<p>I’m sorry, I know this has nothing to do with Music Majors but I had to get this off my chest. My D performed a flute and a piccolo solo this past weekend. She performed a nice Class A flute solo (Syrinx if any flute people are interested), since she enjoys playing her piccolo, she added a little Class B solo that was fun to play. </p>
<p>She switched teachers last year and they had not worked on the piccolo at all until contest. When he finally heard her play the piccolo he expressed amazement. He thought that she had real talent playing the piccolo, honestly he was amazed and kept telling her that she was really a fine piccolo player.</p>
<p>So we go to contest and get the results. A I on the Class A flute solo and a II on the Class B piccolo solo. She was really upset about the piccolo solo, she found out her score before her flute solo. She was convinced that she failed her flute solo and was misreable the entire day (got to love the dramatic teenage years). We were amazed to hear of the I for the flute solo, she didn’t even want to find out and wanted to leave for the day because she was convinced that it was terrible.</p>
<p>I read the comments this morning and this is what the piccolo judge had to say. He thought that her tone on the piccolo was rather thin, needed more support and that she had some intonation tone problems. He writes that “with practice,the top rating can be yours”. He puts that she has nice feeling in her phrasing and expression and that her technique was good. </p>
<p>On the comments for the flute solo the judges comments were that she has a very mature flute tone and a good sense of intonation. He called her performance “very impressive, you have a very mature tone quality and advanced technique”.</p>
<p>This is where the rant comes in. I know that each judge has his or her own opinion but I wonder if the piccolo judge has any idea how hard the piccolo is to create a good tone. My D and I were bowled over by the comments. I don’t even know what to make of them. How can she have a very mature tone quality on the flute but a thin, not very well supported tone on the piccolo. (Her performance on the piccolo was the same as she practiced it for her teacher and he has never commented that her tone was something to work on, in fact he has commented that she sounds really good.)</p>
<p>Sorry for taking up space. I just had to tell this somewhere to people who understand. I can’t imagine if she decides to audition for college ensembles, I will be a nervous wreak.</p>
<p>Judges for S & E vary widely. You never know what experience they have, if they have judged before, if they have been trained to judge, if they have experience working with kids, etc. Maybe her sound was thin that day. Maybe the judge has little or no piccolo experience or perhaps the judge has a LOT of experience and has high standards. You don’t really know. I think the important thing about S & E is to try to look at scores somewhat objectively and take what you can from the comments. Your daughter has not been playing piccolo very long. She now knows that one person feels that she needs to work on her tone production and intonation. She should share the comments with her teacher and go from there. It is not worth getting all upset about, especially since she has not been playing the instrument that long.</p>
<p>Actually, the comments sound quite positive. As a general matter, the judges at competitions vary tremendously, from those who write nice comments to those who say not-so-nice things that to a sensitive person could be devastating…Similarly, some are friendly at auditions, some are cold and unfriendly, and won’t even say hello or look up. Your daughter should take it in stride; the experience of doing the auditions is probably what is most important.</p>
<p>Thanks for your comments. You are right Shennie, I need to stop and not get upset. She has been playing the picc for almost 4 years. She’s been to contest before and received I’s on her picc solo, I guess these comments came out of left field so to speak.</p>
<p>It is good that you and your daughter are unpleased about getting less than full marks. Instead of getting upset or angry at the unfairness of it all, try to channel that energy into preparation and playing for the next contest or audition.</p>
<p>My wife plays both flute and piccolo and teaches flute at a local college. She tells me that, while there are many similarities between the instruments, there are enough differences that it takes concentration to play both at a high level in the same program. There are some subtle mental and physical gears that have to be shifted and it is not unusual for a young player to have exactly the kinds of problems that you mention when launching into a piccolo solo after having played flute for a while.</p>
<p>She also points out that there are a couple of other possibilities to consider. If your daughter was among the earliest to play, the judges like to leave themselves a little room to reward the best players and are reluctant to give the absolute highest scores right at the beginning. Likewise, if she played toward the end, the judges can get tired and unconsciously become a bit pickier about minor things than they were earlier on. </p>
<p>Finally, some judges just do not like doublers and will go out of their way to find fault with someone whom they feel is either “wasting” time on a second instrument that could be better spent on the judge’s favorite instrument or who is treating the judge’s favorite instrument as second best. I certainly do not agree with that attitude, particularly toward younger students, but it does exist.</p>
<p>Thank you BassDad, I was hoping that you would comment. You are exactly right, she was one of the first to play that day, I think that she was the 3rd person to play before that judge. He also asked if this was the only solo that she was to perform and she was honest in her answer.</p>
<p>We’ll review the comments with her teacher when we meet with him next. Although she likes playing the picc, it’s not what she has been concentrating on. Maybe her teacher will want to work on her picc or maybe he’ll decide that he wants her to concentrate on her flute. My D doesn’t expect to play the picc at the same level that she plays her flute which was why she chose a Class B solo instead of Class A.</p>
<p>deb
My D is also a flute/picc player,but now done with auditions/contests…shes in Grad school.Oh how we remember those days…
what is the quality of the picc she is playing?If shes serious about it,it may be time to step up the quality of her instrument…it could be contributing to the inability to get away from that “thin” tone.
D purchased her handmade picc from a well known maker/dealer in the NY area right before her junior year in HS.It made a world of difference.</p>
<p>Around here, S & E is meant to be an encouraging event for students. Judges are supposed to keep their comments positive, regardless of the score. Not all judges always “get” this. I have accompanied my children many times, and have come across a wide variety. The first time my S played at one, I lost it. He was playing a difficult Mozart Concerto, and my piano accompaniment was all over the keyboard. When I walked in the room, I was faced with a 5 octave keyboard on a desk top, which wobbled continually. The number of notes I missed greatly outnumbered the ones I hit. My S played well, considering. However, afterwards, the first words out of the judge’s mouth were scolding him for not tuning to the keyboard. (S was in 7th grade, and had been playing horn for exactly a year. How about, “Wow, a Mozart Concerto after only a year?”) I was so keyed up (no pun intended) from the nerves of the situation, that I walked out of the room and burst into tears. S did get a “1” on the performance, but it still rankles to think about it.</p>
<p>But S did learn – he ALWAYS tunes in front of the judge, even if he tuned just a moment ago outside the door! I learned too – I hire accompanists now.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry about solo and ensemble judges. As everyone has said, they vary widely…many aren’t great musicians themselves. I wouldn’t take it to heart…my kids don’t do these competitions…their teachers do not think highly of the judging panels generally. However, it’s always a great idea to keep improving sound and intonation…no matter how advanced one is, one can always improve.<br>
I suggest renting “Stick It” with your daughter; it’s about competitive gymnastics, but is basically a message to gymnastics judges. Very funny movie.</p>