just a general question...

[Claiken]

why is the flute so darn competative/harder than other instruments (mainly talking about auditions here).

like, just because there are alot of us, why do we haev to be lightyears better than say, a bassoon player.... shouldnt we still be graded on the same system even though there are alot of us? ive always felt it very unfair and kinda biased, that if that 1 bassoon auditioner sucked, they get in anyway cuz theyre the only one, but yet if we work our a$$es off, we are still considered 'medokre'.

know what im getting at? why is that?

[flutepicc06]

It's for exactly the reason you mentioned....There are tons of flute players. In fact, flute is one of the most popular instruments (behind only piano, violin, and voice). With or sheer numbers, the odds of finding a truly fantastic player in the mix increase, and thus our "grading scale" changes. It's actually a good thing, since it forces us to constantly improve our playing, even if it can get a bit annoying come audition time.

[fluteguy18]

::sniff:: I smell bitterness in the air.

It is exactly because there are so many of us. Usually, with quantity, quality goes out the window. So, because there are so many of us, there are a lot of sub-par players. Therefore, the grading scale must be more discriminatory [as in picky, not as in prejiduce], to find the truly exceptional players.

Now does this mean that all auditions are fair? Certainly not. Auditions are never fair because you are not being evaluated as a player overall, but rather how you play at a specific moment in time. So, because music is an art, there are days that it is good, and days that it is less than wonderful.

I myself am currently feeling the burn of a rejection from an audition. I auditioned for the Flute Society of Kentucky Collegiate Artist Competition, and I didnt get into the final round. But, it doesnt bother me hardly at all. Auditions are merely a snapshot of your playing at a specific moment in time. Does that mean the players who got in are better than I am? No. Does it mean I am better than they are and have been unjustly punished? No. All it means is that at that specific moment, the judges heard something they liked better in the playing of those specific individuals. End of story. I was prepared [had been preparing for 7 months] and I was very satisified with my audition. I definately hear things that I could improve, but those are things that I noticed only after I submitted my entry, and have since allowed me to grow as a musician.

So yes. Auditions are hard, and seemingly unfair at times because they are unfair. Art/ Music is completely subjective and there is no set way to determine who is the best. All that we can do, is brush off "failure," keep working hard, and hopefully the judges will like us better next time.

[Claiken]

i guess mainly it sucks because they wont reject the awful bassoon player, but they will reject a really quite good flute player. like, to me, that bassoon player (in my random example lol) should have to work just as hard and go through just as many rejections as us. why? fairness. unless a student comes in who has invented an instrument, and theyre the only person on earth playing it, there should be set standards that do not get pushed aside, no matter how many or few players there is. know what i mean?

like, either let in the 'medokre' flute players as well (medokre meaning good, but not exceptional yet), or DONT let in the lousy bassoon player. yah know? like right now i feel like if i were to switch to an uncommon instrument and learn the basics, i would get in with flying colors basically because id be the only one... but i shouldnt need to feel like that. all instruments are hard and should be equally graded/judged.

i know im kinda ranting but its true is it not? like my french horn (theres only 2 at my school, versus like 30 flutists give or take) friend gets every seat she auditions for, every teacher thinks shes amazing - but she has no idea. I am already better than her at playing, but to the judges i still dont matter yet, while she is looked at as practically a musical god. know what i mean?

[arabians207]

Yep, its because there are so many of us.. it all gets extremely competitive

And I'm smart having picked flute and violin as my two instruments.. (im in both the school top band and top orchestra) and both are extremely competitive sections, even more so at my school. Out of the 15 or so violins that tried out all-state this year, only 3 of us didn't make it. I did get first alternate though. So over half of the violins selected (20) at our station (of 40 total) were from our school.

Then in our flute section, 4 of 5 selected at our station was from my school (60 total auditioned, 5 from my school.)

