Mark Levy€Herald/Review Spc. Saquawia Funderberk with the 305th Military Intelligence Battalion belts out a soulful song during Friday's Military Idol Contest at the Thunder Mountain Activity Center on Fort Huachuca.
Posted on 08/06/2005 3:04:51 PM PDT by SandRat
Mark Levy€Herald/Review Spc. Saquawia Funderberk with the 305th Military Intelligence Battalion belts out a soulful song during Friday's Military Idol Contest at the Thunder Mountain Activity Center on Fort Huachuca.
FORT HUACHUCA - The post's Military Idol is up for grabs.
The first of three rounds to find a singer who will represent the fort at a national military contest kicked off Friday night at the Thunder Mountain Activity Centre.
More than 250 spectators came out to cheer on their favorite singer.
An hour before the event, fashioned after the successful "American Idol" of TV fame, more than a dozen hopefuls waited in the club's Star Room - an appropriate name for the hopefuls. Even though each person sings an a cappella solo, three female soldiers warmed up by singing together.
Spc. Saquawia Funderberk of Company A, 305th Military Intelligence Battalion, Sgt. Awanda Williams of Company A, 309th Military Intelligence Battalion and Sgt. Dushaune Gaines of the 556th Maintenance Company felt a little more comfortable after their warm-up.
Other contestants also did vocal exercises. Those competing for the post title, which will be announced on Sept. 30, range in rank from specialist to captain.
Judging the contestants were Phyllis Hairston, who works for the Army and Air Force Exchange Service on the post; Araceli Sierra-Mandy of the Communications-Electronics Life Cycle Management Command's Acquisition Center on the installation; and Sgt. 1st Class Jeremy Howe, a singer and tuba player with the fort's 36th Army Band.
"I've been singing most of my life," Hairston said.
Sierra-Mandy said she has put on talent shows.
Howe said he was hoping he could be the Simon Cowell-like judge - the caustic one on "American Idol."
But there would be no comments from the judges a part of the scoring system.
To go forward to the semifinals that will take place on Aug. 19, the contestants must score a 54 out of a possible 75 points. The three judging categories, each worth 25 points, are:
€ Technical excellence, which includes the degree of skills and techniques in an individual's performance as well as the music elements of intonation, tonal quality, precision, integration and balance.
€ Showmanship, which is a combination of factors including meaningful use of theme, physical appearance, poise and personality.
It also includes body control, enthusiasm, polish of performance and communication with the audience.
€ Treatment and interpretation of material to include style and originality.
The rating point scale is 1 to 5 below average, 6 to 10 average, 11 to 15 very good/amateur, 16 to 20 excellent/semi-professional and 21 to 25 outstanding/professional. The post finals will be held on Sept. 30. The winner will go the national Military Idol contest at Fort Gordon, Ga., from Oct. 17-22.
The Fort Huachuca events are free and open to the public. They begin at 7:30 p.m. on each date. The names of those who will go on to the semi-finals on Aug. 19 were not available by press time on Friday night.
The Army's Morale, Welfare and Recreation activities, in affiliation with American Idol, is hosting the first Military Idol competition.
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