Competition Site Information for Parents and Family.

While we travel to competition sites, we hope that parents and family members feel welcome to attend and want to come and support either of our show choirs.  A school hosting a Show Choir Competition is doing so as a fundraiser, so their goal is to make as much money as possible for their choral program.  If you have any questions or concerns about the information below, please send an Email to newpalchoirs@yahoo.com.  Please note the following general information if you plan to attend an upcoming competition event:

​Admission Charges.  Show choir student performers will not have to pay admission.  For those attending, typically costs are $10 per person for the day session and $10 for the evening (finals) session, or an all-day wrist band for a discount of $15.  Some events will offer discounts for students or free admission below a specific age.  We will communicate any details we receive from the school we are attending, so you should know the published entry costs prior to the competition.  Wrist-bands or hand stamps will be given when payment is made.  There are never any guarantees that either New Palestine choir will land in the top 4 for the “finals” session, so we cannot advise if just the day session ticket should be purchased or an all-day ticket should be purchased.  If you purchase just a day session ticket and either choir moves-on to the evening finals and you want to see the "Night Show Performance", you would need to purchase another $10 evening session ticket.

No Outside Food.  Competitions will indicate that no food is allowed into the building at the point of entry.  This is because they will want you to purchase food and beverages at the event.  You may be told to discard food if it is seen and not purchased at the event.  Costs for food is higher than it would cost at a fast-food restaurant but not quite to the level of a theme park.  Please honor the event requests and do not plan to bring food in with you.  Also, we ask that you please do not attempt to bring outside food into the event for your students.

No Photography or Video Recording.  Some competitions will hire photographers and videographers to capture pictures and film at the event.  If that is the case, they may indicate "no video" or "no photography".  These companies will offer pictures for purchase to show choir students and their family members.  At events where pictures are sold, if you arrive with a camera bag visible, they may ask you to take your camera back to your vehicle.  If they are not selling pictures, they may still make announcements that picture taking and video recording is not allowed.  This does not mean you will not see someone taking pictures or recording with a camera or cell phone.  We simply want you to know before you arrive that officials may approach you and ask you to remove certain equipment from the competition.  Also, please note that NO FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY should ever be used during any performance.  The flash can be very distracting to the performers on-stage and we need them to be focused on their performance.

Other Items for Sale.  Please be aware that competition events may have additional items for sale such as programs, T-shirts, buttons, etc.  There is no obligation to purchase any additional items, unless you would like to have them.  We will provide parents with an Email of the choir schedule for the day and we will have this posted on the choir website.  A hard copy program will offer background/bio information on the choirs attending, as well as a picture of the choirs, plus information on the judges attending, sponsors for the event, etc.

Admission only between performances and not during any performance.  Auditorium doors will shut at the beginning of each performance and they will open on for the 10-minute (or less) gap between performances.  Please be aware that if you arrive at a door after the performance has started, you will not be granted admission (even if New Palestine is performing).  It is important that you arrive at a competition site with enough time to ensure you reach the auditorium prior to a performance.

Constant Wrist Checks at Auditorium Entry.  Door monitors will check your hand/wrist prior to entry for the auditorium, each time you re-enter the auditorium.

Students Cannot Leave an Event without Permission.  If a student is to leave a competition site for any reason, the Choir Director must have given permission prior to that student leaving.  This would include taking the student off-site for any reason (lunch, shopping, etc).  It is expected that the students are on-site for the entire day/evening and that they spend their time either watching other choir performances or preparing for their performance.  Parents can eat with students in the on-site food service facilities or join their student watching other choir performances.

Parents Not Allowed in Choir Competition Homerooms.  Some competitions will restrict non-authorized parents from entering the choir homeroom section of a school.  This is primarily for the safety and security of the students.  If the competition you attend does not restrict parent movement in the building, it is a rule of NPHS Choirs that only the following adults can enter the Choir Homeroom: the Choir Director, the parent Chaperones assigned to each choir for that specific event, any adult band members, members of the NPHS Choir Booster Board and any other parents designated by the Choir Director prior to the event.  If you come near the homeroom, we ask that you remain outside of the homeroom, and you do not enter the room or block the door from entry.  The only exceptions for choir homeroom entry by a parent would be if a student encountered an injury or if they became ill and needed medical attention.

Immediately After a Competition Performance.  Please be aware that if you attend a performance, immediately after the performance, the choir will transition to a “debrief” area where they may review a recording of the performance they just completed,  or they may be able to review initial notes and feedback from the judges.  This is time for the Choir Director and/or the Choreographer to meet with the choir and discuss the performance.  No parents are allowed in this review session.  If they review their performance on film, please be aware that this will take 25-30 minutes.  As soon as they are finished with the post-performance review, the Choir Director will ask that they change out of their costumes prior to doing anything else.  Students are not allowed to eat in their costumes or to go back into the auditorium in their costumes.  The only exception to the rule of costumes in the auditorium is if the   Choir Director approves their re-entry, especially if we perform at the end of a competition and there isn’t time for costume changes before awards.  The point is that you likely will not be able to see your student immediately after a performance and it could be 30-40 minutes before they are visible again to you.

Students should watch as many performances as possible.  The best way the students can improve, besides practice, is to watch other school performances.  They will miss several performances due to the need to get ready (hair, costumes, makeup), then the post-performance transition and change out of their costumes.  The Choir Director will encourage them to attend as many performances as they can.  If you have come to see the performance of your student and you want to stay longer and visit, we encourage you to enter the auditorium and watch a few performances of other schools as well.  This will let you see the differences in how other schools perform.  You just may see a few more outstanding performances and get greater value for the admission price you paid.