My impressions and suggestions, from the last Ananda Sukarlan Award

Now that the Ananda Sukarlan Award Competition is over, and also the elections in our country is too (this is the first time I voted! Not really because I especially admire my candidate, but because the other candidate had promised to banish all democracy in my country if he'd won, by saying that the people wouldn't have to take the hassle of voting anymore. He will rule until the end of his life!. That, plus his very bad track record of kidnappings and killings during the Soeharto era. So, of course I voted the other candidate.) I would write about my impressions from the competition. .............................................................................................................................................. The issue that disturbed me the most is that so many young pianists (read: children) play pieces that were waaaay too difficult for them. Perhaps their teacher or parents thought that it would impress the jury and that we'd give higher marks. WRONG!! We give marks according to how that pianist play. If (s)he plays an easy(er) piece well, then (s)he would receive higher marks than if (s)he'd play a more difficult piece but clearly showing that it is too difficult. I feel sorry for any students when their teacher give them challenging material to "stretch" them. A good example is my Rapsodia Nusantara pieces. Those Rapsies are just too difficult for them who just studied piano for 3 or 4 years! They are definitely not meant for them. Even I sometimes regret writing some bits in those Rapsies, since I gotta study days 'n days to play them smoothly! .............................................................................................................................................. I can't claim that I am a teacher since I have no real students, but personally, I would not assign a piece that the child can't play. Or at least, I don't assign a piece that I expect they won't be able to do well. While there are certain developmental stages, there are always children that are exceptions. But giving a piece which is still (waaay) too difficult also disturbs the natural learning process of a student. .............................................................................................................................................. Another issue was that many participants complained "... but I did it well in the classroom! Why did I mess up?" Well, playing in front of people is sooooo different than playing alone or just for your teacher in the class. So, students should have given the chance to try out his program in front of a small audience. And if possible, no, no, it's always possible and even not difficult nowadays, to record (in audio or better even video). Watch and listen the recording together with your teacher, not only to the interpretation, but also to see if there are any distracting mannerisms or facial expressions. Listening and watching yourself from the outside is a completely different experience than what you perceive from the inside. Follow along with the music like you did with the professional recording and critique yourself. In the stress of the performance, we play what we have programmed ourselves to play, not what we “hoped” would turn out right. And perhaps you'd notice that the first try out, things would turn out rather messy. So, the more try outs you do, the better. No one is ever perfect, but you want the odds to be in your favor. Being able to play through cleanly nine out of ten times is much better odds. .............................................................................................................................................. Performance anxiety is quite a popular issue too. Well, I can't help you with this. It happens to just about everybody, but there are things you can do to help. But if I, suffering from Asperger's Syndrome can overcome it, then I know that YOU can achieve it too. Here are some hints 'n ideas. First, know yourself. If you are naturally shy, more work will be needed in this area. Things that have helped me are: know the piece well enough that I can play it even while I am in a state when I can't focus, or not having had a good night sleep, or other adverse situation. Observe, correct and redirect your negative automatic thoughts, don’t worry, regulate your breathing, use relaxation techniques while waiting to play. It helps to teach students to non-judgmentally notice their random, unproductive thoughts, and learn to gently, but quickly, refocus back on the music. Again, I wanna say to you : stage fright is very, very normal, and even great performers have it. Being unfocused is very normal too. But how to go back to focus is a skill that we all have to, and can learn. .............................................................................................................................................. Certainly there are more issues that I can't remember for now (perhaps I will write another entry about this), but to end this, I would like to advice you to build up calm mental confidence towards the end. In the last few weeks before the performance, switch over from correction to praise mode. Not that you should be less critical, but you should also see the good sides of your playing. Aaaand ... time is running out! Don’t try to make any major adjustments in the last 10 days - two weeks. Focus on expression. Teachers, start pointing out all the things the student is doing right. Remind them of all the careful preparation and hard work they have done, and how ready they are. Bolster a strong sense of internal trust that what they have worked on will be there when they need it. Tell them you believe they are ready and will do well. They need encouragement and support this time, not anymore harsh criticisms! .............................................................................................................................................. OK then, good luck in preparing your next competition, folks! For now, I leave you with the winners of the youngest category of the competition. 2 winners got the First Prize of the Little Elementary category, and coincidentally both are from the same city: Surabaya. They are Hamond Rahardjo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntbAnc2lfvk , and Olivia TS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emDucHXcLtA . Now THEY didn't play pieces which are too hard for them. And listen how they could feel the music inside them. Enjoy !