Effects of Piano Competitions on Career Process
Musicians try to practice their professions by directing their careers in line with the goals they have determined as a result of the education they have received, and the knowledge and experience they have gained over the years. Musicians who direct their careers in different areas of music (chamber musician, soloist, accompanist orchestra player or educator) follow various paths that will contribute to their professional development in relation to the f ields they focus on. Among these paths, a musician who chose a soloist career participating in national and international competitions can be given as an example. Stage experience, preparation processes leading up to the competition, best ways interpretation the chosen repertoire at the highest level. Competitions encourage reaching the highest levels of performance, which can open the door to becoming a good soloist. This is an important way for a musician to reach the peak they are aiming for in their career. In this context, semi structured interviews were conducted facetoface and via the zoom platform to learn the experiences of expert pianists who participated in many national and international piano competitions throughout their careers and to what extent the gains they achieved as a result of the competitions were effective on their careers. It is thought that this research is important in terms of setting an example for pianists who want to advance in their solo career and creating a resource for similar subjects.
Piyano Yarışmalarının Kariyer Sürecine Etkileri
Müzisyenler, yıllar içerisinde aldıkları eğitim, elde ettikleri bilgi ve birikimler neticesinde kariyerlerine belirledikleri hedefler doğrultusunda yön vererek mesleklerini icra etmeye çalışmaktadırlar. Kariyerlerine müziğin farklı alanları (oda müziği sanatçısı, solist, korrepetitör, orkestra sanatçısı ya da eğitmen) doğrultusunda yön veren müzisyenler, yöneldikleri alanlarla alakalı olarak mesleki gelişimlerine katkı sunacak çeşitli yollar izlemektedirler. Bu yollar arasında solistlik kariyerini seçen bir müzisyenin ulusal ve uluslararası yarışmalara katılması örnek olarak göster5 ilebilir. Yaşanılan sahne deneyimi, yarışma anına kadar olan hazırlık süreçleri, seçilen repertuarı en iyi şekilde yorumlama yolları ve en önemlisi bunların sonucunda elde edilen tecrübeler mesleki yeterlilikteki en önemli adım olarak görülmektedir. Yarışmaların performans olarak en üst seviyelere ulaşmayı teşvik etmesi iyi bir solist olmanın kapısını açabilmektedir. Bu da müzisyenin kariyerinde hedeflediği zirveye ulaşmasında önemli bir yoldur. Araştırmada kariyerleri boyunca birçok ulusal ve uluslararası piyano yarışmasına katılan 2 uzman piyanistin yaşadıkları deneyimler ve bu yarışmalar sonucunda elde ettikleri kazanımların kariyerlerine ne derecede etkili olduğunu öğrenmek için yüz yüze ve Zoom platformu üzerinden yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme yapılmıştır. Araştırmanın, solistlik alanında ilerlemek isteyen piyanistlere örnek teşkil etmesi ve benzer konulara kaynak oluşturması bakımından önemli olduğu düşünülmektedir.
As a result of an artistic journey that usually starts at an early age, a musician can turn to certain areas of music with his and her own preferences or the influence of an expert. Each musician's talent, perception and ability to perform are different, which greatly affects his or her field preferences at later ages. For example, in order to become a piano virtuoso, that is, a soloist, the talent factor and playing skills must be quite high. Likewise, even if an instrument instructor does not play as much as a soloist, he should be proactive and be proactive according to the student's capacity. The behavior, attitude and expectation levels of both fields are different. In this regard, it is very difficult to be both a soloist and an instructor, and the number of musicians who can do this is very small. However, no matter which field is preferred, the key to this job is discipline, and certain steps should be taken tried to increase proficiency and competence in line with the chosen field. Piano competitions, especially for soloists, can be set as examples to these steps. Enriching the repertoire, increasing stage experience, and interacting with people from different cultures and levels contribute to the professional enrichment of a soloist. The work done while preparing for a competition and making an effort to interpret the repertoire in the best way are challenging and at the same time, a professional achievement for a soloist. Bye the way, the idea that only being a soloist is supported by competitions is also wrong. In some competitions, it is also possible to encounter musicians have never had the experience before, who are known only through concerts, and are known only through concerts, and who have reached the highest levels in instrument interpretation. Many musicians who have the chance to find a good teacher take their soloist careers to important levels with the guiding attitude of their teacher. In order to determine what competitions mean in terms of professional gain, semi5structured interviews were conducted with two important experts who entered many piano competitions throughout their careers.
Method: The research is descriptive research based on qualitative research method and phenomenology. The population of the research consists of piano competitions, and the sample consists of expert pianists who have participated in piano competitions many times.
Results: The findings section includes details of the interviews conducted with two different experts. To mention a few of the remarks that can be considered important; when asked what the most important step of their career journey was, expert I stated the 2012 Saygun competition, and expert II stated the competition in Poland. To another question regarding any gains from the competition you entered, both experts stated that their repertoire had become richer and the works they had studied had matured musically. Which expert? said that the people he met at the competitions he entered gave him new ideas in terms of playing. Only II. In the question directed to the expert, he stated that, regarding the effects of competitions on a pianist's career journey, he can have the opportunity to meet people who grew up in different cultures, and this is reflected in his music. In response to a question about the difficulties encountered while preparing for the competitions, Expert I said that the process was already stressful and that it was difficult for him to find the time, instrument and working environment while preparing. Expert II stated that he had difficulties in determining the repertoire and had difficulties in time management, especially when learning new pieces. Another question that may be important in the interviews is whether there has been any change in their lives after the competition. Expert I stated that the awards he won from the competitions provided him with a label and increased his ability to give concerts in many places. Expert II said that practicing hours and self5confidence increased. As a result of the data obtained from the questions included in the findings, the following results emerged.
Conclusion: It has been revealed that competitions have an important place in career building, in which professional gains are achieved, repertoires are enriched during the preparation processes, and even the current pieces musicians work on mature as they play. It has also been revealed that participating in many competitions throughout their careers has also provided musicians with academic gains. In light of the information obtained, the gains made during the preparation process for the competition become more important than the number of competitions entered. Finally, the most basic conclusion learned from experts and research is that just entering a competition is not enough to achieve what?
