Blind Auditions for Musicians Are Not Only For Blind Musicians

Maybe I could have written the title above better. Allow me to try again...

People Who Can’t See Are Not Excluded From Blind Auditions. Nor Are Blind Auditions Only For People Who Can't See.

Still confused? Read on. It gets less confusing...Or does it?

The original intent of Blind Auditions was to have musicians perform behind a screen to shield their identity. This was done to address the belief that there existed a longstanding exclusion of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color from Orchestras.

Blind auditions were successful in some regards, but the percentage of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Musicians has not risen significantly over the years.

Is it time to rethink blind auditions? Many are stepping up to offer new ways to approach the audition process to create more Diverse, Equitable American Orchestras.

Fella has to tread lightly here because he wants to quibble about the original objective of Blind Auditions. The reason why it has not increased the mix of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color musicians is because the chosen-hidden-behind-the-screens musicians are not not being chosen because they are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color musicians but because the people behind the screen being chosen to play in the orchestras are the people who play best from behind or in front of a screen.

The surest way to increase the number of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Musicians in any orchestra is to not audition anyone behind the screens who are not Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Musicians.

Do we not want to listen to the best music coming at us from in front of the screens? If we do, we need to pick the Musicians who play the best music from behind the screen, so when they come out from behind the screens we will hear the best music.

Time for a Fella Irrefutable Logical Point (which a lot of people will attempt to refute)...

If The Blind Screen Audition Results In the Very Best Musicians Being Selected and They Play The Finest Music Possible and Every One Of Them Looks Exactly Like Albert Einstein On  Bad Hair Day Then That’s the Best Outcome That The People Who Pay Good Money To Attend Symphonies Could Hope For

Ok, start arguing about that.

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If we were to discontinue the Blind Audition and instead set up a Quota System that would openly be intended to increase the number of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Musicians regardless of the playing ability of the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color musicians we will definitely get more inferior music coming out of our orchestra pits.

Did you just say, “Ah ha! Fella, you are guilty of believing that Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Musicians cannot play as well as White Musicians!”

To that Fella says, “Absolutely not! Take a look at these two bullet points”...

Ø White Musicians will not play as well as they once did because they will not practice as much as they once did because they will know they cannot get a job playing music.

Ø Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Musicians will not play as well as they once did because they will not practice as hard as they once did because they will know they don’t need to be real good to get the job.

It is time you, My Dear Readers, to say, “Fella, that’s a brilliant point. Music in the future is gonna stink!”

Fella will not go that far but he is confident that music of the future will not be as good as it could have been.

See, I told you it would become less confusing and it did...Or did it?

Would I kid u?

Smartfella