Job Description:

The chair of competitions must

  1. Confirm site reservations
  2. Send an application to MTNA for General Liability Insurance.  This should be completed at least 6-8 weeks prior to your event. Information can be found at mtna.org.
  3. Get judges and monitors
  4. Send judging packets
  5. Schedule the competition and notify teachers
  6. Print programs,
  7. Make arrangements for lunch/snacks for judges and monitors
  8. Keep careful records of expenses, report expenses to treasurer
  9. Send winners list to website and to treasurer if cash awards are to be disbursed, and arrange for winners to send bios to program chair for winners recital.
  10. Every effort must be made to accommodate all students registering for a given event by the deadline.
  11. Chairmen of events are also part of the Executive Board and are invited to attend Executive Board meetings which are held in September, January, and June each year.

Time Line:

Summer prior to event:

  1. Work with NVMTA President to determine best date and location for competition.
  2. In July, submit revised event documents for the website nvmta.org.
  3. In August review documents on the website nvmta.org for accuracy.

Several months prior to event:

  1. Reconfirm reservations at competition site.
  2. Secure adjudicators for the event: Inform them that closer to the date of the competition you will send a packet including judge’s guidelines, sample judging sheet and ballots, map/directions, and repertoire sheets. Ask that they send you a bio ASAP for inclusion in the program. Note: chair of all cash awards events including the Concerto Competitions, Achievement Awards Competitions, and District Auditions, should contact Larisa Simington, Competition Resource Chair, prior to securing the judges.
  3. Get monitors for the event.
  4. Order prize ribbons if needed.

One month prior to event:

  1. Review each application (with co-chair if applicable).  Check for missing information.  Verify that all rules of entry are being followed.
  2. Create a schedule for day of the event.
  3. Email schedules to participating teachers, referring them to the website nvmta.org for judge’s guidelines, competition rules and other information.
  4. Contact Vice-President to request the number of Certificates of Participation needed.
  5. Contact treasurer@nvmta.org with the names of the judges and amounts of their checks and ask that the checks be mailed to you.
  6. Address one large brown mailing envelope for each participating teacher for mailing certificates and comment sheets after the competition.
  7. Get the certificates and fill them out for each entrant.
  8. Type a master program that includes, by level, the day and the date, student number, student name, teacher number, and, when feasible, repertoire being performed. This can also serve as a results list so make several copies.
  9. Delete from the master program the teacher number and copy this as a program to hand out the day of the competition to the monitor, parents, and students attending the competition. Add the names and bios of the judges’ names and bios to the back of the program.
  10. Mail judges their packets. Include a copy of the program with the names of the students deleted, the judging guidelines, a sample rating sheet and directions to the event.

One week prior to event:

  1. Verify that judges have received their packets and ask if there are any questions.
  2. Confirm monitors.
  3. Arrange hospitality/food.
  4. Prepare judging/comment sheets for each judge which include student number, repertoire (if feasible), and printed name of the judge below the signature line.

Day of Competition:

In the event of inclement weather on the day of an NVMTA event, a decision about cancellation will be made after the chair has consulted with the President and after consulting Fairfax County’s decision on school events.

  1. Ask monitors to arrive early.
  2. Have a judges’ meeting about twenty minutes prior to the start of the competition. Ask the judges to try the pianos. Go over the balloting procedures and give the judges their packets of judging sheets.
  3. Once the competition begins, the monitor announces each performer by number, gives the music to the judges, ensures time limit requirements, and returns the music to the performer at the conclusion of the performance.
  4. If any question arises concerning disqualification or eligibility at the event, the Chairman is to confer with the President (or Vice-President/Student Activities Chair if the President is not available) before announcing or posting any such decisions or the results of the judging.
  5. At the conclusion of each level, the chairman sequesters the judges (either by moving to a different room, or by removing the audience) and supervises the balloting procedure (see Guidelines for Judges for a description of the balloting procedure).
  6. The Chair announces and posts the results.
  7. At the end of the day, give the judges a thank-you note with their honorarium.

The Week after the Competition:

  1. Email the results of the competition to all participating teachers by 9:00 PM of the day of the event, or three hours after the conclusion of the event, whichever is later.
  2. Email a final report to the president and website committee. This report should indicate the number of entrants in each level, as well as the number of teachers represented. Winners and honorable mentions should be listed by level.
  3. Mail the judging sheets and certificates to the teachers.
  4. Mail the financial report to the treasurer, giving names of the winners and places and levels for awards checks. Request reimbursement for your expenses.
  5. File and retain all original applications and competition results to determine eligibility in following years.
  6. Notify teachers of first place winners to submit bios and repertoire of their students to the Program Chair for the Winners’ Concert.
  7. Report any complaints about judging to the Competition Resource Chair.