H. B. Goodlin Scholarship Competition

Goodlin Scholarship Competition is open to pianists, organists, and instrumentalists who reside in San Diego County. The purpose of our competition is to honor outstanding San Diego County music students.

Chair: Yuko Maruyama

AUDITIONS

1. Preliminary Round: Video Audition
All applicants are required to submit a video recording of their two repertoire selections for the Preliminary Round audition. Each applicant’s video will be adjudicated by a panel of three Preliminary Round judges. Approximately 25% of the applicants from each division will be selected to advance to the in-person Finals Round audition. Applicants selected as Finalists will be notified by email, and the list of Finalists will be posted on the website prior to the Finals audition date.

  • Preliminary video submission deadline: April 11, 2025 at 11:00 PM
  • Finalists notification date: May 3, 2025

2. Finals Round: Live In-person Audition
Students selected as Finalists will perform the same two repertoire selections for a panel of three Finals judges.

  • Date: Saturday, May 17, 2025 - Please allow 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM for scheduling.
  • Location: Cuyamaca College, 900 Rancho San Diego Pkwy, El Cajon CA 92019

ELIGIBILITY

  • Applicants must be a resident of San Diego County in the past 12 months. Applicants are required to submit proof of San Diego County residency.
  • Applicants must be entered in the proper age category. The proof of age document is required.
  • The teacher does not need to be a member of the MTAC, nor a San Diego County resident.
  • No previous 1st Place winner can compete in the same age division. The 1st Place winner of one division cannot enter the next higher division before he/she meets the age requirement.

PERFORMANCE CATEGORIES

  • Division I Keyboard (piano, organ or harpsichord): through age 11 on May 17, 2025
  • Division II Keyboard (piano, organ or harpsichord): 12-14 years old on May 17, 2025
  • Division III Keyboard (piano, organ or harpsichord): 15-18 years old, or in senior year of high school on May 17, 2025
  • Junior Instrumental: under age 15 on May 17, 2025
  • Senior Instrumental: 15-18 years old, or in senior year of high school on May 17, 2025

REGISTRATION

Teachers, who are MTAC San Diego Branch members, register online at mtacsd.org. Non-members and parents may submit a request to receive a link to the non-member registration form. The online registration form must be submitted in order to receive a confirmation email with the upload links for the video, the PDF music and for the required documentation. MTAC San Diego Branch member teachers must login on the branch website to access the online registration form.

IMPORTANT DATES

  • Online registration opens: March 8, 2025
  • Online registration deadline: April 8, 2025
  • Preliminary video submission deadline: April 11, 2025 at 11:00 PM
  • Registration document upload deadline: April 11, 2025 at 11:00 PM
  • PDF score upload deadline: April 11, 2025 at 11:00 PM
  • Finalists email notification: May 3, 2025
  • Finals audition: May 17, 2025

APPLICATION FEES

  • Junior Instrumental and Divisions I & II: $40.00
  • Senior Instrumental and Division III: $45.00

Application fees must be paid by credit card at the time of online registration.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION

  • PROOF OF AGE DOCUMENT such as Birth Certificate, Passport, student ID with birthdate, or driver's license, is required for each applicant.
  • Proof of San Diego County residency is required, such as a recent home utility bill with your current address.

REPERTOIRE

  • Applicants must present two solo compositions from the standard literature representing different periods and styles, i.e. Baroque, Classic, Romantic, Impressionistic, Contemporary (20th and 21st Century). Instrumentalists must provide their own accompanists.
  • An applicant may not use music which he/she has performed previously in a scholarship audition for the H.B. Goodlin Foundation. If a contestant has won first place, he/she must compete in the next higher division.
  • All music must be memorized, except for accompanied sonatas. Organists may perform one of the two selections with music.
  • For the Preliminary Round Audition, applicants must upload a PDF scan of the original copy of music to be performed.
  • For the Finals Round Audition, the selected finalists must provide judges with an original copy of music to be performed. Photocopied scores are not permitted for either contestants or accompanists. Downloaded copies should have an accompanying bill of sale. Any contestant presenting photocopies will automatically be disqualified.
  • The music scores must have the first measure of each line clearly numbered.
  • Instrumentalists must list their accompanist at time of registration.
  • Performers are allowed 10 minutes.
  • No changes in repertoire may be made after the registration deadline.

