Contest Philosophy

Why compete in a contest?

PHIL: Hey, How ya doin'?
BOB: Compared to what?

PHIL: Well Ok, how about compared to the last time I asked you?
BOB: I don't know, Okay, I guess.

PHIL: Well, how are you doing as a Barbershop Performer? How did you do in the last contest?
BOB: We didn't compete. Contests are just another opportunity to get beat up by the "Big Guys".

PHIL: Well, I haven't met a barbershopper yet who didn't want to perform better. Don't you?
BOB: Yeah, but I don't care about contests, I just want to sing and have fun.

PHIL: I don't know about you, but I have more fun when I know I've performed well, and an audience reacts appropriately. Isn't that what you want?
BOB: Yes, we want that, too, but we never seem to actually get any better.

PHIL: What do you mean by better? How do you measure better?
BOB: Ya know, just better.

PHIL: Well, If you want to get better, you have to have a starting point, and you need a way to measure your progress. You need to compete.

You aren't competing against another quartet or chorus per se, you compete against yourself. You look at the scores you receive; apply what the judges tell you in the evaluation sessions; maybe focus on one area; and set a reasonable goal of raising your scores in that area. Then come back again and repeat the process.

You'll see that you will improve. It may be small at first, but do it consistently, and you will get better. You'll know how you're doing. And believe me, you will have more fun when you perform better and you know it.

By the way, those "Big Guys" weren't always big.