I'm reading the first post introducing the new site. One of the things I read half ways down is:
Im hoping this structure will minimise cheating and level the playing field a touch so that a less experienced pianist can beat an advanced one based on the effort they put in to learning and discussing their experiences.
I think that what
prevented cheating the first time round, so that it was not even a thought, were the goals and purpose that were set up. The fact of it being a competition needlessly got in the way, but everyone involved was caught up in the actual purpose. Especially those of us at the lower end of the learning curve were interested in the learning and approach side of it. There is nothing to minimize since you cannot minimize zero. But the idea conjured up by the word "competition" attracted at least one individual who was then in this competitive atmosphere that brings out the worst in people, and that's what soured everything. That single most preventive thing, imho, was the exploring-learning-teaching atmosphere we had. I would have liked to see that in this new venture. When it has the title "Competition" in the name of the new site itself, will that purpose come a cross and will it be preserved? Or is there an inherent cross-purpose due to the nature of the thing?
Prizes will not necessarily be for best performance.. They may be for things such as, most improved performer since a previous event, most valued contributor to the discussion thread.. Etc.
This at least goes in the right direction. With "most improved performance" you are competing against yourself (can this lead to the temptation of cheating?). The contributions to thread can also be a good antidote to the unpleasantness we saw.
Hopefully, this will be a successful enough operation that it is not only engaging for people like us who are totally piano obsessed but also as a teacher resource - so that real life students can be given a place to share their performances and be guaranteed to receive both constructive criticism and the encouragement of their peers. - something which they may not have access to, or perhaps limited access to even with a teacher.
This is the part that interests me (italics are mine). May I suggest adding the idea of learning resource - it's almost the same but there is a shade of difference.
On a personal level I have some major differences in philosophy, but my personal beliefs should not enter into it. They are as follows: I do not like the idea of competitions, because it changes the atmosphere, the relationship to music, and even the interaction of peers. I do not even like - personally - the idea of being "most improved" - because both as student and educator this can cause the mark to be missed. As a learner I must overcome physical obstacles, poor habits, and I must acquire new ways of doing things and thinking etc. In the course of this, temporarily my playing may actually become worse, and that may be a good sign that I'm doing the right thing. Some teachers here may understand where I'm coming from. So goals for me are things like: learning new ideas, exploring new things - rather than end results. This puts me outside the world of competitions, and I may just go along for the ride.
Overall .... BRAVO! Intent is 75% of the journey and the intent is right.
Topic: VOTE : PS Competition, Round 1 - Performances