The thing about ranking, awards and competition in Singapore

This sparked off a lamenting session with an old friend from the chorale..

We were talking about the SYF choral competition that's just round the corner and were practically lamenting the need for the choir kids to go through all these, when the choir could be better off focusing on doing music for the sake of doing music. We believe the process of making music w/o the "motivations" of a competition and/or inevitably ranking, will be much more enjoyable and meaningful.

I have a reason for this which I believe, might not be Uniquely Singapore, but close. Real close.

See, meritocracy is one of the fundamentals of Singapore's ideologies and political thrusts as a nation. Frankly, there's nothing wrong with meritocracy. In fact I am a firm believer in the positives it creates. However, in this country I proudly call home, despite all her material riches and achievements, she has yet lose her tag of a "developing country" in the realm of the art, culture and appreciation. I reckon this apply especially so to choral music.

Thus, the need for structured assessment "exercises" like the SYF, or the more glamorous overseas competitions and what not. Because this is the only way Singaporeans, not just the authorities but really the general public could decide whether a choir is mediocre, good or excellent. Sadly, this could possibly be the only method of assessment most Singaporeans know of. Partly due to the lack of exposure to this artform, or the lack of interest in it, people are unable to decide for themselves likewise whether a particular choral performance was a good one or a bad one. They NEED to see the rankings, the number of awards won etc indicators of how well or badly a choir has performed at the SYF or at an overseas competitions to determine whether a public concert staged by a choir would be worth their time.

The following is kindda random but what the heck.

A banker gets rewarded with fat bonuses, pay checks and possibly a percentage of profits he/she earns for the company. That's all fair and square.

Now, let's look at a teacher who has played a crucial and deciding role in the development of a particular student, who went on to become a successful entrepreneur whose multi-million business contributes to the economy of Singapore. Now even if the student credits the teacher entirely for his/her present day achievements, the teacher will probably never stand to receive any monetary rewards from the authorities yea?

Impossible. Because the teacher's impact on the student is unmeasurable. Unless there is a SYF/competition equivalent for teachers, to judge and then to rank them. Maybe give them a gold, silver, bronze or certificate of participation according to "measurables" such as the number of A students they've produced.

How could we then, measure, judge or assess the art of music making?