Competitions may be inherently flawed because music making is an art, not a measurable science or sport. Judges will always have their own ideas about what constitutes exceptional playing and in the end, there can rarely be one absolute “winner” in such a subjective art form as music.   Of course, if technical problems plague a performance, that will be a significant factor, but in most cases contestants come to a competition with solid technique already in place so the judges are really voting on the intangible elements such as sound, sparkle, stage presence, pizazz, emotion. Given that, are competitions fair? Are they healthy for a developing musician? I think they are. Watch my video to find out what I think the real benefits of competitions are. 

And if you are so inspired to enter or watch one for yourself, check out the very cool Youtube Video Flute Contest at www.banddirector.com/contest.

Read Erinn Frechette’s comments on COMPETITION AND AUDITION PREPARATION