"Through the competition we can discover this and meet the true self. Because, indeed, the antagonist is namely ourself. Only through competition, can one recognize one's true self."--;Huo Yuan Jia (Jet Li), "Fearless"
I have spent the better part of my professional life striving to make young people work together. That is the essence of the term "symphonic" --; to "sound together." So, it is natural and logical that most people in my field tend to look on competition anathema, or a quaint anachronism of a rougher, wilder America.
I mean, really, how much sense does it make to "compete" at music? Do you honestly think you can listen to and watch an artistic creation, and distill it down to a number, a formula, an algorithm? Really, it doesn't make a lot of sense.
Then why did I just spend all day Saturday, sitting on the uncomfortable bleachers in a high school football stadium, watching 12 high school marching bands perform their shows, for the purpose of receiving a number and being ranked against the other bands? And why will I do the exact same thing on Friday at the Air Force Academy? And why will I love every minute of it?
Having spent almost 30 years of my life being one of the people who put together performances for that purpose, I can tell you that nothing most students will perform ever approaches the level of intensity of ... wait for it ... a music competition.
Sure, there are the rare few who will continue on in music, attempt to make it a career. And for those few, there will be many intense moments --; try being on stage, by yourself, at Carnegie Hall, standing in the middle of 6-foot circle of light, performing for a group of people who you can't see, sitting out there in the dark somewhere, knowing that the tiniest mistake, the slightest flub, means you don't get a job. Because, back behind you in the wings of the stage, are ten other people waiting for their chance to do the same exact thing. And at least one of them is going to be perfect that day.
But, for most music students, that performance on that football field is the most interesting thing they're going to do this year. And not because they're going to "win" --; only one band will "win" this day. That is to say, only one band will be awarded the highest point total.
But all of the bands are going to win, in a different sense. A band that is awarded a 70 is going to look and sound a lot like a band that scores a 72; however, both of those bands are going to be very different from the bands that score 60, or the bands that score 80. From those concrete, objective numbers, these students will learn that, subjectively, they are good at some things that other students aren't, and they are not so good at things that other students are.
And, suddenly, unexpectedly, we're all learning who we are as musicians and as performers.
Now, this does not define who any of those students are as people --; it is, in and of itself, neither a good thing nor a bad thing. What it is, is an opportunity to grow, to become better, to have some insight into how to become one's best, true self.
And that is very valuable, indeed. As another famous Chinese philosopher said, "Know your enemy, win 50 of 100 battles; know yourself, win 50 of 100 battles; know both yourself and your enemy, win 100 battles." Competition, as odd as it seems in so many settings, is one of the most efficient ways to learn how to win 50 of those life battles.
from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.comhttp://arvadapress.com/stories/Competition-can-reveal-more-than-just-first-place,238143?branding=15
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