Festivals vs. Contests
My Position

In my experience, "festival" and "contest" have, in fact, had different meanings - but their meanings were a little different than those presented in this article. Contest was a competitive event, where bands were adjudicated, scored, and ranked against each other. Festivals, then, were completely non-competitive. In my definition, anyway, this went so far as to mean that no scores were given. Adjudicators made comments on paper and on tape, and then one (they rotated with each band or ensemble) judge went with the band to its clinic room immediately after the performance and worked with the band for a 30-minute session or something. I will use these definitions for the rest of this reaction.

I do not believe competition is bad. Competition can be a very healthy way to get feedback. It is fun to be rewarded for good work. And, quite honestly, it is fun to see how you rank against your competitors – even if this means that you are not as good as a specific ensemble. However, the mindset and approach to competition must be right. At my high school, we had a very competitive marching band. We won a lot, including one state championship and one national championship, just in the four years I marched in the band. I then won my second title with them as staff my first year out of the band. Competition was very important to us.

However, I can honestly say that we (and by “we” I mean the staff and majority of the students – there will always be exceptions) truly valued our performances over the judges’ scores and rankings. One very poignant example of this comes to mind. The year that we won BOA Grand Nationals (2001), we had been an underdog. We were strong, but just not at the top of the field. We had accepted that because our show was so highly designed that we knew we were above many people’s heads and we just may not be accepted by some – and that’s okay. We believed in our show, the music, what we were trying to convey, and how we were going about putting it on the field. When we finished our Grand Nats Finals performance, we marched off the field, and erupted into “celebration” in the tunnel under the RCA Dome. We hadn’t won anything. We had hardly even made it off the field – but we knew, at that instant, that it was the best performance we had put out on the field. That’s all that mattered. First or last, or the more probably second or third, we didn’t care – the show was amazing. Thus, we later returned to the field for awards retreat with no worries. Sure, we wanted to be rewarded for that performance, but we had no expectations of winning. In fact, we did not even win a caption award, so we just assumed we placed third or fourth. But then they called fifth. And then they called fourth. And then third. “Cool, second to Carmel!” we all thought. And then they called Carmel for second. Needless to say, we were ecstatic. Yes, it feels good to win. It felt great to win the National Championship, and to finally beat Carmel (hadn’t happened much that year!). But I almost remember more vividly the feeling we had after coming off the field.

My point to all this is that, even at a highly competitive, very successful school such as Lawrence Central, performance reigns over accolades. I believe this is a very healthy way of looking at musical ensembles. I don’t believe competition is necessary, but I believe it should not be categorically avoided as evil. With the proper mindset and guidance, the kids can learn to appreciate and evaluate their performances first. Then, if the judges see fit, enjoy the spoils of battle.

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