• Be familiar with the adjudication requirements as listed in the Department of Education materials. You would be surprised at how many students lose valuable points simply because they did not follow the instructions for how they must prepare for the audition. If you have not been given a copy of the "2009 General Information for Students and Parents," you may download a copy from the Department of Education website. The adjudication requirements are also available on our website. There, you may also check out the scoring sheet to see how the points will be allotted.
• Solicit opinions from your teachers and others you trust when preparing your adjudication piece(s). Former VPA students might also have some good advice as to what worked well for them, though our judges do not give much feedback at the time of the audition. Above all else, make sure YOU are comfortable with the selections, no matter what anyone else says.
• Be prepared for the interview. Those couple of points can make a difference. Think about why you are an artist, why you enjoy performing or making art, and why you want to attend Governor's School. Think about not only what you hope to get out of the program, but also what you hope to contribute to the program.
• Allow plenty of time to arrive on campus and find the appropriate building. Nothing plays on nerves like having to rush or worry about missing your appointment time. And if circumstances beyond your control conspire to make you late, don't despair and if possible give us a call. We'll do our best to work you in.
• Expect some waiting around. We do our best to stay on schedule, but even then the very nature of the adjudication process will require some wait time. Bring along something to help you stay calm and ready as you wait for what might feel like an interminable amount of time.
• Relax. Nobody is out to get you. The judges want you to do your best.
• Know the reality. Around 950 students receive adjudication appointments each year and only 200 are invited to attend the program. Many who were not invited each year receive very good scores. There are simply more students qualified to participate than there is room. Though it may be cold comfort, it is an honor to be selected to participate in the statewide adjudication. Generally, only five students per high school (one per art discipline) are allowed to adjudicate.

• Be sure to read the adjudication requirements, located on our website and in the "2009 General Information for Students and Parents." (We can't stress that document enough!) You can also download a scoring form copy as a PDF so you can see how the 36 points will be determined.
• Make sure the piece you choose to perform for your solo has been choreographed completely and entirely by you, the student. This is the single biggest complaint our judges have. A teacher or instructor is welcome to give you feedback in your choreography, but their role should be limited to coach, not collaborator.
• As the program during the summer has a strong emphasis on ballet and ballet techniques, be prepared for the dance class to also have this emphasis. A strong showing in the dance class will go a long way.
• Do not be overly concerned with what other students are doing. Concentrate on your technique and don't get flustered if you miss a step or two.

• Be sure to read the adjudication requirements, located on our website and in the "2009 General Information for Students and Parents." (We can't stress that document enough!) You can also download a scoring form copy as a PDF so you can see how the 36 points will be determined.
• Theatre is quite possibly the most competitive in terms of score. Adjudication has a potential of 72 points (two judges, 36 points each), but that still leaves 30 points from the rest of the application. That 5 point "Statement of Interest" can make a difference.
• Often choosing a monologue which portrays a character close to your own age is helpful as it will be more believable. (Though that certainly is not a requirement.) And stay away from Shakespeare, Moliere, and Marlowe. Memorization of your monologue is required and will show great preparation and commitment to the program.

• Be sure to read the adjudication requirements, located on our website and in the "2009 General Information for Students and Parents." (We can't stress that document enough!) You can also download a scoring form copy as a PDF so you can see how the 36 points will be determined.
• With visual art, the judges like to see originality in design. Often, portfolios consist of pieces showing how well students follow directions. A well executed still life showcases one's techniques, but not necessarily one's creativity or originality in composition. A balanced portfolio is a must.
• You are going to be given 15 minutes to sketch a live model. Why not practice before hand? Catch a parent reading the paper or at some other mostly still activity (our model usually sits and reads a book). Think about if you will want to concentrate on the upper torso, the face, or the whole body and try it out. Some of you will be surprised at how much you can do in 15 minutes and you might decide to flesh out more details as you go. Others will be surprised at how quickly 15 minutes pass and you may need to adjust and be more "sketchy" in your sketch.
• You should be able to talk about each piece in your portfolio, why you made the decisions you made - and not just because the art instructor said so! Think about what you like about each piece and what you might change if you were to do it again (and you might not want to change anything).

All Musicians  

Vocalists  

Instrumentalists 

Percussionists Specifically 

• When reading the quota numbers, please remember that the number represents how many you may send in each art discipline. Thus, if your quota is 1, it means you may send no more than 1 in EACH area (dance, theatre, visual art, vocal music, instrumental music) for a total of 5. You do NOT have to choose between sending a dancer or a tenor. Send them both!
• If your school system can only afford to send a limited number of students to the summer program, make the decision after adjudication.
• Please follow-up with the students in early January to make sure they still plan on attending adjudication. No-shows are extremely frustrating, and often students need to be rescheduled due to illness, etc. and we'd rather schedule them in an open slot than add them to the end of the day.
• Don't forget that there may be talented students in art areas that your school does not have a program for, or who choose not to participate in the school sponsored program or classes. Dance and piano are two prime examples. It is important that ALL students be made aware of the Governor's School program and be given a chance to be selected for the statewide adjudication process. For example, the band teacher may not be aware of the excellent viola player. Get the word out and let students self nominate. (You can always hold a local audition among all interested students in your school division if you have more than your quota.) You may never know what talent you have at your school unless you ask the students themselves!
• At the local school (division) level when deciding between two equally qualified candidates, it may be advisable to consider the level of competition for a student's particular instrument or voice part when choosing whom to send to the statewide adjudication. Check out the adjudication numbers from past years.
• For example, in 2004 28 students adjudicated in clarinet for a potential 3-4 slots, while only 3 students adjudicated in oboe for another potential 3 slots. Or compare the number of sopranos (99) who tried out with the number of altos (32) or baritones (7). Ideally, we'd like a balanced choir - we are not going to invite 10x as many sopranos as baritones! - so the competition is going to be stiffer among the sopranos.
• However, an unqualified student will not be invited regardless of how the numbers play out. We may want 3 oboes, but we've been known to not invite any if there are other instruments with stronger scores. Because we work mainly in small ensembles and not a full orchestra, our instrumentation is extremely flexible.
• Please be sure to double-check that the correct instrument is given for a student. Adjudication times are assigned based on instrument type (woodwinds, strings, brass, piano, percussion).