Contest focus can be difficult to obtain, if you have nothing to aim for then what is the point some might say, well there is always something to aim for: staying in the section, going for the section above, whipping the competition, grabbing the trophy or just trying to be the best you can at the time. Take your pick and you have then obtained Contest Focus.
Our Band
On stage at the 3rd Section Nationals Finals, Harrogate 2008
Friday 25 February 2011
Contest Focus
Contest Focus is difficult in my opinion, playing in a brass band as a hobby has it's own draw backs, you don't get paid, you rely on 20+ other players to put in the effort and attend rehearsals as well as yourself. Playing is not an everyday affair for most second section bands, would you be expected to turn up once a week and perform at a high standard for your day job, do you think the results would be consistently good, probably not, so why do we beat ourselves up about contests? I personally like the challenge, it gets the players of the band playing regularly which must be good for the overall output, it is team building and rewarding when things go right on the day, it is also good to know where you sit in the scheme of things, as a player and a band.
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Excellent post Andrew!!
ReplyDeleteI think you've nailed it with 'trying to be the best you can'. Okay, it's great to win, or achieve a top 3 placing; to qualify for the Finals if it's the Areas; staying in the section, going for promotion; whatever other driver. But for me, it's about the band doing our best.
In my opinion, this should always be the ultimate goal for the band, whether it's on the contest stage, during rehearsals, and perhaps more importantly, when entertaining the public.