Calls for Proposals
Central Region Conference, October 26-28, 2023

CALL FOR MUSICAL THEATRE PERFORMANCE CLASS PARTICIPANTS
CALL FOR CLASSICAL PERFORMANCE CLASS PARTICIPANTS
Open September 6 - October 5

NATS members in the Central Region are invited to nominate their students to be included in the Musical Theater Performance Class held on Friday, October 27th, 2023 at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. We are excited to welcome Alisa Belflower from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to this year's conference. Students of all ages participating at the conference will be considered. 

In addition, Central Region members are invited to nominate students to be included in the Classical Performance Class, to be held concurrently with the Musical Theatre class. NATS president-elect Alexis Davis-Hazell is the teacher. Students of all ages participating in the conference will be considered.

To nominate a student, please provide a letter of recommendation on behalf of the student. Each teacher may only nominate one student. Please provide information on the student's piece for the class, year in school, voice type, and why they would be a good selection for the class. 

A committee of three members will select who will sing for the class and will send out the list of students selected to participate no later than October 15th. The committee will consider a balanced slate of voice types, musical theater styles, and geographical location.

MUSICAL THEATRE: Please send your nominations to Dr. Alyssa Becker at alyssa.becker@drake.edu. Nominations are due no later than October 5th.

CLASSICAL: Please send your nominations to Dr. Carol Chapman at CarolChapman@missouristate.edu. Nominations are due no later than October 5th.

CALL FOR STUDENT RESEARCH POSTERS
Open August 16 - September 30; NOW CLOSED

Students of NATS members in the Central Region are invited to submit abstracts for presentation in Poster Paper format at the Central Region 2023 Conference held October 27-28, 2023, at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois.

Topics for poster papers may include voice pedagogy, vocal repertoire, performance practice, musicological studies, or any other topic related to the art and science of singing and/or the teaching and learning of singing. 

Projects may come from single students or can be a group project. 

Research presented could include projects/papers from voice pedagogy or song literature courses, classical and musical theatre repertoire or performance practice, effective practice strategies, and recital programming. 

Abstracts should be 500 words or less and submitted as a Microsoft Word or PDF document. The abstract should include the following: 

  • Title of the project

  • Name or names of presenter(s)

  • Summary or outline of the project and the conclusions drawn

There are numerous online resources for writing an abstract. The University of Southern California defines an abstract as: "An abstract summarizes, usually in one paragraph of 300 words or less, the major aspects of the entire paper in a prescribed sequence that includes: 1) the overall purpose of the study and the research problem(s) you investigated; 2) the basic design of the study; 3) major findings or trends found as a result of your analysis; and, 4) a brief summary of your interpretations and conclusions." 

Additional resource for writing an abstract and building an effective poster presentation: https://sites.google.com/ncsu.edu/effective-posters/home

Abstracts will be accepted electronically between September 1 - 30, 2023.  The submission deadline is September 30, 11:59 pm.  

Submit abstracts to ajohns@centralmethodist.edu in Microsoft Word or PDF format with "Student NATS Poster Session Abstract" in the subject line.  

Posters selected by a panel of three readers will be shared in a public poster session on Friday, October 27, 2023, at the Central Region 2023 Conference at Augustana College in Rock Island, Ilinois.  

Winners will be announced during the final awards ceremony at the end of the conference on Saturday, October 28, 2023.  Winners will receive a small cash prize.

Please email Amy Johns at ajohns@centralmethodist.edu with any questions.  

CALL FOR SINGERS FOR CONNECTING SINGERS AND COMPOSERS SESSION
Open May 1 - June 15; NOW CLOSED

Our conference theme: Revisiting the CORE: Essentials in this new landscape. Sessions can focus on Creative strategies for student engagement, Open access for all singers, broader understanding of Repertoire, and Educating the complete musician. We are interested in hearing about your enhanced awareness of inclusive practices in the musical lives of all ages from children to adults.

This notice serves as a Call for Singers. We invite NATS members to submit auditions for singers at the high school, undergraduate, and graduate levels, for participation in a special performance session, Connecting Singers and Composers, highlighting music published by E.C. Schirmer (ECS, a music publishing house with its offices in St. Louis), featuring music by twentieth- and twenty-first-century composers, including people of color and under-represented populations. 

The concept of this session is to connect singers with living composers. We expect to select 7–8 singers to perform music from the suggested list (see attachments). ECS will make every effort to connect each singer in August or September with the composer of the music. Voice teachers will help prepare the singer during Fall 2023. The call for singers is happening now so that teachers and students can begin work immediately when the Fall semester begins (or even during the summer months).

Auditions may be submitted by teachers using this form. Your student's video audition does not need to be from the ECS list, but the repertoire to be sung at the October session will be taken from the songs listed in the attached document. (Students/teachers will specify on the form which song they expect to sing from the ECS list.) Levels of difficulty have been suggested by ECS, but teachers should use their best judgment in assigning and submitting auditions. The Call for Singers deadline is June 15. Singers will be selected by a blind committee equally representing each state in the Central Region.

Session Submission Email: Please direct any questions to Dr. Nathan Windt (windtnathanj@sau.edu).

CALL FOR INTEREST SESSIONS
Open April 15 - June 15; NOW CLOSED

Our conference theme: Revisiting the CORE: Essentials in this new landscape. Sessions can focus on Creative strategies for student engagement, Open access for all singers, broader understanding of Repertoire, and Educating the complete musician. We are interested in hearing about your enhanced awareness of inclusive practices in the musical lives of all ages from children to adults. Proposals that engage the important work of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Anti-Racism are highly encouraged as reflected in the NATS I.D.E.A. Toolkit.

This notice serves as a Call for Proposals. We invite NATS members and your graduate students to begin submitting presentation proposals on April 15, 2023 using this Google Form. The Interest Session submission deadline is June 15. Presentations will be selected by a blind committee equally representing each state in the Central Region.

Session Submission Email: crnats.ygr@gmail.com

Need encouragement? Here’s a word from Rebecca Schorsch:

And a word from Olivia Doig: