Teacher Tyler shares with what it takes to prepare and perform for a music competition as one of his own students prepares for their chance at a music competition.

What goes into practicing for a student that is participating in a music competition?

There are three main things to consider for music competitions.

a: Repertoire: Choose interesting repertoire, and have the student prepare a large body of repertoire to choose from for any given competition. I usually have Jadon working on 3-4 pieces, one from each period (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Contemporary). Generally, students should avoid playing pieces that are going to be played by everyone at the competition. For example, I had Jadon play the third movement of the Haydn Sonata in E minor, not the first. I also took a risk by having him play the Bach Fugue in C minor, and not the prelude. It paid off, especially considering this is the first competition he ever entered.

b: Practice, practice, practice: Jadon typically practices 3-4 hours a day. This takes a tremendous amount of dedication from the student and the parents. He was homeschooled, but is now back at school, which has made it harder for him to practice. Jadon has a lot going for him, since he has unmatched perfect pitch. His progress for 3-4 years of lessons is astounding and extremely unusual.

What are some benefits of participating in a music competition? Why should students participate in music competitions?

The benefits are knowing the competition students are up against if they are interested in pursuing a career in music. It also encourages students to improve on their skills by comparison. That being said, it looks great on a college application. I do not recommend competitions for my students unless they are prepared to compete at a high level, and it can sometimes do more harm than good. I do put pressure on Jadon to prepare all of this music due to his remarkable talent, but I make the process fun and entertaining for him.

What advice would you give a student who is interested in entering a music competition, but they are unsure of where to start or which competitions to look for?

There are LOTS of competitions for young pianists, and many of them require only video screenings. I would recommend parents research competitions, read about them, and take the initiative. A lot of them are not in person now. If a student is prepared to play multiple contrasting pieces on a recording, there should be nothing stopping them from competing, especially now with the newer post-COVID requirements. The video can be their best performance, since they can take multiple recordings. If they place like Jadon, they might get to play at a place like Carnegie Hall, but they never know if they don't submit the recording.