NAMC Judging Guidelines:
Rules & Regulations
A copy of the official NAMC Rules & Regulations can be found at the bottom of this page or HERE. Please familiarize yourself with them and let me know if you have any clarifying questions.
Music Selections & Level Up Song List
Age, Experience, Individual Categories: Performers may select any single piece of music from any source to perform for you. *For vocal performers, the piece of music must also fit into the genre for that group (broadway, classical, or pop). If you feel a song is “on the line” regarding whether it fits into the genre, please accept it anyway and award full points to the performance. Please note that Disney songs should qualify for either Pop or Broadway, and full points should be awarded. If a song is completely outside the genre, please deduct 10 points manually from the total score and make a note of this in the comments on their scoresheet.
Level Up Category: Performers may select any single piece of music from the Level Up list for their instrument. The Level Up song list can be found at the bottom of this page or HERE. Groups for this category have been divided by level, and some groups contain two levels (Example: Group 1 may contain students performing from Level 1 and Level 2). For this category, because the Level Up song list is so large, and for the sake of time, please consider all performances to be eligible by default. You do not need to check the song list to determine whether a song is eligible.
Accompaniment
NAMC will provide a professional PA system for microphones and backing tracks. Pop vocalists only are eligible to use a microphone. Classical and Broadway vocalists, drum set performers, string performers, and wind performers are eligible to use backing tracks or a live piano accompanist which they provide on their own. Piano and guitar performances must be completed unaccompanied. Vocalists may not accompany themselves. Any competitors using a backing track are required to bring their own track on their phone, thumb drive, or other device which can be provided to our tech station.
Scoresheets
We will be using electronic scoresheets. Recommendations for how to use these scoresheets plus links to the scoresheets themselves are below.
Memorization
All performers are required to perform by memory in all categories, including the Individual category. If any student elects to use sheet music instead, they may still perform, but with the understanding that 10 points will be deducted from their total score. There is a section on the scoresheet to indicate whether this deduction should be applied.
Sheet Music
For all categories, performers have been instructed to provide you with a clean, published, non-photocopied score with measures numbered. This is commonly an area of confusion among teachers and students, so some may miss this detail and provide you with a photocopy, a score with teacher/student markings, or a score without measures numbered.
In the case that a performer provides you with NO music score at all, a 10-point deduction should be applied to their scoresheet (there is a field for this).
In the case that a performer DOES provide you with a music score, but it is a photocopy, has markings, or the measures are not numbered, please consider this to have met the requirement and do not apply a score deduction.
In the case that a performer provides you with a transcription either hand-written or printed from a website (particularly for the drum set or guitar divisions), please consider this to have met the requirement and do not apply a score deduction.
Guitar tablature without a notated score IS permissible in all guitar categories.
All performers’ scores will be partially based on their adherence to the sheet music provided. Changes to the sheet music such as rhythm, pitches, repeat sign omissions/additions are acceptable if clearly written in the music provided to you.
For convenience, you are welcome to hold on to all score sheets for each group until the entire group is done performing and you have submitted all score sheets.
Time Limit Adherence
Performers have been instructed to adhere to specific time limits with their performances. The time limits can be found below:
Experience Categories:
• 0-12 months of private lessons – 2 Minutes (typically Group 1)
• 13-24 months of private lessons – 3 Minutes (typically Group 1 or 2)
• 25-51 months of private lessons – 5 Minutes (typically Group 2 or 3)
• 52-69 months of private lessons – 7 Minutes (typically Group 3 or 4)
• 70 or more months of private lessons – 10 Minutes (typically Group 4 or higher)
Age Categories:
• 6 years old and under – 2 Minutes (typically Group 1)
• 7-8 years old – 3 Minutes (typically Group 1 or 2)
• 9-10 years old – 5 minutes (typically Group 2 or 3)
• 11-14 years old – 7 minutes (typically Group 3 or 4)
• 15 years old and above – 10 minutes (typically Group 4 or higher)
Performers have been instructed not to EXCEED these time limits. Unless you notice that a performer has obviously gone WAY past their time limit, please do not deduct points. If a competitor’s performance seems to be about twice as long or longer than the allotted time limit, please deduct 10 points manually from their score and make a note in their scoresheet.
Piano Warm-Up
In the case of piano performers, please invite them to play a scale or touch the keys briefly to get a feel for the instrument before performing.
overall performance Vs. DIFFICULTY of music
In most cases, you are looking for the best overall performance, weighting more heavily the accuracy of basic elements such as pitches, rhythm, and in the case of vocal performances, lyrics. You will often encounter varying levels of music difficulty within a single group. In these cases, please award higher scores for more accurate, polished performances of easier pieces than less polished performances of more difficult pieces. Adding a few extra points for tackling a more difficult piece is appropriate, but not in the case that it ends up ranking higher than a really well-polished performance in the same group.
Final Scores & Places
The highest score should always receive 1st place, the second highest score should receive 2nd place, etc. Please award 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th place based on the total score. If you desire to adjust the places after hearing all performances, please also adjust the final score to match the place.
Competitive Groups With 5 or Fewer Performers
In the case of groups with 5 or fewer performers, please award places to all performers.
Duplicate Pieces in Performances
Performers are permitted to use the same piece more than once throughout the competition. For example, a performer might perform the same piece in their Individual and Age event, and then a different piece in their Experience event. They may even perform the same piece in all events! Performers are allowed to mix and match as long as their piece meets the other requirements stated in the rules.
