What Is The REAL Importance Of Competition?

As a young performer, I loved going to competitions and competing against other groups.

As an instructor, I loved teaching Drumlines and taking them to competitions to compete against other groups.

I probably loved it even more when we won or got some nice placements and numbers ;)

But is that the REAL value of competitions?

Is it so you can size yourself up against other individuals and groups, see who is best, get some bragging rights and pile up trophies in your Band Room?

For some, that is the most important reason we compete.

At the very least…sizing yourself up against your peers is a great way to gauge where you are in your development and it can motivate you to become the very best you can be, because you’re trying to measure up to your peers.

Personally, as I got more and more detached from the activity over time, I only vaguely remember which shows we won, how many trophies we got and what numbers we were given…

But what I will never forget and can still feel in my bones to this day, is the memories I shared with my friends in Band: cracking jokes in the Band room before we left, playing dope beats on the field, hanging out in the stands after we performed and the occasional school bus shenanigans.

While I do think competition serves a great purpose in teaching us to reach higher and accomplish more in the face of fierce rivalries, I think the real importance of competition lies in the ability to come together with your team and other members of the community and connect in ways as human beings that is just good for our soul!

What do you think the real importance of competition is?

For further perspective, make sure to watch the video below that I shot in HONG KONG: