You should sing accurate pitches and in tune.

• 5 points:  ALL pitches are sung accurately and pitch center is maintained at ALL times with no tendencies to go sharp or flat.
• 4 points:  NO MORE than two pitches are sung incorrectly and pitch center is maintained with no tendencies to go sharp or flat.
• 3 points:  MOST of the pitches are sung accurately and/or the student tends to sharp/flat only in extreme registers or vocal breaks.
• 2 points:  ONLY ABOUT HALF of the pitches are sung accurately and/or the student tends to be out of tune ABOUT HALF of the time.
• 1 point:  LESS THAN HALF of the pitches are sung accurately and/or the student demonstrates only rare moments of correct intonation.
• 0 points:  Student does NOT sing the correct pitches and/or the student does NOT maintain any sense of intonation.

You should sing the correct rhythms.

• 5 points:  ALL rhythms are sung correctly and at the tempo of the accompaniment.
• 4 points:  NO MORE than two rhythmic errors are detected; the student performs song at the tempo of the accompaniment.
• 3 points:  MOST of the rhythms are sung correctly and/or the student OCCASIONALLY has trouble singing at the tempo of the accompaniment.
• 2 points:  ONLY ABOUT HALF of the rhythms are sung accurately and/or the student’s tempo is inconsistent with the tempo of the accompaniment.
• 1 point:  LESS THAN HALF of the rhythms are sung accurately and/or the student demonstrates only RARE moments of correct tempo.
• 0 points:  Student demonstrates SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS with rhythm and/or the student DOES NOT maintain tempo with the accompaniment.

You should sing with a pleasant tone that is appropriate for your age. 

• 5 points:  Student demonstrates excellent vocal tone quality at ALL times that is age-appropriate, pleasant to hear, and appropriate for a choir.
• 4 points:  Student demonstrates age-appropriate technique ALMOST ALL of the time; some breathiness occurs in extreme registers/breaks.
• 3 points:  Student demonstrates age-appropriate technique MOST of the time, but some vocal strain occurs in extreme registers/breaks.
• 2 points:  Student demonstrates correct technique ABOUT HALF the time; strain or excessive breathiness occurs throughout the vocal range.
• 1 point:  Student demonstrates acceptable technique LESS THAN HALF of the time; tone is dominated by strain or extreme breathiness.
• 0 points:  Student does NOT demonstrate correct vocal technique.  Excessive strain or breathiness is PERVASIVE throughout.

You should sing pure vowels, clear consonants, and correct syllabic stress.

• 5 points:  Student incorporates pure vowels, clear consonants, and correct syllabic stress at ALL times at an appropriate level for his or her age.
• 4 points:  Student demonstrates correct and appropriate diction ALMOST ALL of the time, but a few consonants are missing.
• 3 points:  Student demonstrates correct diction MOST of the time, but some vowel sounds are not as pure as required in choral singing.
• 2 points:  ONLY ABOUT HALF of the time is the student demonstrating correct diction; it is hard to understand the lyrics.
• 1 point:  Significant problems related to diction are occurring, making it impossible to understand the text without looking at the music.
• 0 points:  Overall performance was so poor that other factors made assigning any credit for diction impossible.

You should sing with excellent breath control and phrasing.

• 5 points:  Student demonstrates excellent breath control and phrasing at ALL TIMES.
• 4 points:  NO MORE than two errors related to breath control/phrasing occur.
• 3 points:  Student demonstrates correct breath control/phrasing MOST of the time with only occasional errors.
• 2 points:  Student demonstrates correct breath control/phrasing ABOUT HALF of the time.
• 1 point:  Student demonstrates acceptable breath control/phrasing LESS THAN HALF of the time.
• 0 points:  Problems with breath control and phrasing are PERVASIVE throughout.  

You should sing with correct dynamics and an appropriate style.

• 5 points:  Student demonstrates correct style and correct dynamics at ALL times.
• 4 points:  NO MORE than two errors related to dynamics occur during performance.
• 3 points:  Student performs MOST dynamics as printed, but pop/country/musical theatre, etc. styles are OCCASIONALLY detected.
• 2 points:  Student only demonstrates printed dynamics and/or appropriate style ABOUT HALF of the time.
• 1 point:  Little attention is paid to dynamics as printed and/or incorrect style is utilized throughout the performance.
• 0 points:  Overall performance was so poor that other factors made assigning any credit for dynamics/style impossible.