In the case that a competitor performs the same piece in a separate category and you have already heard it, please treat the performance as completely separate of the previous performance of that same piece. For example, a performer may receive a different score on each performance, or they may even place with one of the performances but not the other.
Individual Judging
The Individual category events will involve hearing an individual student’s performance and providing immediate verbal feedback as well as a written scoresheet. The Individual events are designed to be more encouraging, upbeat, and lenient than the Age, Experience, and Level Up competitive events.
Individual events will take place within lesson rooms in the main Expressions building. The only audience allowed to attend is one or two family members of the performer as well as the performer’s teacher if requested. Please invite these individuals into the room if they are present and interested in observing.
All Individual performances will be awarded 1st or 2nd place. Scores 90 and above should receive a 1st place award and scores below 90 should receive a 2nd place award.
During the performance, please complete your electronic scoresheet as usual. After you have completed the scoresheet, please provide some immediate feedback and work with the performer for a few minutes. Be sure to state something positive before providing any constructive feedback!
Before sending them out the door, please hand them a 1st or 2nd place trophy which will be available in your room. If they ask when they will receive your written scoresheet, you can let them know it will be emailed to them in the week following the final competition day.
Please note that you will need to be attentive to the amount of time you spend with each performer. Each group has a specific number of performers assigned. Please call one performer into your room at a time, and then call the next. If someone is early or late, you are welcome to call the performers into your room in any order which makes sense. The goal is to complete all performers in your group on time to start hearing performers from the next group.
How to Work with Two Adjudicators
In the case of piano and vocal competitive events, there will be two adjudicators. In this case, please work out between yourselves the best way to determine decisions together. In any case, there should be only ONE scoresheet submitted for each performer. Please enter the names of both adjudicators onto the scoresheet.
Recommendation: one idea is to have both adjudicators complete scoresheets, but alternate between students. For example: if there are 10 performers in a group, one adjudicator might complete scoresheets for performers 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 and the other adjudicator for performers 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10. Before submitting any scoresheets, review one another’s final scores, make changes as desired, and determine final placements according to the overall final score.
Staying On Time
Please do your best to keep things moving along in order to keep each group starting on time. However, it is likely and expected that some groups may be running a bit behind at times, and that is also okay. In those cases, please just do your best and rely on the Room Monitor to handle any major issues or complaints.
Room Monitor
In the case of competitive events, there will be a Room Monitor present at all times to assist you when needed, address questions from performers, and assure that no one enters the building while a performance is taking place.
Addressing the Room & Calling Performers
Before hearing each group, please briefly introduce yourself to the performers and audience and announce the following general reminders:
You will call each performer up one by one, at which point they should hand you their music and proceed to the stage
Piano students are invited to play a brief scale or quick warm-up in order to acclimate to the keys
Performers should introduce their name and piece before performing and bow when they are done
The audience is welcome to applaud performances when they are complete
Please turn off cellphones
Please only photograph or record your own child’s performance
In the case of vocal events, performers should be instructed to bring any backing tracks to the tech booth ahead of time
SCORE SHEETS BY INSTRUMENT
*Recommendation:
At the beginning of each new group, open the proper score sheet below.
Begin filling out the scoresheet while the first student performs. Fill out as much as possible, reserving the “Place” ranking question until the end of the group’s performance.
Leave that scoresheet open (don’t submit it until the entire group is done performing and you have completed the “Place” question).
Open another scoresheet for the next performer. Clicking on the button will automatically open it in a new tab for you.
Once all performances in that group are complete, go back through each scoresheet, complete the “Place” question, thereby determining the winners, and submit all scoresheets one by one.
Repeat with the next group.
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULES BY INSTRUMENT
*Please note that anyone is welcome to watch any performances except those in the Individual category, as those are designed to be private performances with the judge and family members only. All other performances are open to a live audience of anyone who would like to attend!
Categories
The following solo categories are available for each instrument listed above:
Experience
Compete with other students who have taken lessons for a similar length of time. Students are allowed to play any single solo as long as it does not exceed the allotted time length for their experience category.
Age
Compete with other students who are in a similar age group. Students are allowed to play any single solo as long as it does not exceed the allotted time length for their age category.
Level Up
Compete with other students of any experience level or age who are playing a solo from the same published list. Students are allowed to register for any level (1-10) and will perform the song of their choice from that level.
Individual
Students who register for this category will perform privately for a friendly and affirming judge who will provide immediate, helpful feedback on the spot. All students who participate in this category will receive an award for a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd ranking. We recommend that every student participates in this category.
*Time allotments, Level Up song lists, and full contest rules are available at the bottom of this page.
Awards
Awards will be given to students in the top 5 places in each category. Categories will vary in size based on instrument popularity and registration but will never be larger than 15 students. Categories will proceed as planned even if only one student registers for that category.
All students who participate in the Individual category will receive an award for 1st or 2nd ranking.
Individual awards will be distributed by the judge at the end of the each Individual performance. All other awards will be announced and handed out to students in an award ceremony at the end of the competition.
RULES & REGULATIONS
The complete, official NAMC rules and regulations including time limits can be accessed in printable format by clicking the button below:
LEVEL UP SONG LIST
The official Level Up song list for all instruments and levels can be accessed by clicking the button below. Please click on the tabs below to view the list for each instrument.