Are there any North West Piano Competitions for student pianists? Or even just general competitions? I've already missed the Southport Festival, and my school competition is terribly low standard, if it wasn't for a competitor entering the Fantasie Impromptu by Chopin, I could have won hands down with the Schubert Impromptu No.4 in A flat

Hi I-L.

Go here for the Federation of Festivals. They publish a year book with all their festivals listed, along with when they happen and a contact number. Let me know if you have difficulty.

Steve

I'm guessing you email them for a copy?

yes, but it costs a few quid - not much, but might be a time to tap the parents

No can do on that. I need to get cash for
1) SRC subscription
2) Grade 7 Recorder books
3) Clothes
4) My meal on the 25th
5) Clubbing on the 21st
6) Meeting someone at a cafe in Liverpool on the 20th
7) Train fares for 4 5 6
8) Grade 7 Recorder exam fee
9) Anything else that may crop up

Expensive business, life, isn't it?!

Hmm... so you're looking for a standard that's higher than your school one, but where you still can win as long as no one trumps your Schubert?

More practically, perhaps your school music department could be persuaded to buy a copy of the festivals guide - might be of use to several students?

You need cash to go clubbing?

No YAP - re-write that as You need to go clubbing????

Incidentally where's the "It's not the winning that's important; it's the taking part...." ??!! (Joking....... )

If pieces at that level are being played and the standard of the competition is 'terribly low' I dread to think how badly they must be being played. Is it the school who can name the hardest piano piece and sit at the piano claiming they're playing it competition ?


I-L., you won't need any money to go clubbing since you're too young to get in: quite a cheap night really, you go to the door, they say you can't go in and you save lots of money . Bit of a waste of train fare though....

No, it's just that most are Grade 5 and below. But incidently, the hardest piece in each category (Junior, Senior and Prepatory school) ALWAYS wins. I'm hoping that the Schubert can compare to the Chopin


Well...I wouldn't be too hasty about that now AP But I do like going to Manchester to be with people so it wouldn't be a total waste of train fare!

CD, I don't need to go clubbing at all, but since it'll be 2 days before my birthday when I plan to go, why not eh?

YAP yes, money i.e. train fare, drinks (only coke/water etc, I don't drink alcohol), food, protection etc



Not quite

Possibly, I'm not sure, I might enter a festival close to my school if it still goes on



Very

If the hardest piece always wins, you may as well play a hard piece badly, then? The judges should have more sense... How a piece is played is more important: I'd rather listen to someone play an easier piece really beautifully than someone lose a fight with a harder one. Playing all the notes in approximately the right order is barely half the battle....


If you have money for train fare and clubbing then you have money to get the festival guide, it's just a question of where your priorities lie...


I think YAP was suggesting that you don't actually NEED to go clubbing - you want to - which is a different kettle of fish entirely.

Yes, that's what I was trying to get at .

Well of course the better played the piece the better chance of winning

That's the thing Sarah, I DON'T have the money (yet)

I dunno, I'll ask in school about local competitions. Saves getting the book

Maybe I'm missing something here buy you can't really complain because you are grade 5 standard too surely .


That's not a competition for piano playing then: if it were the best performance would win, taking into account both the difficulty of the piece, but more importantly how well it is played. Someone who can play a hard piece badly is not a skilled pianist: they're an inferior robot (inferior since the robot wouldn't make any mistakes) but someone who can play a simple piece well is actually demonstrating pianistic skill . Obviously it's a balance between the two, but if the hardest piece always wins it's not representative of who's the best pianist .

Well, AP, some of the younger kids (year 3-6) are remarkably good! Last year we had one 9/10 year old do the theme and 2 or 3 variations from a Mozart Theme and Variations VERY impressive to say the least, and a 10 year old do the CPE Bach Solfeggio

But, incidently, the most difficult pieces always do seem to be pretty well performed. Maybe it's just coincidence

Well I would hope they are, because I would hope that better pianists would be playing them. However, for a given pianist there will be an optimum difficulty of piece to play to have the best chance of winning. Therefore simply picking the hardest piece one can play does not necessarily give one the best chance of winning. Unless the objectives of the competition are not as they seem....

I'm praying I can get the Schubert Impromptu in A flat polished in the next couple of weeks

Which of the Grade 7 recorder pieces do you need? We bought loads and don't necessarily want to keep them all (but will never part with Sammartini!)

Really?

The Heberle Concerto in G, Bowen Sonatina, Vivaldi Sonata in G minor from Il Pastor Fido and Couperin La Vivacite for fun