I have never been a great one for taking music exams. I never enrolled in the Kiwanis Festivals (although I have adjudicated it in later life), and I took only one set of RCM exams. As an undergraduate, I had to deal with a feeling of constantly being judged and graded for my performance ability, and I think it increased my nervousness and lack of confidence. My real progress as a singer was largely outside of school, in lessons with master teachers and through my own constantly self-evaluative practice. Performing itself, compared to exams or auditions, was relative freedom. My response to discouraging assessment has usually been to turn away from sources of external validation. For example, I entered a competition when I was in my early 20’s, where I advanced to the semi-finals, but did not win. I was given a detailed adjudication to read. It went into my files. Twenty years later, I had to overcome my own feelings of shame at not having succeeded in order to re...
Issues of interest to singers and lovers of singing