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Choir Sight-Reading Criteria

Preface: Choir Sight-Reading Music

The choral sight-reading evaluation encourages the extension of knowledge in basic fundamentals of music and rewards the consistent use of a systematic approach to sight-reading. The level of difficulty for each grade or class will allow for the demonstration of musicality as well as for technical accuracy.

The primary purpose of the commissioned sight-reading music is to test musical literacy at specific levels. The guidelines stated for the sight-reading material provide the composer with a parameter of difficulty in composing music for each specific classification. All of the elements need not be used in each composition. Harmonic, rhythmic or textual ideas whose primary purposes are to create special effects appropriate for concert performance would best not be used in graded instructional sight-reading materials.

Other general considerations for composers are:

  • Avoid using texts with unfamiliar words such as foreign or mythological terms or limericks.
  • Ensure that a tonal center is evident throughout the piece.
  • Return to the original key following a modulation.
  • Music for treble and men’s choirs should to be of equal difficulty to that of mixed choirs in the same classification.
  • Avoid introducing more than one rhythmic or harmonic problem at a time.
  • Remember that it is unnecessary to employ all of the allowed elements in a single piece

Level I - Conference 1C Varsity; All MS NV & 3A/2A/1A NV

Meter

Meter 3-4 Meter 4-4

No meter change

Key:

Major keys: F, G

Texture

Homophonic, with unison passages allowed

Harmony

I, IV, and V or V7 chords
Melodic skips in the I chord:  3rds---do-mi-do; mi-sol-mi;
4th---do-sol1-do
Melodic skips in the IV chord:  3rds---fa-la-fa; do-la1-do
Melodic skips in the V chord:  3rds---ti-re-ti; sol-ti-sol
Begin on the tonic triad with voices on do-mi-sol, do-mi, or unison do.

Cadences

Authentic, half, and plagal cadences only

Rhythm

Basic patterns using whole, dotted half, half, quarter notes and a few eighth notes in pairs; avoid using rests

Length

Approximately 24 measures in 4/4, 32 measures in 3/4

Form

ABA, Regular phrase lengths of 2 or 4 measures should occur

Voicings

Mixed: SATB and SAB; Treble: SSA/SA; Tenor-Bass: TTB (Middle School) /TBB (High School) /TB

Text

Choir may use the printed text or their preferred method of reading on both readings.

Ranges
**In SAB writing the piece will allow for optional octaves for the baritone part on “sol” throughout the piece

Sop. I Sop. II Alto
Sop 1 Sop 2
Ten. I Ten. II / Bass I Bass 2 Baritone for SAB
Ten 1 Ten 2 Bass Baritone for SAB

Level 2 - Conference 2C/3C Varsity; 4A NV

Meter

Meter 3-4 Meter 4-4

No meter changes

Key

Major keys: F, G

No modulations

Texture

Homophonic, with unison passages allowed

Harmony

I, IV, and V or V7 chords; an occasional ii, or vi chord may be used for harmonic interest
Melodic skips in the I chord: 3rds---do-mi-do; mi-sol-mi;
4th---do-sol1-do
Melodic skips in the IV chord: 3rds---fa-la-fa; do-la1-do;
4th--- do-fa-do (expected)
Melodic skips in the V chord: 3rds---ti-re-ti; sol-ti-sol; 4th---sol-re-sol

Cadences

No use of the deceptive cadence

Authentic, half, and plagal cadences only

Rhythm

Basic patterns using whole, dotted half, half, quarter notes and some eighth notes in pairs; dotted quarter note followed by an eighth on strong beats only; avoid using rests

Length

Approximately 24 measures in 4/4, 32 measures in 3/4

Form

ABA, Regular phrase lengths of 2 or 4 measures, return of A may contain slight variations

Voicings 

Mixed: SATB and SAB; Treble: SSA/SA; Tenor-Bass: TTB (MS) /TBB (HS) /TB

Text

Choir may use the printed text or their preferred method of reading on both readings.

