I've thought about this since I initially hovered over the subject - and I admit, I haven't read all the posts, so forgive me if I am repeating.

I think there is room for both but I don't think the point of the music should be a contest.

Every year I was in school, I sat first chair in the all-state band. I even beat out the default alto as section leader, which made the other tenor players that I competed against cheer for me. This gave me a lot of confidence in my playing ability and the encouragement I needed to embark on a musical career.

On the other hand, I certainly don't think the point of playing music should be a contest. It should be for the players to enjoy making music and the audience to enjoy listening to music.

But then we humans like to make everything a contest, dance contests, cheerleader contests, beauty contests, and tons of other things that I don't think should really be contests because the winner is subjective.

In footrace, it's easy to pick the winner, whoever gets to the finish line first. The person who hurls the javelin the farthest is the clear cut winner.

But who can really say which of the two beauties in a beauty contest is prettier? Which movie is actually the best one? Who can say which of two great brass bands played better? There is no clear cut winner. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and who says the chosen judges are the world's foremost arbiters of good taste?

Once there is no score, no finish line, no clear cut goal, not only is no human qualified to judge it for all of humanity, but there is room for politics and favorites. That leads to corruption.

But again, getting first chair in the all-state band even when I was a freshman and over the alto players really made me feel worthy as a sax player. But was there someone better who was just having a little off day? Did my audition just fit with the taste of the judges better?

So I guess my answer is really a non-answer.

Insights and incites by Notes


Last edited by Notes Norton; 10/14/15 03:29 AM.
Bob "Notes" Norton smile Norton Music
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