I’ve never been a competition teacher. Whether it’s because I never participated in competitions growing up or because of some of the negative aspects I’ve observed in those who compete, I just haven’t seen them as having much value. But thanks, in part, to a workshop I attended this past summer at our state conference, I am warming up to the idea of having students participate in competitions. In fact, I had a student participate in our district auditions this past weekend and it was a fabulous experience! Here are a few random thoughts that I’ve been formulating about competitions.
Approach competitions with the attitude of a learner. I am not a good competition teacher. Therefore, that leaves lots of room for improvement! 
My natural tendency is to focus more on functional skills and less on perfecting repertoire. Once a piece is “good enough” we just move on to the next thing and don’t spend great amounts of time honing in on the details. Of course we work on correct dynamics, articulations, stylistic playing, and so forth, but we don’t often work toward real mastery. I am inspired now to help students work toward a higher level of playing.
View competitions as an opportunity to increase overall musicianship. One of the reasons I’ve hesitated to get my students involved in competitions is because I’ve known students who spend months (years, in some cases!) exclusively preparing a couple of selections for a competition and yet hardly know how to sight-read or count rhythms or read from a chord chart, etc. But it doesn’t have to be an either-or proposition. Both of these things can work in harmony to help students become better musicians if the student and teacher approach it with that perspective in mind. I think this would entail the teacher selecting appropriate repertoire that will highlight the student’s strengths and interests while also providing opportunity for them to improve weak areas. It would also mean making a pointed effort to teach conceptually from the particular pieces, rather than just demonstrating or teaching to the individual piece.
Competitions provide the opportunity for students who have a natural bent toward competition or the potential to become very advanced pianists to hone their playing and reach a higher level of excellence. As I served as a door monitor at the competition Saturday, I realized that a number of the students in my studio could play well enough to participate in a competition and would probably really enjoy it if I encouraged them in that direction. Just because I didn’t grow up competing is no reason to rob my students of at least having the opportunity to give it a try. Some of them may be especially gifted toward that aspect of musical study and I want to give them the freedom and encouragement to develop their skills to the fullest potential. As their teacher, I will readily acknowledge that I have a lot to learn in this area, but that I am willing to invest my time and energy to help them be successful.
Remember that it’s about the process, not the end result. Yes, I want to do everything I can to set my students up for success and give them the potential to win, but there are so many factors contributing to a winning performance that you can’t hinge the success of the experience on the day of the competition. Here are some of the benefits that I envision a student gaining: increased musicianship (as mentioned before), more confidence in performing (one thing I learned is the importance of providing numerous performance experiences with the same repertoire prior to the competition), exposure to other excellent pianists, the personally rewarding feeling of investing a lot of time and energy into a piece and being able to play it really well, character development due to the diligent effort required in preparation for a performance, and I’m sure there are many more benefits as well!
This is new territory for me, but I’m actually getting really excited about the possibilities! I would love to hear from some of you who have experience in this area! Do you find competitions valuable for your students? What things contribute most to a successful experience? What tips do you have for a teacher just launching into this world? Any and all advice would be most welcome!
Like you, I don’t consider myself a “competition teacher,” but I have entered students in competitions, and will be participating this year in Guild, our local MTA’s Festival (non-competitive eval.), and our local auditions for the state MTA competition. I resist the idea of allowing any of these to control my curriculum, i.e. working on a couple of competition pieces to the exclusion of all else. I grew up doing that, and I don’t think it served me very well. At the same time, I find that having those goals to work for motivates my students like nothing else. I think that if the teacher keeps the competition process in perspective, then the students will, too. Sounds to me like you’ve got the right approach.
Thanks for this article Natalie – I too consider myself to not to be a “competition teacher” simply because I see more value in students forming their own self-image as a musician rather than getting this from if they won or didn’t win…however you really make some good points. Thank you (as always!)
I remember working for a voice professor as an accompanist for her studio at our university. One day during lesson while she was preparing one of her student for competition, the girl said even if she didn’t win, it’d be a good experience. The professor answered,”You go to competition to win. You gain experience in the studio and at your own time.” It makes me think that one needs a mind of a steel to endure such grueling process of competitions. During competitions, there is no room for mistake or failure.
I really like what you have said about competitions, Natalie. I too do not want students to work on pieces to the exclusion of everything else, and it can be a challenging balance. My students do participate in 1 – 2 competition-type events per year(an event where they will receive a rating). I do find that they work harder and become better musicians as a result, and feel a sense of accomplishment in addition to the other positive outcomes that you mention. It can be a challenge to balance the preparation for this with other curriculum, but if you start your pieces early enough and choose pieces that are at the right level (not too hard) it really helps. I also let the students help choose their pieces because I want them to really love what they are playing. I find that the last 2 weeks before the event, we work mostly on their pieces, though. I think it’s all about balance.
I think competition, in balance with other things, are fine. I had gotten to the point where our entire school year revolved around judging events. It was dictating all of the music choices and pressures on my students. In some ways it was good, but I found my studio was becoming product oriented instead of process. I was quickly “teaching to the test.” This year, my studio is doing nothing but our two recitals. We are taking an “event” break and playing whatever we want. Next year, we bring back more structure. All things in moderation.