The Wisconsin Music Teachers Association holds a number of competitive and non-competitive events for students. The most popular of these are the Auditions held annually in March. These are not auditions like one would go through to try out for a play. Instead, they are an opportunity to demonstrate musical proficiency and knowledge, be evaluated by a third party, and (in some cases) advance to a state-level competition.
At District Auditions, students may take part in one of four tracks. (Memory requirements, theory test levels, and repertoire vary by instrument.)
| Track | Grades | Number of Pieces | Possible Points |
| D2 | All | 2 | 15 |
| D2-NM | 7-12 (piano only) | 2 non-memorized | 13 |
| D3 | 7-12 | 3 | 20 |
| State | All (4+ may advance) | 3 | 20 |
State participants in grades 4 and above who receive at least 14 points for playing and 4 points in theory may advance to the Badger Competition held in May. At this level, students compete against others in the same school grade. All Badger participants receive a certificate and 10 more points. Trophies and additional points are given to the winners.
Points are accumulated over the student’s career in a given category. Awards are given as follows:
- 22 points – plaque
- 50 points – bar (to be attached to plaque)
- 75 points – bar
- 100 points – plaque with student’s name
- 125 points – bar
- 150 points – bar
- 175 points – bar
- 200 points – Wisconsin-shaped plaque with name
WMTA has put out a booklet titled A Student and Parent Guide to Auditions.
Other WMTA competitions are the Competition for Young Composers (March deadline) and the High School Virtuoso Competition (grades 11 and 12, held in October). More information about these competitions can be found on the WMTA web site. Also on the web site are details for all the levels of theory tests.
Resources for the WMTA theory tests.