So there's my audition story Sometimes I'm mad about it as i know i could have played it better (I played it just a tiny bit too fast and a few parts got a little sloppy).. other times thinking about it im thrilled since i almost got in as I've only been taking private lessons for 4 months compared to others who got in have been taking them for several years. Although I'm excited as I know im basically guaranteed a spot the next two years as I did so well my first year trying out. I definately will practice more at the beginning (I was planning more on doing flute until the last month or so of it) and ya.. although i don't know if i want to try out on flute or just do violin.. that was a big deliemma this year and probably the next 2 years too lol

All the numbers just force us to try that much harder

[Claiken]

thats the thing too, i wish when auditioning you could tell them how long youve been playing/in lessons. im already behind compared to people who came out of the womb playing their instruments... in that regard its really not fair - i mean of course theyre better, theyve been at it for 10+ more years than me! and im being judged against their standards of playing! thats where its really unfair...

[fluttiegurl]

Claiken,
I hope this does not sound too harsh, but the truth is, you will always be compared to players who are better than you. That is just how it is. This is not a perfect world, and there is no way to make every audition fair, but in the defense of the players who have had more experience, they too work very hard.

Also remember that for some reason, you chose to play the flute. Because of that choice, it should not matter how easy auditions are for other instruments. Personally, I have absolutely no desire to play the bassoon, so I could care less what they have to deal with. Besides, those darn reeds would drive me insane

I have students who have been playing since age 7 who cannot touch one of my students who started much later and is now in college. The truth is, she works her butt off, and it shows, but she had to deal with her share of rejection as well. For instance, she never made all-state band, but plays in the university orchestra as a freshman.

Keep working hard and you time will come. It may not be exactly as you want, but failure is part of growing and it is also a hug part of life itself.

[fluteguy18]

For instance, she never made all-state band, but plays in the university orchestra as a freshman.

Keep working hard and you time will come. It may not be exactly as you want, but failure is part of growing and it is also a hug part of life itself.

Sounds like my life story....

Very well put Fluttiegurl. I can't agree more.

Rejection is something that we have to learn to live with. There will ALWAYS be someone better. So, we just have to get used to it, try our best and keep our focus on the most important thing. We love the flute. We play the flute because we love it. Not because it will make us rich [ *note sarcasm*], but because we love it. That of all things is the most important.

[flutepicc06]

Claiken,
I hope this does not sound too harsh, but the truth is, you will always be compared to players who are better than you. That is just how it is. This is not a perfect world, and there is no way to make every audition fair, but in the defense of the players who have had more experience, they too work very hard.

I definitely agree. In fact, I couldn't have put it better myself.

[Claiken]

oh, i was in no way trying to say that they dont work hard, or dont deserve their success. im just basically trying to say that i (or other people in my situation too) work very hard, but weve nothing to show for it, because of being compared to them. so far out of 4 auditions ive gotten 4 rejections (there is a 5th audition coming up). one audition for youth orchestra, i was 1st runner up! my friend was so happy for me. but, like being runner up matters. Being the best of the losers doesnt satisfy me, it doesnt get me anywhere. i need to be a winner. (she auditioned too on her instrument and got 1st chair-of course she was happy)

[joolz]

Perhaps you can find some way of speaking to someone who holds these auditions or who has done so in the past and ask them what is generally being looked for. Perhaps there is one area that, if improved, could get you those spots you really want.
This is totally off topic but when I did my first year University I only got passes and a few credits. I couldn't work out what I was doing wrong because some of my friends were getting much better results. I went and saw a couple of my lecturers and found out what it was they were looking for. It helped me immensely and I was getting distinctions and high distinctions after that. Sometimes you have to find out what they want and give 'em that.

Joolz

[fluttiegurl]

Very true. Different judges will be looking for different things. You also have to realize that in a lot of cases, attitude plays a big part in outcome. No, rejection is not a good feeling, but we all deal with it. How you handle that can definately help or hinder future auditions.

Also keep in mind that the way a person prepares for an audition plays a great role in the audition itslef. Playing in front of friends is very different than playing in front of strangers. The more you play by yourself for a group, the easier it should get. The little misical aspects of the piece can also play an inportant part. For instance, you can play the notes of a piece perfectly, but with no dynamics (just off the top of my head) it can be very dry. Be sure that when you learn a piece, you are considering more than just the notes. I see this a lot (why I mentioned it) with high school students working toward auditions.