Spring
2004, Vol. 15 #1
Some thoughts about spring contests and auditions
It's Spring again! And most of us are probably already well into getting our students ready for end-of-the-year recitals and auditions. Apropos of the latter, I have cited below a few thoughts on this subject.
Criteria for judging
Here are some of the criteria that are used when evaluating student performances in contests and auditions.
- Appropriateness of repertoire selections: Does the music "fit" the student in terms of age, physical development, and emotional and intellectual maturity?
- Accuracy: Certainly an essential issue but one which most adjudicators expect to be the "norm" rather than an exception.
- Appropriateness of tempo: Playing a piece well below its generally accepted performance tempo often indicates that the music is too difficult for the student.
- Technique: Coordination, clarity of articulation, evenness, and facility - all providing the means to a musical end.
A
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Video
clips that accompany an article in this issue's RHYTHM Department.
- Stage presence (posture, poise and appropriate attire):
Apropos of attire, because the visual image does play
a role in the overall perception of a performance, I think that
students participating in performance events should be advised
to "dress up" for the occasion (i.e., no jeans, sweat
pants, T-shirts, athletic shoes, etc.). In my opinion, wearing
"dress-up" clothes
always
makes an event seem more "special," not only to the
performer, but also to those who see and hear the performance.
(I've often wondered what students would think if their auditions
judges came dressed in their "grubbies!" If the occasion
is special enough for the judges to dress up, then shouldn't
it also be special enough for the performers to do so as well?)
I wish that sponsors would define "proper attire" in
the contest regulations, and then include this as one of the
judging criteria. Even if this is not the case, I think that
we, as teachers, should suggest the importance of it to our own
students (and to their parents!) before they publicly
appear in any performance.
- Pedaling: Does lack of clarity or extraneous thumping sounds due to the misuse of the pedal divert attention from the overall quality of the musical presentation?
- Memorization: If problems arise, is the student able to get back on track with little obvious effort - and certainly without having to go all the way back to the beginning of the piece?
- Musicality: (See below.)
Musicality - the prime ingredient
In my opinion, musicality and artistry should always top the list of criteria for selecting contest "winners." Over the many years that I have listened to and evaluated student performances in contests and auditions, it's the area of musicality that seems to provide the most cause for concern. As an adjudicator, I always ask myself, "Does the student's presentation of the music go beyond the notes? Does he or she seem to be aware of the piece's character, and is this being imaginatively conveyed via tempo, style, dynamic contrast, the shaping of phrases, voicing, the balancing of melodies and accompaniments, tone quality and projection, etc.? Is it obvious that the student is not just involved in the "playing" experience, but is also highly involved in the listening process during the performance?" (Sadly, I have, on more than one occasion, wondered if the student had ever even heard an artistically acceptable performance of the music he or she was playing!)
The need for a model to inspire and instruct
In two of the departments in this issue of the magazine, the writers have addressed the importance of students having an artistic model for their performances. In Marvin Blickenstaff's REPERTOIRE column, Mary Jane Clarke, Carla Dean Day, and Jama Reagan write about the use of recordings as one means for providing such a model, as well as to inspire, and facilitate active listening. In the HOME PRACTICE column, all three writers, Barb Hinnendael, Allison Hudak, and Helen Marlais, concur that when introducing a new piece at the lesson (in this case, the Burgmüller "Ballade" from Op. 100), their first step would be to whet the student's appetite by providing a "live," imaginative performance of the music.
As a teacher, I heartily endorse the importance of students being provided with a model for the "should-sound" of the pieces they are studying. Is it really reasonable to expect them to be "turned on" by the idea of learning to play a piece that they have never even heard? Surely we wouldn't expect them to learn to speak a language that they had never heard spoken, nor would we expect them to be able to draw a picture of an object that they had never seen. Then why should they be expected to artistically recreate a piece of music that they have never heard?
Many years ago, I attended a workshop conducted by a highly respected musician, teacher, and pianist, who, during the lecture, said, "I never play for my students because I don't want them to imitate me!" Had I responded at the time, I would have said, "Since you play so beautifully, why would it be so wrong for your students to sound like you? Why deny them the golden opportunity of hearing the pieces that they are studying played by someone with your enthusiasm, imagination, and artistry?"
