Beethoven Competition - How to prepare

[green]

A Student's parents sent me a link to the local Beethoven competition, and asked if I thought there child should enter. My student is 10 years old, barely reads music, but is very talented and has learned to play a Chopin waltz by rote (not from me). There are three age categories, his is 8-12 years old, its in Oct this year. He is currently working on mozart k545, he just can reach an octave, and doesn't play all that evenly, and we are working a great deal on his technique which is slow going. My first reaction was amazement that they would even consider themselves near ready to enter something like this, then realizing that they have no idea what is involved, but then again perhaps it would be a way to motivate him to practice for 2 hours/day, to learn a great group of new pieces, and to give him an opportunity to feel the excitement of this kind of competitive performance. I'm trying to be positive and to use the opportunity to raise his level of practice to a new unprecedented level. What do you think?

Here's the work:

1st Round: Competitors prepare one piece from group 1 and one piece from group 2
1. One Two-Part Invention by J. S. Bach

2. One piece by L. van Beethoven to be selected from:
      Sonatina in G Major (Complete)
      Sonatina in F Major (Complete)
      Sonata Op. 49, No.1 (Complete), or No. 2 (Complete) 
      Ecossaises WoO 83
      Two Bagatelles from the same opus number: Op. 33, Op. 119 or Op. 126
      Bagatelle in A Minor, “Für Elise” WoO 59

2nd (Final) Round: Competitors prepare the compulsory piece from group 3, one piece from group 4 and one piece from group 5
3. Compulsory piece: L. van Beethoven “Rondo in C Major Op. 51, No. 1”

4. One Etude by Czerny (Op.299), Heller (Op. 45 and 46) or Moszkowski (Op. 91)

5. One Variation by L. van Beethoven to be selected from:
       9 Variations in C Minor on a March by Dressler, WoO 63
       6 Variations on a Swiss Song in F major, WoO 64
       6 Variations in G Major on “Nel cor più non mi sento”, WoO 70        6 Variations in G Major, WoO 77

[j_menz]

What does the kid think of the idea? The extra work involved, the extra pressure? What would he expect to get out of it - an experience or a result?

[dima_76557]

A Student's parents sent me a link to the local Beethoven competition, and asked if I thought there child should enter. My student is 10 years old, barely reads music, but is very talented and has learned to play a Chopin waltz by rote (not from me). [...] What do you think?

I find the idea itself suspicious. It would be interesting to know what the sanctions will be for you when the child fails expectations in something the parents planned for him. Of course, you will get the blame. Most probably, they will transfer him to the teacher that produced the "winner". If your student were already ready for this right now with known repertoire to choose from, I would say: it's worth a try, but considering the circumstances, I don't think this is a good idea.

[green]

I found out that it was in fact another tutor (math!) who suggested it to my student and the mother. This is just interference plain simple, what a idiot. The blind leading the blind, who is being paid here to advise on this child's future in music...

[j_menz]

who is being paid here to advise on this child's future in music...

Nobody. You are being paid to teach him to play the piano. Don't get above your station.

[green]

Personally though, if I am asked, I consider it a part of my job to advise students in respect to decisions which concern their future. Competitions, and whether or not they are ready to enter them, concerns their future in a huge way, I must partially take responsibility for those decisions, they can be both positive and negative, and effect their life in a deep way. That is why I am angry that some jerk math tutor is suggesting to the student and his mother that he should consider entering a competition.

[keypeg]

Stop being angry and take on your role as his teacher.  Given his background, it's high time he had one.  A teacher shapes his student's skills, and what he plans to have the student do when is part of that.  Children aren't toys for parents and strangers to experiment with.  Teachers aren't unskilled labour to do their bidding.  If you were a mechanic and somebody brought his car in asking you to fill the gas tank with sugar water because his naturapath friend told him it's the green thing to do, would you do it?   If you are indeed an expert in your field, why should you agree to things that may harm your student, or at least not benefit him, and probably won't be good for your reputation either?