The judge’s comment sheet read: “I’m sorry but the left pedal is not used for color. Good try anyway.” I read it again. It still said the same thing. What do you do when a judge is really far off base? Michael Gurt was short and to the point years ago when a teacher asked him that during a conference session. “Get better judges.”

Unfortunately, once the comment is made, it is left to the teacher to deal with the aftermath. In a private studio this usually involves calming down parents. Fortunately, the current crop of reality competition shows on TV give us an unexpected framework for discussion. Some TV judges act like Marine drill sergeants, some are nurturing, some are probing, some are flamboyant, others come across as just plain mean. The Olympic Games give us another framework. Who hasn’t been surprised by the program presentation scores given in say, Ice Skating?

Plain and simple: judges are human. They make mistakes and questionable statements and there are no take backs. There is no anonymity either. Judging forms are signed by all adjudicators. If the pianist gave a convincing performance, and truly worked up to their potential, then there should be no guilt. Whining is absolutely not allowed. You are you and the judges like what they like. It is unpredictable and just like on TV, the audience favorite doesn’t always win.

And, for something completely different, here’s a link to a prior post with some fun piano music for Halloween:) Trick or Treat!

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