Today, I Confess: I Am Conflicted.
As teachers, we must decide for ourselves how we feel about adjudicated events.
...and we're allowed to change our minds.
Let's state the obvious:
- Playing for a judge is not the right fit for every student
- In the master list of Pros and Cons, evaluative events have plenty of checks in both columns
- When adjudicated events go well, they're magic.
Around 60% of my studio is preparing for a festival next weekend. It's worth noting this email is being written from a place of exhaustion and general over-it-ness.
(So, as always, I reserve the right to change my mind later.) 🙃
Regardless, I can't help but ask myself if THIS is what I want my students' musical experience to be.
Even though *I* keep a balanced perspective on my studio calendar - knowing this particular event is just one of many things we do in the Piano Year - it's becoming apparent my students see it differently.
Despite many conversations to the contrary, they place so much weight on the outcome of these events.
Assuming their scores come out optimally, this is fine.
...But I've learned the impact of a less-than-desirable outcome often runs deeper than we see from the outside.
This isn't about kids today being "soft" or "expecting a participation trophy". Of course, there are always lessons to be learned from challenge.
The nagging question at the back of my mind is this: Do I want to equate making music so closely with "winning" or earning a particular score?
Even just once per year, I'm not sure...
This week's podcast episode was dedicated to the High-Achievers in our studios, and they're the ones I'm most worried about here.
Students who seem most well-suited for adjudicated events are likely in this camp of "high-achievers". They work hard, they appreciate the merits of playing for evaluations, and they generally rise to the occasion.
But these are ALSO the students most prone to defining themselves by their accomplishments or disappointments (ahem.🙋♀️)
As I said in Episode 206, Music is Bigger Than Our Accomplishments.
AND YET. As I said, I am conflicted.
There are things I *love* about adjudicated events.
That sense of accomplishment from a job well done (and acknowledged by another teacher/musician judge)? Again, it's magic.
The DEADLINE of evaluation? We all have students who need that well-defined goal.
The accountability required of me, as the teacher? Similarly, I love the clarity of spring-semester goals because they all revolve around events with a date.
The reinforcement of things I'm always saying? When another teacher echoes the feedback I give on a weekly basis, it seriously helps my case.
The glow of happy studio families after a job well-done? You can't ask for a better investment in student retention. Like it or not, parents love a "qualifier" on their investment, and high marks from a judge do the trick like no other.
In the end, piecing together perspectives on adjudicated events is one of those Big-Picture-Teacher-Things we must determine for ourselves.
I've only scratched the surface here, but I appreciate your attention while I confessed the dissonance in my brain today.
Now that I've shared (some of) my thoughts, tell me yours! Where do you fall on the Evaluative Events: Yay or Nay spectrum?
Do you think I'm just worn out from festival preparations and will feel all warm and fuzzy again in a week and a half? It's possible....
Click that REPLY button and tell me your thoughts!
🥂Cheers to embracing the many seasons of our TeacherLives, allowing ourselves the freedom to change our minds.🥂