Audition Date: Saturday, March 28, 2026
Audition Deadline to register: Friday, March 13, 2026
Audition Location: First Baptist Church of Huntsville, 600 Governors Drive, Huntsville, AL 35801
Audition Registration Instructions: Register at https://amta.tenutoweb.com. You will click on Huntsville District VIII and follow the instructions. Make sure you have a credit card. The entrance fee is $30.00 per student. The program will ask for the student’s name, age, birthdate including year, grade in school, level (Gold, Silver, or Bronze), division (I, II, or III), theory age, preferred time (please leave blank if the student does not have a conflict), repertoire (piece, composer, and an accurate time.) Please use the family tag if you have students who need to be scheduled close together. You can include students who are not siblings in this grouping.
Theory: The specific theory will be emailed to the teachers the day before the auditions. Teachers are responsible for forwarding the theory to their students. Please print out a theory page of the appropriate age level and send it to the auditions with your students’ music. The theory page may be blank or may be the marked copy sent the day before. Theory forms can be found at www.almta.org under Student Auditions/ Audition Forms. Theory requirements are found at almta.org. Click Auditions, Audition Forms, then Pre-College Piano Theory Sheets-All Levels, Revised 2023. Alternate scale fingerings such as the Taubmann fingerings can be used if the district chairman is notified before the auditions. Students younger than six may enter using the six year old theory requirements. Marked theory sheets will be sent to the teachers on Friday, March 27. The teacher is responsible for making sure their students have the marked theory sheets. The judges are sent the same theory sheets and all theory asked at district will be from these sheets.
Theory Grading Scale:
O Outstanding: Understands theory and plays with ease. Meets requirements of specified level.
Corrects occasional mistakes, with or without prompting from the judge.
E Excellent: Made several mistakes which were not corrected when given a second chance.
Appears to know theory, but is hesitant or careless in performance.
G Good: All theory should be reviewed carefully before entering auditions again.
N Needs Improvement: Theory not properly prepared for audition participation.
Conflicts: All auditions are live this year. If any student has a conflict with our audition date, please contact the district chairman in another district to make arrangements for your student to play in a different district. All audition dates and district chair information can be found at www.almta.org under Student Auditions/Audition Schedule.
Entry Requirements: Please use these rules in selecting repertoire and deciding which tier to enter. (ALMTA.org)
Eligibility: These auditions are for piano students through high school age and are held in March or April of each year. AMTA members should pay dues by October 1. Non-members pay double to enter student.
Ages: Ages are as of September 1, 2025
Division I: Ages 11 and under
Division II: Ages 12-14
Division III: Ages 15-18
Repertoire: Two works of contrasting style from one of the five classical periods of music to be performed. The third work should be of the student’s and teacher’s choice. The third work could repeat a historic style represented in the first two works, or it could include a transcription, arrangement, hymn, pop music, jazz, or student’s own composition. The third choice selected must be on a comparable level of difficulty as the other two pieces. The student must have printed music for all three pieces in order to receive a rating (if student is performing a composition, it must be notated and printed from a music notation program such as Finale). If a student does not have at least 2 different periods represented or does not have music for all three pieces performed, the student will receive a score of CO- Comments Only, therefore being ineligible to move on to state auditions.
The Tiered Approach;
Gold Level: Perform three works within new repertoire requirements above. All pieces must be memorized. Perform the existing requirements for theory for the student’s appropriate age.
Silver Level: Perform three works within new repertoire requirements above. All pieces must be memorized. Theory requirements: Division I may perform theory up to two years below their current age; Division II may perform Age 10 theory or above; Division III may perform Age 13 theory or above. This would eliminate the transfer and older beginner categories that so often confuse our members as this level would cover those students as well as any others who feel they fit here.
Bronze Level: Perform two works of contrasting style from one of the five classical periods. Pieces must be memorized. No theory component.
Performances will be judged on the following:
- Accuracy: Correct notes, rhythms, rests, tempos, and dynamics
- Technic: Clarity, evenness, ease, fingering, speed, and articulations
- Tone Quality: Vitality, singing tone, and range of shading
- Phrasing: Slurs, proper groupings, rise and fall of melodic line, articulation, and finesse in endings
- Pedal: Legato connections, avoidance of blurs, good use of una corda pedal, correct.
- Pedaling for the style of the composition
- Rhythm: Regularity of beat, accent, continuity, and flexibility
- Interpretation: Appropriate style, balance between melody and accompaniment, clarity of climax, and imagination.
District Audition Ratings: Two ratings are given at the District level, one in performance and one in theory. The grades are as follows:
O Outstanding
E Excellent
G Good
N Needs Improvement
C Comments Only
To qualify for state, students must be performing at the gold level or silver level and earn the “double O.” Any student, regardless of age, that attains the “double O” score in gold or silver level, is eligible to go to state auditions. (This removes the age 10 requirement to perform at State Conference).
Volunteers: Please consider volunteering for the day or for a half day. We cannot run these auditions without our wonderful volunteers. All volunteers who work the entire day will receive lunch. It is a perfect opportunity to visit with other HMTA members. Please email me at susanhoop96@gmail.com or text to 256-651-4919 if you are willing to work.
State Piano Auditions: May 9th, 2026; at The University of Alabama with a April 22nd, 2026 deadline.
State Piano Concerto Auditions: March 7th, 2026; at The University of Alabama with a February 14th, 2026 deadline.
Nothing needs to be mailed to me!!!
Thanks,
Susan Hoop, District VIII Chair
256-651-4919
Students:
- Please arrive 20 minutes before the assigned audition time.
- Bring your music, erased, measures numbered, students without their music may receive comments only but will not receive a grade, nor may they advance to the state audition level.
- Please allow a little leeway in your schedule. Parents and students are asked to wait in the waiting room until called.
Huntsville Music Teachers Association 