Solo Times Two
Each year Howard County student musicians have the opportunity to participate in the "Solo and Ensemble Competition." The 2004 competition took place Saturday. Here's how it works: you begin by selecting a musical work composed specifically for your instrument. The music you select must be difficult to play, certainly much more difficult than the music you play in school. Next, you practice that piece for several months. If you have a private music teacher, you work with him or her so that you really understand the rhythm, the phrasing, and so on. Then you find (and pay for) a piano accompanist who plays the piece along with you. Finally, you march into a room all by yourself, play the piece - once - for an ajudicator, who then proceeds to critique the hell out of you.
Sound like fun?
Here in America we adulate kiddie sports. But with perhaps the exception of gymnastics, there is no similar ego-shattering event in youth sports. With the Solo and Ensemble Competition, months of preparation, tutoring, practice, and flat-out hard work (most student musicians practice their craft much more than most student athletes) are taken into a studio and put on the line. These high school and midddle school musicians demonstrate a confidence and intestinal fortitude rarely required from their athletic peers. I've seen "Superior" ratings produce shouts of joy from otherwise laconic teenagers and "Good" ratings produce tears. Sometimes you're the windshield; sometimes you're the bug. But regardless of the outcome - and just like athletics - the Solo and Ensemble Competition teaches kids a boatload about discipline, proper technique, perseverance, and confidence.
As for my kids? A- played Bernstein's Sonata for Clarinet and Piano. It was somewhat of a daring choice for his solo because it's 20th Century and doesn't have that melodic quality people usually expect. D- played Bach's Aria for Trumpet.
As you can imagine, I'm very proud of both their performances.
K-
I remember those days! Congrats to they guys, how did they fare?
Your boys have real guts! I don't know if I would ever have been able to do that!
Yeah... how did they do?
A- did very well. The audacity of his music selection favorably impressed the adjudicator and his performance went well. He gets to repeat the whole thing in May at the Maryland State Solo and Ensemble Competition where the competition is keener and the judging tougher.
D- did OK but he's a lot like me in that his nerves caused him to become a little flustered during his performance. He regards NOT having to perform at the Maryland State competition as a positive outcome.
K-
I remember participating in Solo and Ensemble when I was in jr high and high school. I couldn't eat for about a week before. Congrats to both your boys for having the outcomes they desired.
I LOVED competition!! I would practice and practice and then we would all get on the bus and drive for a 1/2 day to get to where the competition was, we'd play, then run around all over the campus where we were, wait for everybody else to finish their competition, watch the ones we were concerned about, and then pile back into the bus and sleep all the way home!! It was FUN!!! That was 45 years ago...GOOD LORD!!!!