Students Registered for Sight Reading Examinations January TBD

Virginia Music Teachers Association
Sight Reading Exams

Skills Day: Keyboard & Sight Reading
January  TBD

CHAIR
Kate Moore and Laura Bogart


APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
1.  The teacher must register you at  mtfest.com

2.  Print a copy of the invoice from mtfest.com (accessed under “Billing”) and mail along with one check per studio, payable to NVMTA, to:


TEACHER GUIDELINES

The minimum judging time commitment is 1 hour plus 1 additional hour for every four students entered. These assignments are based on the number of students enrolled, regardless of subsequent student withdrawals.

Students must bring 1 rating sheet for each skill being tested.  The teacher must download them for you from mtfest.com.  They will be available after the schedule is published and you'll be given them at your very next lesson!

Teachers must agree to abide by the Teacher Responsibilities.

No make-up exams will be given for any reason.

Due to the number of exams being given, the paucity of volunteers, and the difficulty of scheduling adjacent exams for those students testing on two or more skills, please ask your students to save the whole day, and understand that time requests, nor requests for make-ups can be honored.
WHAT TO EXPECT

The student will be asked to look over two separate copies of music to familiarize herself with the piece.  Two pieces will be used for sight reading except for levels 10,11 and 12 where only one piece will be used.

The judge will ask questions and possibly ask the student to tap a rhythm, hands separate, or together.

The student may be asked to count aloud.

In long pieces, the judge reserves the right to stop the performance before the end of the piece.

Sight reading terminology will be based on the VMTA Terms list and signs that each student has prepared for their VMTA Theory Exam.

CORRECT USE OF FINGERING will be a factor in every level.

All knowledge of prior levels is cumulative.

Sample Questions:

What is the time (or meter) signature?  What does the bottom number mean?

How many dotted half notes are there in this piece?

On the fall board, with both hands, tap the rhythm of measures 3 and 4.

Point out the first phrase.  Tap the rhythm of that phrase.

EVERY FAMILY has VMTA SIGHT READING SYLLABUS . 
The only preparation in our studio for this exam is your daily preparation of new pieces for your lessons, your pencilwork and organized practice plans that enable you to focus on various aspects of new pieces, and any supporting sight reading books younger students complete as part of their weekly practice.

​This event is required for participation in District Auditions.
This event is a pre-requisite for Northern District Auditions (NDA).  The requirements for NDA are listed below:
Audition Level

Time Limit
I-A 5 minutes

I-B10 minutes

II-15 minutes

III-20 minutes

Location  (tentative)

DATE AND PLACE
Sunday, January 12, 2020, All Day
George Mason University,Music Theater Building (MTB), 4379 Mason Pond Dr, Fairfax, VA 22030
REGISTRATION DEADLINE:  December