Show Choir

​NCASA – Show Choir Rules (*denotes rule change)

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A. Registration

1. All participating schools must register before the competition according to Rule IX of NCASA Competition Rules.

2. Each middle school may register just one Show Choir.

3. Each high school may register one choir each in the show choir and a cappella competitions.

4. *Each school may register for regular divisions, or the new Festival Division. Schools may not register for both.*

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B. Withdrawal

Choirs that choose to not participate in a Competition after registering to participate in that Competition must notify NCASA.

1. Registered choirs that withdraw from a Competition during the registration period will not pay a penalty.

2. Registered choirs that withdraw from a Competition after the conclusion of the Pre-Competition Registration period must pay a penalty.

   • Registered choirs that withdraw from a Competition eight (8) or more days prior to the day of the Competition must pay a $30 penalty.

   • Registered choirs that withdraw from a Competition between eight (8) and one (1) day prior to the day of the Competition must pay a $50 penalty.

   • Registered choirs that withdraw from a Competition less than twenty-four (24) hours prior to the start of the On-Site Registration period shall incur a $100 penalty.

3. Penalties for withdrawal from a Competition may be waived at the discretion of NCASA.

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C. Volunteer

1. Each team must provide a volunteer to help administer the competition.

2. Details for volunteer arrival time will be sent to all Coaches prior to each competition.

3. Teams failing to furnish the necessary volunteer will have the Coach serve in that role.

4. If the coach is unwilling or unable to serve as Volunteer, the team will forfeit.

5. NCASA will notify all schools if volunteers are not required.

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D. Check-in

1. NCASA will publish a "check-in” period for the Competition at least a week prior to the day of the Tournament.

2. A representative from each choir must check-in during this time period.

3. Three copies of the sheet music to be performed must be submitted upon check-in. 

4. Following the competition this music will be returned to the school.

5. If there are special circumstances concerning sheet music, teams may request a waiver from NCASA prior to the competition.

6. Teams that fail to submit all sheet music will be penalized five points and may be disqualified.

7. Late check-ins may be accepted at the discretion of the competition director.

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E. Team Composition

1. Director - One individual who is not a student (e.g.: a teacher, assistant principal, etc.) may serve as a Director to train and supervise the Performers.

2. Performers - Eligible students from a Member School that sing and / or dance will be considered the Performers that comprise a Show Choir.

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F. Live performance guidelines

1. *Stage* Time. *Each team will get a set amount of time on stage, which includes set-up, sound check, stage preparation, performance, and breakdown:*

   • High School A Cappella: *20 minutes*

   • Middle School Show Choir: *25 minutes*

   • High School Show Choir: *30 minutes*

2. Accompaniment may be pre-recorded or performed live during the performance. All choirs (including unisex) may have male and female students performing live accompaniment.

   • Live accompaniment may be led by one performing adult, but remaining members must be students from the participating school.

   • Choirs performing in the A Cappella competition must perform without any accompaniment.

   • A penalty of two points per minute will be assessed for choirs exceeding the time limit. A five-second grace period will be granted to account for stopwatch and timing errors.

   • Special lighting may be requested but will be limited by facility and the nature of a live competition.

3. *Safety Guidelines* - *Performers must maintain safe contact and control during all skills, lifts, and rotations, ensuring proper weight support and protection of the head, neck, and shoulders at all times. Any violation of these safety guidelines, including the use of prohibited tumbling, stunts, or drops, will result in a 5-point penalty per infraction.*

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G. Adjudication and Scoring

1. The National Music Adjudication Coalition Show Choir Music Assessment Form will be used for adjudication and scoring for all portions of the show choir competition. A PDF of this form can be found on the NCASA website.

2. The NCASA A Cappella Music Assessment Form will be used for adjudication and scoring of the A Cappella competition. A PDF of this form can be found on the NCASA website.

3. The final score will be adjusted accordingly for choirs exceeding the time limit or violation of other guidelines not addressed in the scoring rubric.

4. *Festival Division teams will not receive official scoring or ranking, and will receive judging commentary only.*

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H. Ranking and Advancement

1. Choirs will be ranked with the highest average score from all judges receiving the highest ranking.

2. The choir with the highest ranking in each qualifying Regional will advance to the State Finals and be declared the Regional Champion.

3. A qualifying Regional will have three or more schools in each division.

4. Advancement of remaining schools to the state final will be determined by the Show Choir committee after registration is closed but prior to the Regional competitions. The advancement requirements will be publicized to all participating schools.

5. Performance order at Regionals will be determined by random draw. However, choirs using risers or platforms will be grouped together to minimize the movement of this equipment.

6. Performance order at State will be based on ranking and scores from Regionals, but special requests for performance order may be granted based on the circumstances.

7. Tie-breaker in all positions at Regionals or Preliminaries

   • First tiebreaker: the scores from each judge are examined. If the majority of judges prefer one school (according to scores) then that school will be ranked higher.

   • If the first tiebreaker does not break the tie, the lowest score for each tied school will be examined. The choir with the highest of these low scores will be ranked higher.

   • If still tied, the tied choirs will remain tied. 

8. Ranking in Finals of Preliminaries - Finals format

   • If four or fewer judges are used, all scores will be averaged to determine the final score for each choir.

   • If five or more judges are used, the high and low score will be dropped. 

   • The remaining scores will be averaged to determine the final score for each Choir.

   • Any ties in the Finals will be broken by including the two dropped scores.

   • If choirs are still tied, the Preliminaries tie-breakers will be used until ties are broken.

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I. Additional Show Choir Awards – The following award winners will also be recognized at the State Finals. The judges will be given instructions by the show choir committee on how to determine each award winner. *Based on overall participation, NCASA will use its discretion and may limit the total number of awards.*

• Best Male Solo

• Best Female Solo

• Best Group Vocals

• Best Choreography

• Best Show Design

• Best Combo (live accompaniment with more than one performer)

• Best New Choir

• Best Male Stage Presence

• Best Female Stage Presence​

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J. Additional A Cappella Awards - The following award winners will also be recognized following the Finals. The judges will be given instructions by the show choir committee on how to determine each award winner.

• Best Male Solo

• Best Female Solo

• Best Vocal Percussion

• Best Choreography

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K. Performance Rights – The Group Director is responsible for obtaining the performance rights to each piece performed by his/her school. Choirs who violate copyright law may be disqualified.

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