Competitions, recitals and auditions--oh my!

Competitions, recitals and auditions--oh my! At this time of year, many students are preparing for competitions,auditions or recitals. These activities, many offered through MTNA MTNA Music Teachers National AssociationMTNA Middle Tennessee Nursery Association (McMinnville, Tennessee)andour state and local affiliates, can be extraordinarily beneficial to ourstudents, motivating and challenging them to rise to the occasion andgrow from their experiences. Some students thrive on these publicperformances and do their very best performing "underpressure." However, for some students, these events hold thepotential to negatively affect their self-esteem self-esteemSense of personal worth and ability that is fundamental to an individual's identity. Family relationships during childhood are believed to play a crucial role in its development. and good feelings aboutmusic and, in some cases, cause them to quit. Most of us have witnessed one or all of the following: * A student in tears after reading the adjudicator's commentsfollowing a competition performance * A student being publicly criticized by his teacher for a sub-parperformance * A student being berated by her parents for not winning * A student upset and inconsolable following a performance he feltwas not his best In many cases, the teacher can help prevent these traumatic traumatic (trômat´ik),adj of, pertaining to, or caused by an injury.traumatic occlusion,n See occlusion, traumatic.traumatic shock,n See shock, traumatic. situations if students (and parents) are adequately and properlyprepared. STEP ONE Help students view any public performance as a valuable learningopportunity. Performing in public offers the chance to: * Learn more about yourself. * Discover how you respond under pressure. * Gain a performance perspective about the repertoire Repertoire may mean Repertory but may also refer to: Repertoire (theatre), a system of theatrical production and performance scheduling Repertoire Records, a German record label specialising in 1960s and 1970s pop and rock reissues . * Approach the post-performance practice session armed withinformation about exactly what needs more work. * Learn to refine and polish a composition, elevating theperformance to the next level. * Learn to handle different instruments (for pianists) and makemusic in various acoustical a��cous��tic?adj. also a��cous��ti��cal1. Of or relating to sound, the sense of hearing, or the science of sound.2. a. Designed to carry sound or to aid in hearing.b. environments. * Experience the heightened sensations and emotions that occur whenyou forge forgeOpen furnace for heating metal ore and metal for working and forming, or a workshop containing forge hearths and related equipment. From earliest times, smiths (see smithing) heated iron in forges and formed it by hammering on an anvil. a relationship with the audience. * Learn how special it is to share music with others. Performance crises arise when students' expectations are notmet. They are devastated dev��as��tate?tr.v. dev��as��tat��ed, dev��as��tat��ing, dev��as��tates1. To lay waste; destroy.2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. because a performance was not note-perfect orprecisely the way they envisioned it, or if they desperately wanted towin a competition and were not selected. STEP TWO Help students do the best they can at THAT moment in time. Helpthem realize that as they grow as musicians, their performances willalso grow. The more pressure students place upon themselves to be perfect orto win, the more likely that stress will prevent them from achievingtheir objective. Promote the use of these performances as opportunitiesto discover how to make the next performance better. One importantgoal--never stop mid-performance. If a "glitch A temporary or random hardware malfunction. It is possible that a bug in a program may cause the hardware to appear as if it had a glitch in it and vice versa. At times it can be extremely difficult to determine whether a problem lies within the hardware or the software. See glitch attack. " happens,strive to regain focus and move forward as if the mistake neverhappened. Experienced performers have learned how to manage a slip andkeep going. For that reason, multiple "practice performances"of recitals or competition repertoire are beneficial. Encourage yourstudents to develop a hierarchy of performances throughout the year,beginning with extremely low-stress performances, perhaps in nursinghomes or shopping malls, and gradually grad��u��al?adj.Advancing or progressing by regular or continuous degrees: gradual erosion; a gradual slope.n. Roman Catholic Church1. moving to an event with a biggeraudience, or moving from non-competitive to competitive events. Ibelieve for some students it takes at least four performances, and forsome students many more, to begin to feel comfortable and to be able tomaintain concentration in front of others. Going through this processhelps make each subsequent performance stronger than the previous one.It is important to remind students to view this performance as one ofmany in a long string of performances throughout their lifetime. STEP THREE Encourage students to please themselves and not attempt to predicthow others will respond. In a competitive situation, the performer cannot control the judgesor guess exactly what criteria criteria (krītēr´ē),n. influence their decisions. Encouragestudents to take advantage of the input received from the judges, aswell as from trusted and knowledgeable friends and peers. In subsequentlessons and practice sessions, assist them in evaluating andexperimenting with the input received and, if appropriate, incorporatingit into the next performance. STEP FOUR Help ensure a positive performing experience. Assign repertoire well in advance to allow sufficient preparationtime. When offering feedback just prior to a performance, never sayanything that will undermine undermine,v to separate surgically the skin or mucosa from its underlying stroma so that it can be stretched or moved to cover a defect or wound. the security or self-confidence of thestudent. Students need to know that you care about them as individualsand want this to be a positive experience for them. After thisperformance, you will put your heads together as a team to see what canbe done to make the next performance even better. This kind of thinkinglets the student know that while there is always room for improvement,an "in progress" performance can still be enjoyable for boththe audience and the performer. STEP FIVE Promote the joy of performing. Although practicing and playing for yourself can be extremelysatisfying, there is something very special about performing for others.Encourage students to share their repertoire, expressing their musicalideas and emotions through their performance. How lucky we are to beable to offer these special gifts--our performance and love of music--toothers. The MTNA Competition Finals will take place at the MTNA NationalConference in Denver Denver,city (1990 pop. 467,610), alt. 5,280 ft (1,609 m), state capital, coextensive with Denver co., N central Colo., on a plateau at the foot of the Front Range of the Rocky Mts., along the South Platte River where Cherry Creek meets it; inc. 1861. , Colorado Colorado, state, United StatesColorado(kŏlərăd`ə, –răd`ō, –rä`dō), state, W central United States, one of the Rocky Mt. states. March 28-April 2, 2008. I hope you willtake advantage of the opportunity to hear these talented studentsperform within a competition setting. Help make their performingexperience even more exciting by your presence. Gail Berenson Ber��en��son? , Bernard also Bernhard 1865-1959.Lithuanian-born American art critic and historian particularly noted for his writings on the Italian Renaissance, including Venetian Painters of the Renaissance (1894). , NCTM NCTM National Council of Teachers of MathematicsNCTM Nationally Certified Teacher of MusicNCTM North Carolina Transportation MuseumNCTM National Capital Trolley MuseumNCTM Nationally Certified in Therapeutic Massage MTNA president