PRELIMINARY AUDITION VIDEO SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Applicants must prepare and submit one video file which contains the two (2) repertoire selections. The video file must be a continuous recording which starts with a spoken introduction, followed immediately by the performance of the student’s selections. The spoken introduction may not be edited in afterwards.

  • Start the video recording by saying on camera:
  1. Your Full Name
  2. The event name “the 2025 Goodlin Competition”
  3. The two repertoire titles you are performing

Example: “Hi, my name is Jane Doe. For the 2025 Goodlin Competition, I am playing Piano Sonata K. 545 by Mozart and Scherzo No. 2 by Chopin.”

  • After your spoken introduction, perform your pieces straight through, from beginning to end without stopping, or from beginning to the cut without stopping, if your pieces exceed the time limit.
  • Pieces exceeding the time limit may be shortened by skipping repeated section(s) to meet the time limit.
  • If an applicant submits pieces with cuts for the Preliminary Audition video, he/she must perform the same cuts in the in-person Finals Audition if selected to advance to the Finals round.
  • Applicants are allowed to record a total of 10 minutes of music for the two pieces. Your spoken introduction is not counted toward your performance time. Make sure there are about three seconds of silence before you begin to play each piece.
  • After uploading, verify that image is upright (not sideways) and plays smoothly before submission.
  • No mixing, amplification, sound enhancement, audio dubbing, or splicing of multiple "takes" together is allowed.

VIDEO RECORDING GUIDELINES

  1. Your recording device may be a cell phone, tablet, camera, etc. You do not need to rent or buy fancy recording equipment. We will refer to the recording devices as "cameras."
  2. Find an optimal fixed point of view for your camera with you as the main focus. Leave the camera in one location for the entire duration of your performance. Do not pan, zoom or move the camera. Use of a tripod or stand is recommended to stabilize the image.
  3. Image should be no closer than waist up, except for keyboardists and harpists, whose pedals must be visible. A wider angle is appropriate for larger instruments such as cello, double bass and bassoon to cover the range of motion required to play the instrument.
  4. Hands and fingers must be visible for all instruments.
  5. Ensure the recording captures a good quality image as well as good quality sound. Pay particular attention to the audio quality and make sure that the sound is not distorted.
  6. When recording with a tablet or cell phone, use the landscape/horizontal mode for best results.
  7. Please do not do any of the following, as it may disqualify you:
    • Do not edit within a piece; no effects or post performance alterations.
    • Do not use special effects, dissolves, fades, wipes or titles.
    • Do not submit pre-recorded live performances, such as recitals, concerts, or competitions.
    • No sound enhancements are allowed.

JUDGING PROCEDURE

The panel will consist of qualified, impartial judges. Judges will use a numbering system to independently evaluate students and select a group of winners. Each finals audition is timed. For the Finals Round auditions, judges may stop a performer at any time, request to hear another section or proceed to the second piece, because of time constraints. The competition is open to the public. The 1st, 2nd, 3rd Place Winners and Honorable Mentions will be recognized on our website.

Judges will be looking for:

  • Tone Production - the ability to achieve a quality of sound appropriate to the instrument and to the style of the music.
  • Technique - the degree to which the performer has acquired control of the instrument.
  • Rhythm - the ability to establish, maintain and project rhythms of a wide range of complexity.
  • Interpretation - the ability to project a convincing conception of the selection.
  • Phrasing - sensitivity to the need for phrasing and the ability to execute it.

Please note that Preliminary Round keyboard judges will not consider the quality of the instrument or the tuning in their evaluation.

The 2025 H. B. Goodlin Scholarship Competition judges' decisions are final.

AWARDS

The 2025 H. B. Goodlin Scholarship Competition will award monetary prizes to a select number of participants as chosen by the judges in each of the five Divisions. Prize money will be allocated by the H. B. Goodlin Foundation. Award winners will be recognized on our website.

Please be sure to follow all requirements related to your application. Failure to comply with any of the requirements listed above may result in disqualification during the review process and/or make your application ineligible for an award. For questions, please use the Contact Form.