Winning in Music

Nobody argues that art is subjective. It is popular to say that we don’t go into the music business to win awards, but I believe that is not entirely truthful. In music programs of American schools, students are taught music in paint-by-numbers system, often having little ownership of the sounds they are creating and hearing. Push these buttons in this rhythm, and wa-laa, you have played this correct. Scoring systems are used to incentivize improvement in both marching bands and performance ensembles via Midstate and Allstate competitions. An number score is given to quantify the performance, essentially we are objectifying music. As professionals we quickly learn that all awards, titles, accomplishments, etc are nothing more than stars to put in our personal flags that we …

Read More