Posting Date: February 13, 2009
KSU hosts NATS competition
By Liza Scales
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For the first time in ten years, the Kennesaw State University School of Music will host the annual National Association of Teachers of Singers competition on Friday, Feb. 20 and Saturday, Feb. 21. The competition is an annual event held at rotating colleges and universities around the country.
The competition is open to any student of a NATS teacher, and this year, 375 high school and college students are competing in 26 categories organized by age and the duration of the students’ vocal study. Songs are performed from memory and performers receive written comments with a scale rating of “superior,” “excellent,” “good,” or “fair.” Any NATS teacher who has a student competing will be part of the judging panel; each of the 26 categories has three judges.
Sophomore music education major, Rachel Mercer, who is competing this year, is eager for the other competitors to see what the voice department is doing with its “great , new facilities and new performance hall. It’s going to be interesting to hear other students and see how they compare to KSU,” said Mercer.
Sherri Weiler from Shorter College in Rome, Ga. is the NATS membership chair and oversees the competition; KSU vocal teacher, Jana Young, is the point person for KSU in charge of organizing the two-day event on the campus. “The NATS motto is ‘encouraging the highest standards of the vocal art,’” said Young. “With that in mind, this competition gives the students a world view of what’s out there in careers. It’s a great opportunity for them.”
The winners each receive certificates along with small monetary prizes, and they will perform in a concert at the Dr. Bobbie Bailey & Family Performance Center on Feb. 21. The concert will be open to the public. Admission is free and no advance tickets are necessary.