guidelines, from categories, to age groups and repertoire selection.
- Chapters MUST vet all repertoire presented to avoid disappointments and disqualifications if/when moving up to the Regional and/or National rounds. In particular, pay attention to requirements for CM tracks (pre-recorded track WITHOUT backing vocals!).
Video Guidelines
- Chapters MUST adhere to National video guidelines as many students will use the same video for the whole NSA process.
- Follow the instructions in the "NSA Videos Submissions Guidelines PDF" very carefully. Some of the issues that were identified last year and need attention: landscape videos to avoid vertical videos being switched to "shorts", how to "slate" and YouTube video settings.
AuditionWare Notes
- Teachers, make sure to register students under the correct level of competition. Select your Chapter for local auditions and NW for the Regional round.
Regional Adjudications
- It is expected that all teachers presenting students to the NSA will help with regional adjudications. Last year, our Regional NSA included 257 students and a total of 734 videos, adjudicated by 53 teachers!
- In line with other NATS regions, we are implementing a Substitute Fee of $75 for teachers who won't be able to help with adjudications; that fee will cover expenses the Region may incur should we need to hire replacement adjudicators in order to get adjudications completed in a timely manner.
- All adjudicators MUST review the adjudicating training videos along with Rubrics and Adjudications Best Practises. Recommendation: teachers can also watch those videos to understand what adjudicators are looking for.
Continuing to the National Round?
- National will take over all communications for students who are eligible to continue to the National round.
- The Region has NO SAY in the National decisions.
- Always make sure to read all their emails carefully (they are very thorough with A LOT of information!) and provide them with ALL requested documents by their deadline. Reminder that their deadlines are East Coast Time!
Review the NSA FULL REGULATIONS.
Seriously, do! Take an afternoon, pour yourself a glass of wine and read it all!
We know it is an extensive document, but most of the answers are in there. When you contact us with your questions, we refer to that document.
ALWAYS refer to the NSA Full Regulations and other NSA documents on nats.org for latest updates; DO NOT refer to your old saved copies from previous years.
Can't find what you are looking for? The chain of action is: Ask your Chapter Audition Chair ---> Ask one of our new Classical, Musical Theatre or Contemporary Music Chair, or the Region Coordinator ---> If we don't have the answer, we'll find out for you from the National NSA Team.
Gentle reminder: the Region also MUST follow all National rules and guidelines; while Chapters and Regions do have some leeway in the way they run their auditions, we do not have the authority to change rules and requirements of the NSA.
Students Registrations
- The student's age on September 1st will be used to determine the student's category(s) of entry. No aging out of a category mid-NSA cycle allowed.
- Students MUST use and have access to the same valid email throughout the whole NSA process; their profile will be associated with that unique email (one email = one account) and that email will be used for all NSA communications. Families with siblings MUST use a different email for each child.
Regional Registration Fees
- The Student Participation Fee will remain at $20 ($4/student going to National finance fee). The money collected will be redistributed through our money awards to our regional winners to support students on their NSA journey.
- The Teacher Fee will remain at $20. That money collected will cover NSA varied admin costs such as the hiring of last minute replacement adjudicators or non-NATS expert adjudicators for certain category (if need be); the remaining money will be kept into a fund to provide subsidies to teachers with financial needs wanting to participate in future regional events (for example, the upcoming Regional Conference in November in Victoria).
Repertoire
- Chapters MUST follow ALL National guidelines, from categories, to age groups and repertoire selection.
- Chapters MUST vet all repertoire presented to avoid disappointments and disqualifications if/when moving up to the Regional and/or National rounds. In particular, pay attention to requirements for CM tracks (pre-recorded track WITHOUT backing vocals!).
Video Guidelines
- Chapters MUST adhere to National video guidelines as many students will use the same video for the whole NSA process.
- Follow the instructions in the "NSA Videos Submissions Guidelines PDF" very carefully. Some of the issues that were identified last year and need attention: landscape videos to avoid vertical videos being switched to "shorts", how to "slate" and YouTube video settings.
AuditionWare Notes
- Teachers, make sure to register students under the correct level of competition. Select your Chapter for local auditions and NW for the Regional round.
Regional Adjudications
- It is expected that all teachers presenting students to the NSA will help with regional adjudications. Last year, our Regional NSA included 257 students and a total of 734 videos, adjudicated by 53 teachers!
- In line with other NATS regions, we are implementing a Substitute Fee of $75 for teachers who won't be able to help with adjudications; that fee will cover expenses the Region may incur should we need to hire replacement adjudicators in order to get adjudications completed in a timely manner.
- All adjudicators MUST review the adjudicating training videos along with Rubrics and Adjudications Best Practises. Recommendation: teachers can also watch those videos to understand what adjudicators are looking for.
Continuing to the National Round?
- National will take over all communications for students who are eligible to continue to the National round.
- The Region has NO SAY in the National decisions.
- Always make sure to read all their emails carefully (they are very thorough with A LOT of information!) and provide them with ALL requested documents by their deadline. Reminder that their deadlines are East Coast Time!
* Notes for Chapter Auditions Chairs *
- While Chapters are free to run their auditions as they see fit, Chapters MUST follow all National guidelines for continuity and fairness throughout the whole process.
- All Chapter auditions should be completed by February 1st to allow reasonable time for the following steps of the competition: singers registration to the Regional round (February), Regional adjudications (February/March), Regional winners announcement and Region submissions to National (March), invite from National to eligible NW singers to the National round (end of March) and time for singers to register and submit all requested document by the National deadline (always the second Friday in April).
- Chapters should submit their winners to the Region as soon as their competition is completed. Singers will be invited to register to the regional round in February.
- Schedule "buffer times" in your Chapter auditions. For example, if a category requires 6 minutes per student, schedule students every 7 minutes in order to provide a 1 minute buffer between singers. This will allow a more relaxed flow for students, accompanists and adjudicators. Please allow a 5-10 minutes between categories for adjudicators to review the requirements for the new category about to start.
- Chapters will NOT dictate scoring minimums or make demands outside of the NSA rules & regulations to adjudicators when adjudicating their students.
- While Chapters are free to run their auditions as they see fit, Chapters MUST follow all National guidelines for continuity and fairness throughout the whole process.
- All Chapter auditions should be completed by February 1st to allow reasonable time for the following steps of the competition: singers registration to the Regional round (February), Regional adjudications (February/March), Regional winners announcement and Region submissions to National (March), invite from National to eligible NW singers to the National round (end of March) and time for singers to register and submit all requested document by the National deadline (always the second Friday in April).
- Chapters should submit their winners to the Region as soon as their competition is completed. Singers will be invited to register to the regional round in February.
- Schedule "buffer times" in your Chapter auditions. For example, if a category requires 6 minutes per student, schedule students every 7 minutes in order to provide a 1 minute buffer between singers. This will allow a more relaxed flow for students, accompanists and adjudicators. Please allow a 5-10 minutes between categories for adjudicators to review the requirements for the new category about to start.
- Chapters will NOT dictate scoring minimums or make demands outside of the NSA rules & regulations to adjudicators when adjudicating their students.