A Guide to Picking the Right Contest Music

Contest Literature and YOU!
By Rob Stegeman
Director of Bands
Fort Zumwalt West High School

Welp! Here we are in the middle of concert band contest season. I’m sure your inner monologue falls into one of two categories at this point. 

1. “I am an absolute genius. I have chosen the perfect music for my kids.”
2. “I am an absolute doofus. How have I not learned my lesson yet?”

Or… maybe somewhere in between. This has probably led to you either looking forward to contest season or dreading it each year. 

“Okay buddy, who the heck are you to write this?” I am you, my friend. A person with “limitless paper in a paperless world.” Just a person trying my best to let kids experience the magic I did. 

I personally love contest season. I have been so upset to hear so many people become stressed, burnt out, or even not participating anymore. I do feel like I have some good advice for those in that boat. 

I want to encourage you to take chances and find pieces that excite you. My love for contest season grew from me learning to follow my heart; finding a balance between what is appropriate, what will grow my students musically, and what I love.

So let’s start here: if you think you are bad at contesting, it’s probably not as bad as you think. Odds are you are overthinking it and that could even be contributing to lesser outcomes. Below is advice I was given as a new band director followed by what I have learned since then. 

“Don’t bring a standard.”

Okay, yeah. Maybe this isn’t the year for Lincolnshire Posy, but maybe there is a standard that you adore, not seen often at contest anymore. It’s my assertion that in 2025 some of the classics are unique and maybe even foreign again.

“Always do a March.” (Ope, we already have potentially conflicting ideas)

I like marches too, but I don’t always take one. When I do, I try to do modern or unique marches OR a lesser played standard for the same reasons previously mentioned. Washington Post eh… Prestissimo March? March Bou Shu? Yee YEE! 

“Don’t do anything the kids can’t survive through sight reading.”

There is a fine line between extending and overextending your students. If they aren’t pushed enough, is the growth you want going to happen? If they are pushed too far and you fall off the proverbial cliff, are they going to enjoy the experience? Balance Vision with appropriate goal setting, sure, but like… push them too!

“Always play it safe.”

If you limit expression to fit a mold of what you think the contest standard is, are you selling the experience of music short? If you decrease the rigor to strive for perfection, is the simpler music making that easier or actually harder to achieve? Judges are an audience too. They want to feel something when they experience music.

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY: Are YOU excited about the music?

Real talk: There is some truth to all the advice I was given, but if this restricts you into a box where you and the students can’t find joy anymore, then it’s bad advice. If you don’t love it, why would they? 

• Do what makes you want to come to work. 
  
• Do what makes them practice. 
  
• Do what builds your relationship in class. 
  
• Do what allows you to translate your passion into the listeners’ hearts. 

Find the balance between unhinged and UNDENIABLE. The fact is, if they are undeniable, you can do nearly whatever you want. Make a statement. Leave your mark. Your voice matters!

Focus on good fundamentals, putting music expression first, and LOVE what you are doing and it WILL happen for you! 

…aaaannnd just to be safe… learn from the state lists even if your state does not have one. Always good to check yourself before you wreck yourself.

Bottom Line: If you haven’t been attending or are thinking of quitting, COME BACK! We need YOUR VOICE!!!

I hope you have a great rest of your year!