NYSSMA  Coaching and Preparation

Many students are interested in participating in the New York State School Music Association evaluation and festival…NYSSMA for short. 
Although this can be a wonderful musical experience, it can be a source of stress for both student and parents. At MAI, our goal is to take the stress out of this process. Our instructors are NYSSMA members, therefore we can help to minimize the student’s anxiety (and in some cases, fear!), as well as the parents’ confusion. Parents often have questions due to lack of information from their child’s school……we have the answers! We’ll provide you with information about NYSSMA regulations specific to voice. In addition, we can assist you with the process of ordering NYSSMA-compliant sheet music or music books. Your singing coach will make certain that you know the additional requirements for Level 6 All-State. This way, your child can be considered for All-State Chorus.

Our highly-qualified singing instructors can help your child choose the appropriate level for his/her NYSSMA solo. Solos range from Level 1 up to Level 6 All-State. We make the determination based on vocal skill level, musicianship, sight-singing ability, etc. Once the appropriate level has been established, we help the student to peruse appropriate song choices from that level. The result of this careful process: your child has the ideal solo for his/her voice.

Our process of NYSSMA song preparation is systematic and thorough. We provide instruction according to our belief that NYSSMA should be treated as a scholarly music competition. Hence, students are carefully trained in order to achieve high scores in each area that is evaluated by the NYSSMA adjudicator. These include:

Tone (voice quality and projection)
Intonation (pitch accuracy)
Technique (including breath control and posture)
Diction
Accuracy of notes and rhythms
Interpretation (including dynamics, style, phrasing, expression, and artistry)
Sight-Singing (For more information look at our Sight-Singing Preparation program).
Furthermore, we offer diction coaching in French, Italian, and German, as well as the toughest language to sing in properly….English!

All of our singing instructors have been vocal performers for many years. So, we can teach your child the “tricks of the trade” to make his/her NYSSMA performance as professional and polished as possible. In addition to the requisite musical and vocal skills, we train your child using our unique specialty: knowing the “acting” inherent in each song. When our students learn this valuable skill, it often gives them an “edge” in NYSSMA.

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