Ranges

Sop. I Sop. II Alto
Sop 1 Sop 2 Alto
Ten. I Ten. II Bass Baritone for SAB
Ten 1 Ten 2 Bass Baritone for SAB

Level 3 - Conference 1A/2A/3A Varsity; 5A/6A NV

Meter

Meter 3-4 Meter 4-4

No meter changes

Key

Major keys: B-flat, F, C, G, D

Texture

Homophonic, with polyphonic sections

No more than 20% polyphony

Harmony

I, IV, V or V7 chords; ii and vi chords are desirable where harmonically appropriate
Melodic skips in the I chord: 3rds---do-mi-do; mi-sol-mi
4th---do-sol1-do; 5th---do-sol-do
Melodic skips in the IV chord: 3rds---fa-la-fa; do-la1-do;
4th---do-fa-do; 5th---do-fa1-do (expected in bass lines)
Melodic skips in the V chord: 3rds---ti-re-ti; sol-ti-sol;
4th---sol-re1-sol; 5th---sol-re1-sol
Melodic skip in the V7 chord---re-fa-re (expected)

Cadences

Authentic, half, and plagal cadences only

Rhythm

Whole, dotted half, half, quarter notes, and eighth notes in pairs; a greater use of eighth notes is expected; dotted quarter note on strong beats is desired; whole, half, and quarter rests may be used

Length

Approximately 32 to 36 measures in 4/4 meter or the equivalent number of beats in 3/4 meter (42-48 measures)

Voicings

Mixed: SATB and SAB; Treble: SSA/SA; Tenor-Bass: TBB /TB

Text

Choir may use the printed text or their preferred method of reading on both readings.

Ranges

Sop. I Sop. II Alto
Sop 1 Sop 2 Alto
Ten. I Baritone Bass
Ten 1 Ten 2 Bass

Level 4 - Conference 4A Varsity

Meter

Meter 2-4 Meter 3-4 Meter 4-4

No meter changes

Key

Major keys: B-flat, E-flat, F, C, G, D, A

Texture

Homophonic, with polyphonic sections

No more than 20% polyphony

Harmony

I, IV, V and V7 chords allowed; ii, iii, and vi chords
Dissonance with proper resolution, but for no more than two chords in succession.
Melodic skips within the I, IV, V or V7, and vi chords are allowed (including 6ths and octaves).
Leaps of a tritone or 7th are forbidden.

Rhythm

Basic patterns using eighth, quarter, half, and whole notes and corresponding rests

Dotted values using eighths or longer values

Length

Approximately 32 measures in 4/4, 42 measures in 3/4

Voicings

Mixed: SATB and SAB; Treble: SSA/SA; Tenor-Bass: TBB/ TB

Text

Choir may use the printed text or their preferred method of reading on both readings.

Ranges

Sop. I Sop. II Alto
Sop 1 Sop 2 Alto
Ten. I Baritone Bass
Ten 1 Baritone Bass


Level 5 - Conference 6A/5A Varsity

Meter

Meter 2-4 Meter 3-4 Meter 4-4  

No meter changes

Key

Major keys up through four sharps and four flats

Possible modulation to relative minor keys

Texture

Homophonic, with polyphonic sections

No more than 25% polyphony

Harmony

The following altered tones, approached and left by stepwise motion, are allowed: “fi” (V/V); “si” (V/vi); “di”
(V/ii); and “te” (V7/IV). Other altered tones, i.e. “ri” with “fi” (V/iii) are allowed, but discouraged.
Leaps Tritones and sevenths are forbidden.
Dissonance is acceptable, with proper resolution.

Rhythm

Simple syncopation and ties across barlines.
Dotted patterns, including an occasional dotted eighth and sixteenth
Other sixteenth note patterns and triplets are forbidden.

Length

Approximately 32-36 measures for 5A with an authentic cadence, addition 12-16 measures for 6A

Voicings

Mixed: SAB and SATB; Treble: SSA/SA; Tenor-Bass: TBB/TB

Text

Choir may use the printed text or their preferred method of reading on both readings.

Ranges

Sop. I Sop. II Alto
Sop 1 Sop 2 Alto
Ten. I Baritone Bass
Ten 1 Baritone Bass