2021 VIRTUAL GUIDE

High School Important Dates & Deadlines

Please note all of the deadlines carefully and remember that the singer must be present at the online master class and awards ceremony to be eligible to win cash awards and scholarships. If you are NOT available on your preferred cohort’s awards ceremony day, please consider applying for a different cohort location — geography does not matter!

Tips for Creating a Good Video Submission 

• Be aware of your surroundings. If you’re recording with a “track” rather than a live pianist, try to select a room that has well-balanced acoustics. You want to refrain from spaces that may be too resonant or echoey, where the clarity of your diction gets lost or may become unclear.

• Make sure that no background noise (like an air conditioner, running dishwasher, ringing phone, etc.) will interfere with your recording or interrupt your performance. 

• Make sure the space is well-lit.

• If possible, use a tripod or stand for your video recording device on a table or against a stand to help stabilize the image being recorded, rather than relying on someone’s hand to hold it and keep it steady.

• Test the view of your camera to make sure the judges can see your facial expressions and posture. Judges will be evaluating beauty of voice, technical skill, musicality, accuracy, communication of text, diction, and presentation.  

• Make the best of the equipment you have.  We recognize that many singers will use a smartphone or digital recording device to create videos for this virtual competition model – that’s okay! Simply do your best to make the sound and picture clear. We do not expect participants to seek out video recording with professional equipment or within a professional recording studio (in fact, we would discourage it).

• If you are using a recorded “track” rather than a live pianist for accompaniment, make sure that the sound level of the track is balanced to the level of your voice.

• Dress as you would for the LIVE competition. We recommend you wear your “Sunday Best.” Formal wear is not necessary.

• Do a “test run” through several phrases and then listen back to ensure you are in the frame and that the sound is not being distorted in any way.

• Perform your piece straight through, from beginning to end without stopping. No mixing, voice amplification, sound enhancement, audio dubbing, or splicing of multiple “takes” together is allowed.

• Record each song in a separate video file. Before starting each piece, say your name and the title/composer of the selection you are singing. Do not include any other information (i.e., age, year in school, where you’re from, etc.), or your entry will be disqualified.

• Make sure to watch your video before you submit! 

Virtual Accompaniment Options for High School Singers

Schmidt Vocal Arts recommends that singers submit videos recorded with a live pianist, but we do realize that some families may have difficulty finding, booking, or paying for a pianist during the COVID-19 pandemic.

If you are unable to record with a live pianist, we will allow singers to record their performances with a track.  Here are a few options:

• Use a track from online – there are plenty of accompaniment tracks on youtube and online. Try searching google for classical accompaniment tracks. Or you may use an app like www.appcompanist.com. Any fees associated with this app or other sites would be paid by the registered singer.

• Collaborate with your private teacher to record a track. Believe it or not, an iPhone can record sound from the piano very well! This works well if you cannot meet in person.

•  “Order” a Schmidt pianist! We have wonderful pianists in our Schmidt Vocal Artists network and one of them can also record your music for you. Schmidt Vocal Arts will provide this service without an additional fee, but singers must “order” their pianist by the appropriate application deadline (see Deadlines tab). This option is only offered to participants of the high school competition, not the undergraduate competition.
  
  • • To order, make sure to answer YES to the question, “Do you need a SVA pianist to record tracks for you?” on your application.  Please note you will also need to upload PDFs of your music to the SVA Portal by the application deadline. Singers will receive their tracks no later than four days  before the submission deadline. Accompaniment tracks will be sent on a rolling basis, so the sooner you apply and request a Schmidt pianist, the sooner you will receive your track.