I justify this opinion of the need for teachers to play for their students on the basis of my belief that the unique individuality of each of us prevents us from ever becoming a "clone" of anyone else. As students mature and become increasingly more musical and technically proficient at the keyboard, they will, little by little, find their own voices of expression. But in the meantime, the more they hear their own repertoire performed beautifully and with inspiration and imagination - either by their teacher, or on a CD, or by another student - the more apt they will be to incorporate these same qualities into their own performances.
Musicality and adjudication in the 21st century
In today's technological age, we often find super-amplified rock and rap topping the charts of "musical" hits in the area of pop music. In the area of "classical" music, we frequently hear gifted young students who amaze us with their technical prowess and pyrotechnics displayed in performances of extremely complex and demanding compositions. (I recently heard a 13-year-old boy perform Liszt's "Mephisto Waltz" in an audition!) As teachers (and adjudicators), even though we may be awestruck by the technical accomplishments exhibited in such a performance, are we also equally impressed by one that is beautifully expressive and sensitive? And in our teaching, are we placing the same amount of emphasis on these qualities as on the acquisition of fast and flawless virtuosity?
I truly believe - at least I hope - that somewhere amidst the chaos and clamor in this fast-paced, frenetic, electronic world in which we live, there is still a place for an "award-winning" performance of a piece such as "The Poet Speaks" - that sublimely simple one-page gem that Schumann created as the finale for his Scenes from Childhood.
The poet speaks . . . but are we listening?
.
About Our Cover Picture
KEYBOARD COMPANION wishes to express appreciation to Serge Prokofiev, Jr., the grandson of composer Serge Prokofiev, for providing us with the photos which appear on this issue's cover. The picture of the composer at age 10 seated at his piano was taken in 1901. The adult photo of him at the piano in his study was taken in his flat on Chkalov Street in Moscow in 1939, and the picture of the him wearing the overcoat and hat is said to be the "last known photograph, taken in 1952 by his son, Sviatoslav Prokofiev." These three photographs are from the Prokofiev Family Archives, and we are grateful to Serge Prokofiev, Jr., who, in behalf of the Prokofiev family estate, has graciously granted us permission to reprint them in this issue of the magazine. (For additional information about the composer, see the KEYBOARD KIDS' COMPANION on pp. 13-14.)
To see a larger image of our cover art, please visit our Art Gallery.
MULTIMEDIA ARTICLE
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Bruce Berr, editor of the Rhythm Department, answers the question, "How is rhythm enhanced by solid technique skills?" To supplement his discussion of hypermeter, he includes two video clips of young students naturally feeling the larger flow of the music while playing. |
Also be sure to check out our page of
links to ALL of our multimedia articles in past
issues.
A FEATURE FOR NON-SUBSCRIBERS:
Click
on any of the questions below to read highlights from the articles
in the print magazine.
Click on any underlined author's name to access multimedia for
that article.
These are the other articles that were in the Spring 2004 issue
Information on obtaining back issues
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The Magic Triangle: |
Jan Holter |
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The Other Teacher: |
What practice steps would you assign for the Burgmüller "Ballade" of Op. 100? |
Barb Hinnendael |
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Independence Day: |
How is teaching adults to read music different than teaching children? |
Rebecca Johnson |
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Let's Get Physical: |
Polli Chambers-Salazar |
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The Heart of the Matter: |
Scott McBride Smith |
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Issues and Ideas: |
Reprise: What teacher was most influential in your teaching career and why? |
Martha F. Hilley |
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It's Never Too Late: |
What are the questions (and answers) that impact adults' piano study? |
Barbara English Maris |
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Putting It All Together: |
Do you use recordings to reinforce your teaching of repertoire? |
Mary Jane Clarke |
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Tomorrow Today: |
Nancy Davis |
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The World Around
Us: |
Jean M. Fox |
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Keyboard
Kids' Companion |
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