ABSTRACT
Although the world of music is full of competition, from Eurovision to opera auditions, there is controversy around its place and use. This is puzzling. In competition, there is striving, improvement, camaraderie, and the feeling of achievement. Controversy itself indicates competition's presence and suggests a reason for giving the topic attention. The value in critiquing Huizinga's work seems to be as high as that of the work itself. Huizinga is clear that music, play, and competition are connected. He writes, the more play bears the character of competition the more fervent it will be. Through competitive play in music, players can broaden perspectives of boundaries of potential and deepen understandings of what it means to be human. The key to competitive musical practice is considering practice a form of performance. Performance, unlike practice, is not private. 'Failure' in performance is a public event; fears a musician may have in their practice, such as of mistakes, may be exaggerated.
