YAMAHA
PIANO COMPETITION
YAMAHA
PIANO COMPETITION 2020
Dear Friends of Music, We regret to inform you that the Yamaha Piano Competition is being postponed. We are looking at alternative dates to reschedule the competition after the summer. Classic Pianos and Yamaha are grateful for your support and participation in our past events and hopeful that we will be together later this year.
Sincerely, Bob Baker and Emily Gilje
Co-Chairs
The Classic Pianos YAMAHA PIANO COMPETITION, open to young pianists ages 18 and under, held at Classic Pianos in Denver Colorado, is an extension of our unwavering commitment to the pursuit of superior artistic expression through piano performance. Registration for the 2020 YAMAHA PIANO COMPETITION opens January 15, 2020.
A difficult question — to compete or not to compete? Parents and piano teachers often challenge their children and students to go beyond casual practice and studio recitals by participating in piano competitions. There is a considerable amount of evidence that piano competitions are beneficial to both children’s musical education and their overall development. Academics, coaches, and teachers agree that the healthy competitiveness fostered by piano competitions goes beyond musicianship to teach valuable life lessons, improve motivation, and promote creativity.

Bob Baker,
Yamaha Piano Competition Founder


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YAMAHA PIANO COMPETITION – 2020
SPONSORED BY CLASSIC PIANOS
First, second, and third place winners will receive commemorative medals and national recognition on the YAMAHA PIANO COMPETITION website. All participants will receive a certificate of participation and judges’ comments.
4 GROUPS
4 LEVELS IN EACH GROUP
** CGA & AGA Divisions require an audio audition **
AOG – ADJUDICATION ONLY GROUP
DIVISION I – GRADES K-3
DIVISION II – GRADES 4-6
DIVISION III – GRADES 7-9
DIVISION IV – GRADES 10-12
CG – COMPETITIVE GROUP
DIVISION I – GRADES K-3
DIVISION II – GRADES 4-6
DIVISION III – GRADES 7-9
DIVISION IV – GRADES 10-12
CGA – COMPETITIVE GROUP AUDITIONED
DIVISION I – GRADES K-3
DIVISION II – GRADES 4-6
DIVISION III – GRADES 7-9
DIVISION IV – GRADES 10-12
AGA – ADVANCED GROUP AUDITIONED
DIVISION I – GRADES K-3
DIVISION II – GRADES 4-6
DIVISION III – GRADES 7-9
DIVISION IV – GRADES 10-12
Teachers are not limited in the number of qualified students they want to enter.
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:
Short biography
Completed entry form
Students photograph
Teacher recommendation letter
PERFORMANCE TIMES:
AOG – ADJUDICATION ONLY GROUP – up to 12 minutes
CG – COMPETITIVE GROUP – up to 15 minutes
CGA – COMPETITIVE GROUP AUDITIONED – up to 15 minutes
AGA – ADVANCED GROUP AUDITIONED – up to 20 minutes
(CGA and AGA Group audio audition required – CD, mp3, etc. up to 6 minutes)
REPERTOIRE:
Private teachers will choose selection of repertoire.
Music must be memorized and a copy of the music available for the adjudicators.
ENTRY DEADLINE: March 1st
Entry Submissions:
Mail to: Classic Pianos 1332 S Broadway Denver CO 80210
Email to: egilje.classicdenver@gmail.com
2020 COMPETITION DATES:
Thursday March 19th
Friday March 20th
Saturday March 21st
Thursday March 26th
Friday March 27th
Saturday March 28th
PRIZES:
Each contestant will receive a ribbon award from Classic Pianos. 1st – 2nd – 3rd place winners in the Competitive Group and Competitive Group Auditioned will receive medals. Advanced Group Auditioned will receive beautifully engraved, solid wood plaques in recognition of their talent.
In addition, the following cash scholarship awards will be given.
