Brass Repertoire Competition: What It Is, Where It’s Run and How It’s Judged

One brass player performs a short programme of two own-choice pieces in a class entered by age ceiling, with time limits rising from 8 to 15 minutes and a mark out of 100.

Brass Repertoire is the class where a trumpeter, cornet player, horn player, trombonist or euphonium and tuba player is judged on a small programme rather than one piece. The entrant prepares two own-choice pieces and plays them in a single appearance, so the adjudicator hears how the player manages two different moods and demands on the lips and breath in quick succession.

On the one eTalenter template that carries it, a British music, speech and drama eisteddfod for children and young people, entry is by age ceiling rather than by graded standard. The tiers run from seven and under through nine, eleven, thirteen and fifteen to eighteen and under. It is an individual class for boys and girls together, with no language attached, and the title names no particular brass instrument.

The time limit rises with age: 8 minutes for the two youngest tiers, then 9, 10 and 12, and 15 minutes for eighteen and under. The limit covers the whole appearance, so a player who follows a long, sustained piece with a brisk one must allow for the rest between them. Brass playing is physically tiring, which is why the order of the two pieces and the length of the pause matter more here than many entrants expect.

Organisers run a repertoire class alongside the ordinary solo and concerto classes because it rewards programme building and stamina. It differs from Brass Solo, which uses graded standards and shorter limits, and from Brass Concerto, a single open class for a concerto-length work. Because the event expects different music in different classes, a player who enters several brass classes needs a separate set of pieces for each.

Where Brass Repertoire is run

Brass Repertoire appears on a single eTalenter template: a British eisteddfod for children and young people covering music, speech and drama, where it runs as an age-banded class. Repertoire classes for brass players are common at music festivals more widely, but this page records only that one template.

• United Kingdom

Key facts

• Individual entry, open to boys and girls together; no language is set
• Two own-choice pieces make up the programme
• Entered by age ceiling, from seven and under to eighteen and under
• Time limit by tier: 8 minutes at seven and nine and under, 9 at eleven, 10 at thirteen, 12 at fifteen and 15 at eighteen and under
• Marked out of 100; the source prints no judging criteria for the class, so none are assumed here
• Lip stamina is part of the challenge: two pieces are played with only a short pause between them

On eTalenter, Brass Repertoire is filed under Music and typically scored with Marks. It appears in 1 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.

Across the templates that use it, Brass Repertoire is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to 8–15 minutes where a limit is set.

What judges look at in Brass Repertoire

What a Brass Repertoire panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:

• Sound quality across both pieces: a full, centred tone that stays steady in the low register and does not pinch or split at the top
• Intonation: lips and slide or valve positions placed accurately, with pitch holding up as fatigue sets in during the second piece
• Contrast between the two pieces: a clear difference in style and dynamic so the programme feels deliberately built
• Articulation and technical control: clean attacks and tonguing, accurate rhythm and passagework that stays in time
• Breath control and phrasing: long lines carried on a supported breath, with breathing places that follow the shape of the music
• Endurance and presentation: a composed entrance, a sensible rest between pieces and a performance that finishes inside the limit for the tier

Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Brass Repertoire under Scoring Setup, or start from the full instrumental music competition judging criteria guide.

How to prepare for Brass Repertoire

How entrants and their teachers usually get Brass Repertoire right on the day:

• Choose two pieces that make different demands, for example one smooth and sustained, one rhythmic and lively, and check the combined playing time against your tier limit
• Order the pieces so the more demanding one does not fall on tired lips; try both orders in practice and keep the one that sounds better
• Do not reuse a piece you are entering in another class, since the event expects different music for each
• Build stamina gradually by running the full programme in order with only the planned pause, and rest properly between practice sessions
• Work the hardest passages slowly with a metronome and a tuner, then raise the tempo in small steps
• Book accompanist rehearsals once the notes are secure and give the accompanist clean, page-turn-friendly copies
• On the day, pack valve oil or slide cream, a mute if the piece needs one and a cloth, and warm up quietly away from the hall

Frequently asked questions

Is Brass Repertoire judged individually or as a team?

Across eTalenter’s templates it’s most often run as an Individual entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.

Is Brass Repertoire the same as Brass Solo?

No. Brass Solo is a graded class with shorter time limits. Brass Repertoire is entered by age ceiling and is judged on a programme of two own-choice pieces in one appearance.

How long is a Brass Repertoire performance?

It depends on the age tier on this template: 8 minutes at seven and nine and under, 9 at eleven, 10 at thirteen, 12 at fifteen and 15 at eighteen and under. The limit covers the whole appearance.

Which brass instrument can I play?

The class title says only brass, so trumpet, cornet, horn, trombone and euphonium are the usual entries. Check your organiser if you play a less common instrument.

Is it judged individually or as a team?

It is an individual entry: one player, open to boys and girls together, marked out of 100.

Want the full judging picture? Read the full instrumental music competition judging criteria guide, or browse every music competition item.