The Rule of Law vs. Compassion: performance competitions as a reflection of teaching

It’s time for me to decompress and debrief after six years of service on the committee for the AGO National Young Artists Competition in Organ Performance:

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association’s motto for pilots-in-training says, “A good pilot is always learning.” This implies that the licensed pilot is far from finished with training, and I believe the same is true for teachers. While we hope for learning on the student’s part, learning is virtually unavoidable for the teacher.

Another layer to this concept lies in running a competition, which I discovered requires as much teaching from me as it offers new lessons for me. My work with NYACOP afforded me many glimpses into organ studios nationwide. I learned much about today's organ pedagogy, today’s generation of students, and myself. I have also learned that the scenarios in teaching AND competition administrating are often interchangeable:

I. Most competitors’ [or students’] questions will be answered by the rules [or syllabus]. Write the rules carefully. I have seen ignorance of the rules indicate everything from a moment of innocent forgetfulness to an abiding, blatant disrespect of all authority. Rules are not usually considered interesting reading, and many people are not driven to read them until a crisis occurs that could have been prevented by knowing the rules better. Write your rules carefully, and follow them. Bright young minds will always discover loopholes in even the most longstanding or carefully written rules. Expect those, and keep track of them for clarification next time around.

II. Define your deadlines carefully. Will you impose a postmark deadline or an arrival deadline for competition applications? [Will you accept the assignment immediately after class, or is it due upon arrival to class?] Will online submissions be accepted if they are submitted after close-of-day on the due date? What will you do with the truly excellent but unfortunately day-late application or assignment? Woefully few people respect the difference between completing something at a certain time and completing it by a certain time. Deadlines are usually treated as hazy targets, at which sincere but sloppy aim is taken so that projects are completed only just in time, if not late. Murphy’s Law is real, and the eleventh hour is its life blood. How many times have we teachers walked into class and heard about the printer problems the students experienced for the assignment – on their way to class? Many people regard a deadline as the actual target, rather than as the fine (and therefore dangerous) line between being on time and being late.

III. Decide how fluid your parameters for compassion will be. Many incomplete competition applications lack only a letter of recommendation, ostensibly out of the applicant’s control (and perhaps representing some Murphy’s Law courtship on the part of the recommender??). Or the birth certificate, carefully set aside weeks ago, gets buried under some papers and does not make it into the application package. At the other extreme, I have seen incomplete applications come through as if to reserve a place at the table for the applicant, who writes, “I will overnight the rest of the materials later this week.” Some admissions offices, competition committees, hiring committees, and compassionate teachers accept late submissions. Airlines, drill sergeants, grant fund agencies, and the IRS do not. The real-world component of deadlines in a competition may be clear-cut, but extenuating circumstances (stolen wallets, hurricanes, and death, to name a few I’ve heard) can sometimes be compelling, and the committee vote on accepting or rejecting could go either way. The fulcrum between adherence to rules and compassion may move around as the competition progresses: more at first, less as the pressure builds into the final rounds, or vice-versa. Maintain a healthy balance between compassion and rigor on a case-by-case basis. The competition has to be run well, while at the same time fulfilling the lofty goal to jumpstart young careers. Forgiveness may make all the difference to the innocent, or it may make none to the habitual offender.

IV. Decide how important presentation is. Required application materials are usually clearly defined, but presentation is usually left open to interpretation. A competition board could “grade” applications like any other assignment requiring adherence to rules. We received everything from incomplete forms to copious information we did not request. We received recordings with neatly typed content titles inserted carefully into the CD case, and we received recordings whose titles were merely scribbled somewhere. We received recordings containing more pieces than requested, were inaudible, exceeded the time limit, or exhibited evidence of disallowed studio editing. Poor presentation may reflect anything from last-minute organization to a language barrier to an apparent lack of seriousness. To disqualify or to forgive – that is always the question.

V. Decide on – then demand – a high level of professionalism. There seems to be no end to the distractions young people invite into their lives. One competitor got married seven days after entering the competition; another entered an international contest at the same time; another was unreachable for three weeks after her application was accepted; and I once heard a newly-selected finalist say, “Well, I guess I’d better learn the finals music now.” One year, I had to remind competitors to answer my emails promptly and not to ignore calls from numbers they do not recognize. I regularly reminded competitors how to dress for live performance rounds. Performance competitions -- and careers -- are about a great deal more than just playing well.

VI. Avoid competition committee service if you care more about the rules than about the competitors. Rules are nice and neat in print, but then they have to be interpreted, enforced, and sometimes bent but never broken. Enter compassion. The opportunity for a competition director to provide gentle guidance for a young performer is daunting yet rewarding, but it could be perceived as an indictment of the competitor’s teacher. Exercise caution, but see it as the opportunity it is; students nearly always respond favorably to a good example.

VII. After the competition, decide if administration is still for you. It most certainly is not, thank you very much. I love teaching too much.