COMPETITIVE GROUP – CG
DIVISION I
1st – $50
2nd – $30
3rd – $20
DIVISION II
1st – $70
2nd – $50
3rd – $30
DIVISION III
1st – $90
2nd – $50
3rd – $30
DIVISION IV
1st – $90
2nd – $50
3rd – $30
COMPETITIVE GROUP AUDITIONED – CGA
DIVISION I
1st – $60
2nd – $40
3rd – $30
DIVISION II
1st – $80
2nd – $60
3rd – $40
DIVISION III
1st – $100
2nd – $60
3rd – $40
DIVISION IV
1st – $100
2nd – $60
3rd – $40
ADVANCED GROUP AUDITIONED – AGA
DIVISION I
1st – $80
2nd – $60
3rd – $40
DIVISION II
1st – $80
2nd – $60
3rd – $40
DIVISION III
1st – $120
2nd – $80
3rd – $60
DIVISION IV
1st – $120
2nd – $80
3rd – $60
Students will receive an email confirmation.
Awards Ceremony & Recognition Recital – TBA
Questions?
Please contact Bob Baker:
bbaker.classicdenver@gmail.com
or Emily Gilje:
CONTACT
Feel Free To Contact Us!
1332 S Broadway Denver CO 80210
Phone: 303-777-2636
Email:Info@yamahapianocompetition.com
To Complete or not to compete?..
A difficult question — to compete or not to compete? Parents and piano teachers often challenge their children and students to go beyond casual practice and studio recitals by participating in piano competitions. There is a considerable amount of evidence that piano competitions are beneficial to both children’s musical education and their overall development. Academics, coaches, and teachers agree that the healthy competitiveness fostered by piano competitions goes beyond musicianship to teach valuable life lessons, improve motivation, and promote creativity.
1. An Amplified Learning Experience
For a piano student, few environments offer as many opportunities for musical growth as a piano competition. Dr. Ruth Slenczynska, renowned musician, author, and judge confirms that piano competitions of all levels are incredibly beneficial to participants. In her article “On Preparation for a Piano Competition,” Slenczynska notes that competitions provide contestants the opportunity to perform on the finest pianos in front of well-informed and interested listeners. In addition, contestants often receive tailored feedback and advice from professionals. The learning environment created by a piano competition is truly valuable to the development of a student’s musicianship and teaches lessons that cannot be found through regular practice.
2. A Path to Success
In addition to valuable self-improvement, piano competitions can also provide more tangible rewards. The chance to take home an award or leave a lasting impression on a judge is undoubtedly encouraging to any aspiring music student. Earning recognition at a competition often leads to scholarships, networking connections, and even careers.
3. Superior Musicianship
Bärli Nugent, Assistant Dean and Director of Chamber Music at the Julliard School refers to the competition environment as a “framework for learning.” Preparing for a competition will involve much more focused practicing and will, in turn, teach your child how to take a deep dive and truly master every aspect of a piece of music. Competitors will also learn the ability to perform under pressure and how to acknowledge success or failure and learn from it. Any student who participates in a piano competition undergoes a comprehensive and transformative lesson on superior musicianship. Slencyznska notes that music students often work harder and more efficiently when preparing for a competition. For any student committed to improving their musicianship, a piano competition is an excellent opportunity to learn new skills and hone existing ones.
4. Personal Growth
Aside from providing opportunities to grow as a musician, piano competitions can also benefit a child’s general development. The nature of music competitions is such that not everyone can win first place, yet everyone involved can still learn valuable lessons. Mistakes, failures, and feedback teach students to “identify the problems, remedy the deficiencies, reset their goals, and grow from their experiences,” according to psychologist Dr. Sylvia Rimm. Understanding the importance of this problem-solving process is beneficial to the general development of any child.
5. Achieving Excellence
John M. Tauer and Judith M. Harackiewicz, in their 1999 paper “Winning isn’t Everything: Competition, Achievement Orientation, and Intrinsic Motivation,” published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, found that children engaged in competitive activities display greater enjoyment and motivation than those engaged in non-competitive activities. Further, professors Edward Deci and Richard Ryan found that when children are highly motivated, they display higher levels of creativity, perseverance, and self-esteem. Put simply, a dose of competitiveness from participating in a piano competition can promote healthy habits and lead to excellence elsewhere in a child’s life.
Parents and teachers can be assured that pushing your young piano student to compete will greatly advance your child’s musical abilities and will also teach them lessons that will encourage excellence throughout their lives.