New Regulations for each Category

WHAT IS SEP?

The purpose of our Student Evaluation Program (SEP) is to provide an opportunity for student singers to perform before a panel of outstanding NATS adjudicators in a positive and constructive format.  Singers receive written evaluations to assist them in growing as performers and musicians.  Outstanding participants are selected to perform in a Special Recognition Awards' Recital on a different day and venue.  

* * *

NEW REGULATIONS for 2026-27…

NATS NSA Regulations Changes:

1. Three separate documents now replace the single NSA regulations document: Classical & Spirituals, Commercial Music, and Musical Theater.

2. There are new rubrics for the Children and Youth Divisions. Adjudications and adjudicator comments must be based on these rubrics.

3. New repertoire encouraged each cycle; language changed from "must" to "should not be reused" — but strongly encouraged.

4. Contrasting composers are now required for ALL divisions and categories. (For example, a singer cannot present two contrasting MT songs by Richard Rodgers)

5. No double dipping across divisions (Classical, Musical Theater, Commercial Music, Spirituals).

6. Audition timing standardized: clock starts when the singer begins their slate, not when they enter the room.

7. Teachers (not students) will enter singers into the NSA qualifying round via Audition Now.

8. International region exception: English art song requirement may be fulfilled by a song in any official language of the student's country.

9. Minor chaperone forms due 14 days before each event (now on JotForm) must be filed with chapter, region, and national office. If a completed chaperone form is not received by the 2 weeks prior deadline, the student is automatically withdrawn from the event. Click here to open chaperone form.

10. Copyright language added to regulations to protect NATS from contributory infringement — no change to enforcement behavior. Only purchased (or public domain IMSLP) digital downloads may be played from iPad.  Scans of pages from anthologies/purchased sheet music are infringements of NATS' Copyright Policy.  Pianists are NOT allowed to play from a scan and put the original music on the piano.  This will be cause for an ITA*.

    (*ITA stands for Ineligible To Advance, or Ineligible To receive Award, for SEP purposes).

11. Commercial Music Specific

• Backing vocals now permitted on tracks; lead vocals still prohibited.

• No musical theater songs allowed in CM under any arrangement or genre reinterpretation.

• Songs with a full commercial life before being used in a musical (e.g., Carole King's catalog) remain eligible; songs written for films/productions are not.

• Jazz standards originating in musical productions are no longer eligible for CM.

• Video auditions: microphone must amplify into the room and be picked up by a separate camera mic — direct mic-to-camera feed no longer allowed.

  
  

Important dates:

Registration Opens: September 14, 2026

Registration Closes: October 14, 2026



1) Collect student info.

You may wish to use the helpful “Fillable Form” below to help gather your students’ information.

2) Log in to NATS.org, scroll down the page until you see the following, and click on the green “auditionWARE” button.*

3) select “Los angeles” chapter using the drop down list at the top.

4) using drop down list in main body of page, select “NATS Student Auditions - Los Angeles Chapter - Student Evaluation Program (SEP) 2026”.

5) Follow prompts to input teacher info and student info.

Data is saved, and changes may be made*, as needed, until the registration deadline.

*PLEASE NOTE: Do not pay for your students’ registration until you are sure you have no more changes to make! Once you pay the registration fees, no more changes may be made!

6) Pay registration fees.

Registration fee - $50 per student per category

Staff accompanist fee - $50 per audition per category

Students may register for up to 4 categories:

• Classical

• Musical Theater

• CM (Commercial Music)

• Hall Johnson Spiritual

7) Receive Judging assignment(s) and familiarize yourself with the NEW rubrics for those categories.

Please review rubrics on NATS.org:

Classical & Spirituals Rubric

Musical Theatre Rubric

Commercial Music Rubric

8) plan to attend and participate in judging (all teachers who submit students for participation in sep must attend and participate as judges &/or room monitors for the day, or find a replacement to adjudicate.

Teachers who are not available to collaborate and assist AND who do not provide a qualified substitute to take their place, will be charged a one-time $70 registration fee to register their students.

(This fee will be added automatically to the final total at checkout.)

9) Only students who are studying voice with a NATS-LA teacher may participate.

• It is strongly encouraged that teachers set aside time to read the most recently updated regulations and category clarifications, to re-acquaint yourselves with the very specific requirements of our auditions. The full document may be found here.

• Please note that some division/category names may have changed - please check these carefully so that your student is registered in the correct division/category.

• We will only be requiring TWO selections (out of the requirements' list for that division/category) for ALL divisions and categories for our SEP event*.

  *Note: If your students will also be participating in our Cal-Western Regional Student Auditions, they will need to observe the full repertoire requirements (e.g., 3 songs for High School divisions).

• There is a wealth of information on our NATS National Website about NATS Auditions.  Please refer to it at your leisure. 

• Accompanists may play from iPads and other electronic devices, provided that our NATS Copyright Policy is being observed. However, the Copyright Policy has changed significantly. Please read the paragraph at the bottom of this page for the NEW COPYRIGHT RULE.

• Matriculated music majors studying in college/university programs are not eligible to participate in SEP. These students may participate in our NATS-LA Collegiate Auditions held in the Spring, wherein Classical, Musical Theater, Commercial Music, Jazz and Spiritual divisions will be offered.

Note: CalWestern Regional Auditions open for registration next month. College level singers may register for that event, if they are eager to participate in NATS auditions this semester. Singers do not need to participate in our Chapter Collegiate auditions in order to advance to our Regional auditions.

•  TWO song selections will be required for the Classical and Musical Theater Categories, for High School and below. 

* Please note that at the Regional and National auditions, THREE song selections are required for High School categories.

• TWO song selections are required for the Adult Categories for SEP only.

• TWO song selections will be required for CM (Commercial Music) and Hall Johnson Spiritual categories.

•  We will have Adult Classical, Adult Musical Theater and Adult Commercial Music categories for students older than High School age, who are ineligible to participate in our Collegiate Auditions.

• Fees:

Registration: $50 per student per category

Staff accompanist: $50 per audition per category

• The responsibility of abiding by NATS copyright policy, AND copyright law rests with the teachers, parents and students.

NEW COPYRIGHT RULE:

The accompanist may either play from the legal sheet music/anthology, or from a device (such as an iPad). Although singers are not required to provide adjudicators with an ORIGINAL copy of their songs, they (and their accompanists) must still be able to substantiate that the scan of the music on their iPad is legal and was obtained as a digital download if asked.

Only purchased (or public domain IMSLP) digital downloads may be played from a digital device.  Scans of pages from anthologies/purchased sheet music are infringements of NATS' Copyright Policy and will no longer be allowed.  Pianists are NOT allowed to play from a scan and put the original music on the piano.  This will be cause for an ITA* (Ineligible To Advance).

• For any questions, please contact NATS-LA SEP Chair Susan Wong at auditions@natslachapter.org.