Weekend Information

Registration for All-State Chorus Weekend

  1. Teachers must submit All-State Chorus Weekend Registration through the process designated by the All-State Chorus Chairperson. The registration process is completed online.
  2. In addition to the non-refundable audition fee, a non-refundable All-State Chorus Weekend registration fee of fifty-five dollars ($55.00) will be required of each student participating in the All-State Chorus. This registration fee must be remitted by December 11, 2026. Registration fees should be paid using only one school check, personal check, money order payable to SCMEA Choral Division, or through the online registration. If your school district is submitting a check, please make sure that your school information is indicated and mailed with the check.
  3. Registration forms must be completed online and appropriate fees must be paid online or payment check postmarked by Friday, December 11, 2026. (Late payments will result in a rule violation.) The link for online payment may be found on the Choral Division Website. www.choraldivision.org If mailing one check for payment, please send to: Ashlee Poole. Direct any questions about the weekend registration to Ashlee Poole or NeTorrian Patton.
  4. T-shirts and pins will also be available for purchase ahead of time when completing Registration. These items will not be available for purchase at All-State Chorus Weekend.
  5. Director packets: A link will be provided for directors to order music directly from the distributor.  Director packets will not be automatically provided.

Selected Participants

  1. The All-State Chorus will be composed of up to three ensembles chosen randomly from the highest-scoring students. Under no circumstances may teachers substitute one of their other students for a selected student. Failure to comply with the substitution rule is a rule violation, and will result in the substituted students not being allowed to participate in the All-State Chorus Weekend and their school being suspended for the next academic year.
  2. Cut-off scores, how to access score sheets, and other information will be emailed to each director after auditions have been completed. It is the responsibility of the director to double-check the scores and notify students of their acceptance into the All-State Chorus. If you do not receive an email or have questions about scores, please contact Lizzi Elliott, Audition Coordinator. 
  3. At the conclusion of each audition cycle, the All-State Committee will examine the cutoff scores for each voice part and may elect to appoint as Alternates those students who missed the cutoff by one to three points: the missed point range (1-3) will be decided year by year based on scoring spread. (See section on Alternates for more information)
  4. Teachers are responsible for the preparation of the music by their students prior to the All-State Chorus Weekend. Teachers should not expect students to learn the music entirely independently. Rehearsal tracks will be provided for each student.   
  5. Music Screening/Part Check: There will be a music screening/part check event at the beginning of the first rehearsal. All-State Chorus Committee members will walk through while the choir sings each piece to ensure that singers have prepared the repertoire. If there is any question about their preparation, singers will be given an opportunity to privately demonstrate that they know the music. If singers cannot demonstrate proficiency, they will not be sent home, nor will we provide tutorials on-site. They will become an Auditor. If singers are significantly late to a rehearsal, miss an entire rehearsal, or commit some other major infraction of rules decided upon by the choir managers, they will become an Auditor. Auditor: Any singer who becomes an auditor will be allowed to attend all rehearsals, be seated in the back of the rehearsal hall, and learn as the other singers do; however, they will not be allowed to sing in the concert. Thus, they will continue to learn and be allowed to attend guest performances and social activities but will lose the privilege of singing in the concert.

Attendance: All students that have been selected for the All-State Chorus must attend 100% of the All-State Chorus Weekend. All absences will be reviewed by the All-State Chorus Committee and could result in consequences to the school and/or student involved. All written documentation pertaining to absences must be submitted to the All-State Chorus Weekend Coordinator two weeks prior to the All-State Chorus Weekend. In an emergency, you must provide documentation at All-State Chorus registration.

** PLEASE NOTE: We will provide information about the All-State Chorus Weekend as it becomes available. All-State Chorus will be held February 25-27, 2027 at Winthrop University. A more detailed schedule will be provided when it is available.

  1. Alternates
    • Alternates will need to register fully for the weekend event to be eligible for potential participation.
    • Directors who have students that qualify as alternates will be given the opportunity to decline alternate participation. 
    • Alternates who elect to participate and register will be assigned to an ensemble so they may prepare in the event they are called for participation.
    • Alternates who register and are not called for participation will be invited auditors to the rehearsal process. Their teachers will be responsible for their whereabouts in rehearsal and must guarantee that students do not attempt to join the performance. 
      • Clinicians will be privately advised that they may choose to invite alternate auditors for performance participation. This is purely at the discretion of the individual clinician, and teachers will be advised accordingly prior to registration of their alternates. 
    • Alternates who participate as Auditors throughout the weekend will follow all rules and regulations of All-State participation to include attendance and timeliness, device policies, etc. 
    • Alternates will be required to participate in part checks at the beginning of the All-State Event.
    • As students fail to register for or appear at the All-State event, Alternates will be selected at random from their respective voice parts and notified by the Audition Coordinator if they are selected as an officially participating member of the assigned ensemble.

