A solo instrumental performance in which a competitor plays a prepared piece on an instrument of their choice, judged on technique, tone, timing and musical expression.
Instrumental Music is the general solo-instrument item of a music or arts festival: one competitor plays a prepared piece on an instrument they have studied, with no singing and no second performer sharing the marks. It covers whatever instruments an organiser chooses to admit, such as piano, keyboard, guitar, violin, flute, recorder or a percussion instrument, and the panel judges the playing rather than the choice of instrument.
On the eTalenter Welsh festival template it is an Individual item for both genders, listed on the On Stage side and offered across all seven school-year bands, from Year 2 and under up to a 14-25 band, with the language set to Welsh. Competitors are grouped by school year, not by an age range. Elsewhere on eTalenter it appears in the Music category of a talent test and of two community festivals, so the same item name can sit under Music or On Stage depending on how the organiser lays out the programme.
A round runs entrant by entrant. Each competitor is called, settles at the instrument, plays their piece within the time allowed and leaves, while the panel marks as the performance happens. The Welsh festival’s published rules print no numeric scheme for this item, so the template’s 10-minute field and its rating are the app’s defaults; the other templates score it as Marks or as a Rating out of 10. An organiser should replace these with the figures in their own notice.
Organisers keep the item because it is open to any child who is learning an instrument, including those who do not sing, and because it rewards the quiet, regular practice that other stage items do not measure. Where an event needs a separate class for a particular family of instruments, it is usually better to add that as its own item than to stretch this one.
Where Instrumental Music is run
On the eTalenter templates Instrumental Music appears on four: a Welsh-language youth arts festival in Wales (On Stage), a general talent test (Music), and two community arts festivals (Music). Beyond those templates, a solo instrument class is standard in school music festivals, community eisteddfodau and talent contests in many countries.
- Wales
- Kuwait
Key facts
- Individual item: one player, boys and girls together on the Welsh template
- Offered in all seven bands on the Welsh template: Year 2 and under, Years 3-4, 5-6, 7-9, 10-11, 12-13 and 14-25
- Appears on four eTalenter templates, under Music on three and On Stage on one
- Scored as Marks on two templates and as a Rating out of 10 on two
- The 10-minute time field is the app’s default on the Welsh template, because the published rules print no figure for this item
- The Welsh source names first, second and third prizes and publishes no grade bands
On eTalenter, Instrumental Music is filed under Music, On Stage and typically scored with Marks, Rating out of 10. It appears in 4 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.
Across the templates that use it, Instrumental Music is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to 5–10 minutes where a limit is set.
What judges look at in Instrumental Music
What a Instrumental Music panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Technique: accurate notes, clean fingering or sticking, and control of the instrument without audible slips
- Tone: a clear, even and well-produced sound that suits the instrument, with no forcing at the loud end or thinness at the quiet end
- Timing and rhythm: a steady pulse, correct note lengths and tempo changes that are chosen, not accidental
- Musical expression: dynamics, phrasing and shaping that make the piece sound like music rather than a run-through of notes
- Choice of piece: a piece that suits the player’s level and shows what they can do, played convincingly rather than reaching beyond their grasp
- Presentation and time: a calm entrance, tuned and ready instrument, and finishing inside the time allowed
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Instrumental Music under Scoring Setup, or start from the full instrumental music judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Instrumental Music
How entrants and their teachers usually get Instrumental Music right on the day:
- Pick a piece slightly below your hardest repertoire so you can play it well every time, not only on a good day
- Practise in short daily sessions and slow the difficult bars right down before bringing them back to tempo
- Use a metronome for the full piece and then without it, so your pulse is steady either way
- Record yourself and listen back for uneven tone, rushed passages and places where the expression fades
- Play the whole piece to family or friends several times so a listening room feels familiar
- Tune or check the instrument before you are called, and bring spare strings, reeds, sticks or a power lead as the instrument needs
- Time the piece against the limit and rehearse the entrance, the first note and the final bow, not only the music
Ready-made event templates that include Instrumental Music
Open any template to preview it in eTalenter and install it as a live, editable event.
| Template | Category | Score label | Competitions |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA Talent Test | Music | Rating out of 10 | 1 |
| COG Kuwait Region YPE Talent Test | Music | Marks | 2 |
| Urdd Eisteddfod (Wales) | On Stage | Rating out of 10 | 7 |
| Malayalee Association Kalamela (CMA, Chicago) | Music | Marks | 3 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Instrumental Music 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.
Which instruments can I enter?
The template does not list instruments. The organiser’s notice decides which are admitted, so check it before you register; the item itself is open to a solo player on any admitted instrument.
Is Instrumental Music judged individually or as a team?
Individually on the Welsh template: one player, with boys and girls competing together. A group performance would be a separate item.
How long can the piece be?
The Welsh template carries a 10-minute field, but that is the app’s default because the published rules print no figure for this item. Follow the time in your own festival notice.
Can I use a backing track or accompanist?
The template does not say. Ask the organiser before the day, because accompaniment rules differ between festivals.
What age groups can enter?
On the Welsh template there are seven bands grouped by school year: Year 2 and under, Years 3-4, 5-6, 7-9, 10-11, 12-13, and a 14-25 band.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full instrumental music judging criteria guide, or browse every music competition item.
Try Instrumental Music in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs Instrumental Music, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
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