Jazz Programs & Competitions

I recently applied to a jazz program with a band and found out that we weren't selected which was not entirely unexpected - I had spoken a few weeks ago to a colleague who had won entry into this program in the past and he thought someone was already hand picked for this year's program and mentioned their name. Frustrating but not unexpected. This made me think of the lack of transparency in many jazz competitions and auditions and how who knows who can make the difference between getting opportunities and not. After a certain point, actual talent and creativity frequently seem like secondary factors. Here are some ideas for making competitions fairer:

• An anonymous application process. We were required to submit a picture of the band and this just serves to screen people out based on looks - young/old, black/white etc. Even names and addresses should be screened out so that judges don't know who is applying. I don't want someone thinking "D'Andrea from where...North Carolina?! That doesn't sound like anybody I know and they can't be serious if they aren't living in NYC." Only musical talent and other explicitly stated qualifications should be judged.
  
• An anonymous audition behind a screen like in classical auditions. There a very few auditions at all in jazz (which is a topic for another post) and the ones that are around should be anonymous.
  
• Know who the judges are - why are the judges who can make or break the future of a musician a secret? If the panel of judges are from a certain clique, applicants should know ahead of time so that they can decide whether it's worth the effort to apply.
  
• Specific criteria for what the competition is looking for. Not just be a good player but whether the competition is looking for straight-ahead bebop, originals etc. Imagine if the Olympics didn't specify what events there were going to be and only said you'd better be a good athlete - this is currently what many competitions are like. What is the harm in a program saying we're only looking for people who play such-and-such a style?
• Subsidize application fees so that a musician can apply for free. I understand that there are overhead costs for processing applications but there is too much temptation for an organization to try and get as many applications as possible just to get more money. Groups holding competitions should get grant funding or advertising revenue to pay for the overhead costs.
• Provide feedback to the applicants as to why they weren't selected so that there is evidence that someone actually listened to the recordings and looked at the application. The "you weren't selected, have a nice life" form letter response is not helpful at all. Even a short, honest comment like "we didn't like the feel of the rhythm section" would give the musicians something to work on for next year.
• Publish all the applicants' names and provide status reports as to who is getting further along in the competition. Again, sports is a good analogy.
• Publish the finalists complete winning performances/qualifications so that other musicians can learn from it.