Polyphony - Professional Resources - Gary Amano and Dennis Hirst interviewed on music competitions - Interview

American Music Teacher, April-May, 2003 by Jane Magrath

The Competition Dilemma

This column presents a guest interview with Gary Amano and his colleague Dennis Hirst from Utah State University in Logan, Utah. Both Amano and Hirst have had numerous winners in MTNA national, division and state competitions. We felt readers might be interested in some of their insights and views about entering students in competitions.

Jane Magrath: What is the teacher's role in entering students in competitions?

Dennis Hirst: Teachers have the responsibility of stressing musical development and preparation over winning, and encouraging students to be respectful of other competitors and of the music. Competition results can confirm a student's progress and suggest directions for future musical development.

JM: Gary, your students have been highly successful in competitions. What kinds of students do you enter in competitions?

Gary Amano: Competitions are not for everyone. A lot of people are surprised when I tell them that during much of my teaching career I chose not to enter the majority of my students in competitions. We need to be careful that the teacher's ego does not get in the way. While an outstanding student can benefit a teacher's reputation, if the teacher's attitude is that his students exist to make him look good, he needs to seriously re-examine his role. It is up to the teacher to discern which students are up to the task and which are not. The whole experience can be unpleasant and damaging to a student, especially if a student lacks the ability, vision, discipline or proper preparation for a competition, or if the student has expectations that are not likely to happen.

DH: Teachers must assess their students in terms of musical skills and personality. Some students are terrified of performing or just not interested in competitions. One of my students becomes so anxious during piano recitals that she has to leave, even if she is not performing. I am working with this student on performance anxiety and controlling fear of playing for friends, and will probably never ask her to enter a competition. It is clearly inappropriate in this instance and foreign to her and my goals. Another of my students has previously been a prize winner in several competitions. Due to a recent ice-skating injury, she was forced to withdraw from the last competition she entered. Since that time, her practice hours have dwindled, and she has not been as interested in learning new repertoire. At her last lesson, I challenged her to enter an upcoming competition that required a concerto movement that she had been dragging her feet on learning. With the goal of a future competition, she has returned to her former practice habits and is literally devouring new repertoire.

JM: What do you feel are the student's responsibilities in competition preparation?

DH: The teacher has the important responsibility of understanding both the competition guidelines and the performance level of the competitors. This is a step many teachers miss--that of matching the competition to the student. An obvious example might help here. The performance level at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition is much different from that of the Elementary Division of the Utah State Fair Music Competition. Of course, a teacher would not encourage a student toward a competition for which he was currently not suited. While it is appropriate to dream, a student's feet must be planted on the ground, and the student should be shown how to take one step at a time in terms of entering competitions. It is not appropriate to take chances on whether the student is able to learn a sufficient quantity of literature for a forthcoming competition. He must know that the student is able to achieve it.

The teacher also has the responsibility of selecting competition repertoire that highlights the student's strengths. We all have different abilities, and no one person is the best at every musical and technical skill. I do not select the same repertoire for competitions as I do for basic skill development. I have witnessed many competitions where talented students have not advanced or won prizes based largely on repertoire choices. Simply put, if a student is not ready to play a difficult work such as Ravel's Scarbo, do not assign it for the competition.

JM: What about student expectations with regard to competitions?

DH: The student must have reasonable expectations in terms of competition preparation. Recently, a student asked if he could enter an upcoming competition. The competition required submission of an audio recording that included performance of a complete concerto performance. This student had only learned one movement of his concerto. When I asked the student about this, he assured me that he could learn the remaining movements in the time before the recording needed to be submitted. Then, I asked him when the recording was due, and he sincerely replied, "In ten days." Clearly, his was not a reasonable expectation. This happens frequently with students. I have often inquired as to a student's progress in competition preparation only to be told, "Don't worry. The competition is not for two more months."