competition Archives - tiffanyprochera.com

Hey guys!

The idea of competition and the arts is extensive and can range from the local arts festival to a national or international affair like The Booker or Nobel Prize or American Idol.

Competition is a funny thing, isn’t it? It suggests that, based on a one-time experience, a person or group of people is able to accurately declare that one person is a fundamentally better artist than all of the others. Kind of an odd notion!

But there are can be legitimate reasons to compete. Perhaps an opportunity lies on the other end – to get a recording contract, to be published by a reputable publishing house. Perhaps there is a cash prize – always helpful! And perhaps the main impetus is to have your name more recognized and to obtain the bragging rights. As far as I know, an Oscar does not come with any monetary add-on but most people in the film industry would love to have that little ®Academy Award winner attached to their names!

Of course, there are different types of competitions – those which involve real-time performances such as dancing or singing vs. those which involve pre-existing works that are presented, or even nominated, for consideration; those which involve adjudication or critique vs. those in which a winner is announced and nothing more.

So, I would like to talk about the potential pros and cons of artistic competitions, particularly when it comes to teachers who have students who may be interested in competing in real-time events.

It is just my opinion, of course, but I think it’s important to make sure your student is, in fact, in a position to handle competition in the first place. You might want to ask them if they have ever lost at anything before. How did they take it? Did they become really upset? Will they be alright performing under pressure? Can they take a certain amount of criticism?

While encouraging students to try something new can be a valuable catalyst, you might want to think twice before pushing them into something they may not be ready for. Particularly with young students, a negative experience can be damaging and turn them off any future attempts – I have had students who made a mistake during a recital, ended up in tears and were afraid to get on stage again for years afterwards – so it’s important to make sure that you set them up for as positive an experience as possible and be there to support them if things get rough. Even adults can be affected by an adjudicator who matter-of-factly points out only the things you did wrong and fails to mention anything you did right!

As I’m sure you know, as with any performance it’s critical to prepare the student so they know their piece inside and out. If you leave it at the point where they’ve gotten it right once or twice, there could be problems once the nerves set it. If possible, you might want to try creating the vibe of the competition so they feel more comfortable on the actual day by having them present in front of a few family members and pretending they are walking onto the stage and all of that, just like with any performance scenario.

Performing can be rather unpredictable. Even at your most prepared, things can still go wrong – you can get a lump in your throat, your jewelry can get hooked onto your costume, you can forget words – and younger students will likely not know what to do in these situations and might get flustered. You might want to try intentionally distracting them while they perform to dispel some fear of the unknown but be warned that it could backfire and make them even more nervous! But, at the very least, it’s a good idea to remind them that, no matter how they do, the fact that they are getting up there in front of people is a big thing in itself for which they should be commended. And doing really well or winning are just bonuses.

It’s probably a good idea to be with them at the competition, even if you don’t technically have to be there to accompany them on the piano or something like that, until they have a few under their belt and have gained some confidence. If something happens during the performance or they don’t get the results they were hoping for, they will need a supportive shoulder to cry on.

Sometimes in competition there is a clear winner. There is someone whose skill level is obviously higher than the others and everyone sees that. There are also times when there are several good performers and it’s hard to tell who the judges or adjudicator are going to pick. I present as an example the story of a vocal competition where the adjudicator chose the winner essentially on the fact that the song he sang reminded her of her childhood. She apparently came right out and said it and didn’t even disguise the fact!

So, as we know, the winner of a competition may not have as much to do with skills as we want to believe and it’s important the student knows that as well.

If the performance goes well and the student wins, brava! It’s time to congratulate them on a job well done! Enjoy the moment and wait until later to let them know that there is always work to do and ways to improve.

If something goes wrong during the performance – and it may – you’ll want to discuss what happened from your viewpoint and from the student’s viewpoint. Did they get distracted by something? Did something happen musically that threw them off? You need to do an analysis to see what may or may not need to be addressed for next time. Gently let them know that these are just things to work on for the future and it doesn’t mean they aren’t good.

If there is a fellow competitor who is, as mentioned earlier, a clear winner, a student may be inclined to think well, what’s the point? I’m not as good as they are so why should I bother doing this again? I have certainly had these thoughts!

As the teacher, you can use this as an opportunity to inspire the student. Ask them what they liked about the performance and why they thought it was so good. Was the performer dynamic and theatrical? Was there a fluidity about the movement or the voice that they admired? Are there any of those elements that your student could start incorporating into their performances? How much practice do they think would be required to get to that level and would they be prepared to dedicate themselves in the same way?

Then there are the comments from the adjudicator. In theory, the adjudicator should have, in addition to their knowledge of their craft, experience dealing with the age group of the participants they are adjudicating. There are also competitions that are meant for those who just want to have fun and those who are more serious about their craft. Their comments should use language, ideas and sensitivity commiserate with those to whom they are speaking.