If selected members of the ensemble are identified as deficient in their preparation through the part checks, Alternates who have passed the part check will be selected at random and promoted according to their voice part. 

All-State Chorus Weekend Rules

  1. TEACHERS AND STUDENTS MUST BE PRESENT AT ALL ALL-STATE CHORUS ACTIVITIES, i.e., general auditions, rehearsals, special auditions, performances, etc. TEACHERS MUST STAY AT THE SAME HOTEL AS THEIR STUDENTS.
  2. The following items will be available for purchase at All-State Chorus Weekend:
    • Recordings of the concert performance
    • Plaques with individual student names, voice part, and choir.
  3. Rehearsal Guidelines:
    • Dress for rehearsals will be informal-regular school clothes. Hats, sunglasses, or any other item that would interfere with rehearsal are prohibited.
    • No gum, no talking, no tobacco, no vaping, and no illegal substances of any kind.
    • Each student is expected to devote his/her full attention to the director at all times in all rehearsals and performances.
    • Each student must bring a pencil and his/her music to ALL rehearsals, even if the music is memorized.
    • Each student will need a black folder for use at the concert.
  4. General Guidelines:
    • Students will be dismissed from All-State Chorus participation on the following grounds:
      • Vandalism of any kind- the student’s school will be held responsible for damages.
      • Possession of drugs without a doctor’s prescription.
      • Possession and/or consumption of alcoholic beverages.
    • Disciplinary action, not excluding dismissal, will be taken on the following grounds:
      • Failure to adhere to attendance, housing, and rehearsal regulations.
      • Violation of curfew.
      • Any behavior found to be unbecoming by the All-State Chorus Chairperson or his/her representative.
      • Cell phones, iPods, MP3 players, CD players, and any device with headphones are not to be present during rehearsals.
    •  If a student is found to be in possession of these items during the rehearsal, the student’s name will be taken and the director will be notified. If the same student is found to be in possession of the items for a 2nd time, they will be removed from participation in the All-State Chorus, will be turned over to the director as an “Auditing Singer,” and the school will be given a level 1 violation. 
    • Teachers are responsible for the conduct and behavior of their students throughout the entire All-State Chorus Weekend.
    • Any dismissed student may cause his/her school to be suspended from participation for one year. An explanatory letter will be sent to the student’s parents, choral director, school principal and district administration.

All-State Weekend Concert Dress

Members of the All-State Chorus will adhere to the concert dress parameters outlined below. All attire will be checked for compliance prior to the concert. Students not in compliance with the dress code WILL BE PROHIBITED FROM SINGING IN THE CONCERT and will put the school in jeopardy of suspension from All-State Chorus participation for one year. If you are unsure that your uniform is compliant, contact the All-State Chorus Weekend Coordinator.

  1. Concert Attire for All-State Chorus may be chosen from the following:
    • A black tuxedo/suit (jacket and pants) with a white or black long-sleeved button down shirt to include a black tie or bow tie (black vest optional)
    • A formal black button down with full length sleeves and lay down collar, black tie or bow tie and black pants (vest optional)
    • Black formal concert dress (full length)
    • Black dress which goes past the knee with fully OPAQUE black tights
    • Black ankle length skirt with black blouse 
    • Black full-length pants with dressy black blouse or jacket and blouse.
    • Students who are wearing pants must wear black socks or hose and black dress shoes
  2. The following items are STRICTLY PROHIBITED.
    • Slits in dresses or skirts above the kneecap
    • Bare midriff or bare back
    • Spaghetti straps
    • Cocktail or prom dresses 
    • Show choir dresses or attire (vests, sequined items, etc.)
    • Sneakers, sandals, or slides of any type
    • Low cut or revealing necklines
    • Heels/shoes higher than 2 inches.

The All-State Chorus will present a public concert at Winthrop University on February 27, 2027, at 3:00 p.m. Only participants will be allowed to attend any activities of the All-State Chorus Weekend. No one other than All-State Chorus members, official chaperones, and teachers may be present at hotels, rehearsals or facilities connected with the All-State Chorus events. No children, even those whose parents are choral directors, will be allowed at any All-State Chorus rehearsal. All chaperones must be at least 21 years of age – preferably older. All SCMEA members are welcome to attend any part of the All-State Chorus weekend even if that member does not have students participating in these events.

All incidents or exceptions pertaining to the All-State Chorus rules and regulations will be subject to review by the All-State Chorus Committee and could result in consequences to the school and/or student(s) involved. Requests for exceptions due to extenuating circumstances must be submitted in writing to the All-State Chorus Committee Chairperson two weeks prior to the All-State Chorus Weekend. Rule Violations can result in the following: probation or suspension from auditioning for the student involved, probation or suspension for an entire program. Violations are discussed by the committee and are decided on a case by case basis.