But unfortunately, this is not always the case. Sometimes adjudications can be overly harsh, overly complex or just plain rude! And, certainly, the organizers can be notified in such cases but, as far as the participants go, the damage may already be done.

So, once the adjudication has been given, you need to go over those comments with the student and discuss what to keep and what to dismiss – which suggestions are valid and worth incorporating and which don’t make sense. This will help retain the student’s confidence and help them discern what criticism to acknowledge.

Well, those are just a few things to look at! If you are engaging your students in competitions, good luck to them all and may they all have productive, positive experiences!

Have a great day!

Well, okay, I was trying to put a spin on the classic quote from A League of Their Own, “There’s no crying in baseball.” But I’m not sure if it worked. But anyway….

I bring up this idea of competition because it came up for me recently.

I had just returned home from four days in Vancouver at the Tapestry International Festival For Women’s Choirs. It was an amazing experience where four choirs – Electra from Vancouver, Canzona from California, Cantus from Norway and our Esprit de Choeur from Winnipeg, came together to connect and perform two concerts as individual choirs and as a mass group.

Upon arriving home, I went immediately from the airport to a family event and found out someone had read an article about us in the paper that was printed before we left for the festival. Apparently, the article suggested there was no competition among the members of our group.

And I thought about it and, really, there isn’t – at least not on public display. Solos etc. are handed out and no one says boo about it. And there didn’t appear to be competition at the festival either. There were a couple of solos to audition for but there was no drama around it.

And thinking about the article I wondered why that was and is it the way it should be?

And here’s what came to mind.

There are different levels of competition. Yes, we always want to do our best and maybe get the solo or whatever reward may be presented in front of us but often with the idea of competing comes the hope that the other person doesn’t do as well, that they might fall on their proverbial face.

But when we’re in the process of collaboration, don’t we want everyone to be on their a-game? If you want to put on the best musical performance, wouldn’t you also want to have the best person for the job singing the solo etc. even if it’s not you?

And it’s not necessarily about how fabulous you are – because you are, of course! – but each work has its own vibe, if you will, and certain people are more suited to that vibe than others, that’s all. It’s just like if you were hiring an graphic artist to create a logo or an illustration for a business. There may be several people who are equally talented artists but you have to go with the one whose style fits with the image you are trying to present. It’s hard, I know, but when we are working together we have to try and get our egos out of the way if the best result for the audience is to be achieved.

Speaking of egos, I had a part of a small group solo during one of the mass choir songs and, before the final performance we were organizing ourselves into voices on the stage. I was in the front due to my height and there were a few people doing the solo further back in my section. I tried to move further back to join the others but then was unable see the conductor.

So, in front of 150 people she told me I could stay where I was but I had to sing very quietly.

At first I was a little annoyed – if I have to sing very quietly, why should I bother singing at all? – and I felt like I was being singled out as an inconvenience. But I then thought of the group and the end result. I didn’t know what the conductor was hearing from her perspective but if her goal was to achieve a unified sound with a couple of clusters of singers among the group and I was sticking out I had to be willing to reign it in.

So, I did.

And here’s another thing.

When you’re competing, there can be a sense of disconnect, of otherness, of “we” and “they”, and when you’re in that mode you may be blocking out the potential to learn and grow.

While all of the groups at the festival have had their own levels of accomplishment, there was one choir, Cantus, that would probably be considered the celebrities. You see, they performed the opening song in the Disney smash hit, Frozen, and coming into the festival we were all excited to hear them.

And they were amaaazing! We were in awe, to be frank.

Now, if one was being competitive about it, there would probably be all sorts of thoughts going through one’s head and, beyond the first few notes, not a lot of attention would be paid to the actual music.

But in the spirit of collaboration, not only can you appreciate the beauty of the sound but you can also be more aware of what is happening and learn from it. What is their balance like between sopranos and altos? How are they positioned on the stage? How often do they rehearse? In short, what makes them as good as they are? You begin to notice the elements that make up a great performance and then you can take those elements unto yourself to make you a better artist.

Even in an actual competition, the idea of eliminating the competition aspect of it all can allow you recognize the greatness in the other competitors to help you make your performance better. You don’t hear singers on The Voice bashing each other – at least not on camera. 🙂 They seem to be inspired by each other and they become stronger artists for it.

So, there you go! Maybe you do this already but I invite you, if you’re ever working with other people or competing against them, to step back and appreciate and learn rather than seeing them as the enemy. Who knows? You might even makes some new friends in the process!

Let’s keep the conversation going, shall we? Feel free to add your two cents or a nickel in the comments section below and share this post with your peeps!

Have a great day!

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