String Solo – Own Choice Competition: What It Is, Where It’s Run and How It’s Judged

A solo on violin, viola or cello in which the player chooses the piece, entered by age class from 6 and under to Open Age and marked on how well the chosen music is played and presented.

String Solo – Own Choice is a solo class for bowed string players. One performer plays one piece of their own choosing on a violin, viola or cello, and the panel hears it and places the entrants in that class. The words “own choice” matter: the syllabus does not set a test piece, a period or a style, so a beginner can bring a short folk tune and an advanced student a movement from a sonata, and each is judged on how well that particular choice is played rather than on whether it is the hardest one in the room.

On the template this page is written from, which belongs to a string-instrument section of a community eisteddfod held in Burwood, Sydney, New South Wales, the class is repeated across six age classes. They are 6 and under, 8 and under, 10 and under, 12 and under, 14 and under, and Open Age. The printed time limits rise with the classes: 2 minutes for 6 and under, 3 minutes for 8 and under, 5 minutes for each of 10, 12 and 14 and under, and 10 minutes for Open Age. The youngest class is pitched at about Grade 1 standard and is open to violin or cello, the middle classes add viola, the 14 and under class is pitched at Grade 5 and above on violin or cello, and Open Age asks for sixth grade and above on violin, viola or cello.

A round is a single appearance on stage. The steward calls the entrant, the player tunes and sets up, plays the piece and leaves, and the adjudicator comments and marks as each performance ends. Entrants in the same class are heard one after another, so a section can run through a good many players in a morning, and a piece that runs beyond the limit for its class is a risk. Boys and girls compete together and there is no language requirement, because the music is the language.

Only the Open Age class carries printed prizes in the syllabus this page draws on, a first and second cash prize and an encouragement award; trophies and prizes in the other classes are allocated when the donated funding is final. The syllabus prints no judging criteria, no mark scale and no grade bands, so in eTalenter the item is set up as a nominal mark out of 100 with no criteria installed. An organiser records the total the adjudicator awards and lets the ranking produce the placings.

Where String Solo – Own Choice is run

In eTalenter data String Solo – Own Choice appears on one template, an Australian eisteddfod strings section in New South Wales, so this page describes only what that template carries. Own-choice solo classes for the violin family are common across eisteddfods and music festivals in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and South Africa, but the age bands, the instruments allowed in each class and the time limits are set by each event and differ from one syllabus to the next.

• Australia

Key facts

• Individual item: one player performs one piece of their own choice; boys and girls compete together and no language is set.
• Six age classes on this template: 6 and under, 8 and under, 10 and under, 12 and under, 14 and under, and Open Age. The “and under” classes overlap by design, so an eight-year-old can sit in more than one.
• Time limits: 2 minutes (6 and under), 3 minutes (8 and under), 5 minutes (10, 12 and 14 and under) and 10 minutes (Open Age).
• Instruments by class: violin or cello at 6 and under, violin, cello or viola from 8 to 12 and under, violin or cello at 14 and under, and violin, viola or cello in Open Age.
• Standard of playing is part of entry: roughly Grade 1 for 6 and under, Grade 5 and above for 14 and under, and sixth grade and above for Open Age. These are printed as levels of playing, not as extra age rules.
• No criteria, marks or grade bands are printed, so the item is a nominal mark out of 100 and no weighting is claimed here.
• Idea starters, not rules: for a short slot, a slow piece that lets tone shine paired with a lively closing section; for a 5-minute class, a single movement with a clear shape from start to finish; for Open Age, a programme that shows two contrasting characters inside one piece.

On eTalenter, String Solo – Own Choice 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, String Solo – Own Choice is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to 2–10 minutes where a limit is set.

What judges look at in String Solo – Own Choice

What a String Solo – Own Choice panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:

• Tone and intonation: a sound that is even and unforced across the strings, and notes that sit in tune, particularly on the shifts, double stops and open-string passages where a young player is most exposed.
• Rhythm and tempo: a steady pulse that does not rush the easy bars or drag the hard ones, with tempo changes that look planned rather than forced by a slip.
• Bowing and technique: a relaxed bow arm, clean string crossings and bow changes, and fingering that suits the level of the class rather than aiming above it and breaking down.
• Musical expression: dynamics, phrasing and shape that follow the character of the chosen piece, so that the performance sounds like music rather than a list of notes.
• Choice of piece and presentation: music that suits the player and the time limit, a confident entry, a clear start and end, and an ending that does not leave the player stopping mid-phrase to beat the clock.

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

How to prepare for String Solo – Own Choice

How entrants and their teachers usually get String Solo – Own Choice right on the day:

• Pick the piece with the class in mind: a player who fits the 5-minute class comfortably will usually do better with a well-learned shorter piece than a long one that is only half secure.
• Time the piece with a stopwatch from the first note to the last, including the repeats actually played, and leave a cushion below the limit for tuning, nerves and a slightly slower tempo on the day.
• Check the instrument allowed in the class before entering: some classes are open to violin and cello only, others add viola, so confirm the line-up and the standard asked for.
• Practise the performance, not only the notes: bow, stand, walk on, tune, play, bow again, and walk off, so the first and last twenty seconds feel as rehearsed as the middle.
• Use a slow-practice routine for the weakest bars, fixing intonation and bow distribution at half speed before bringing the tempo back up, rather than repeating the passage at full speed.
• Rehearse in front of a small audience at least twice, and once on a different instrument stand or chair height, so an unfamiliar room does not shake a well-learned piece.
• After a result, ask the adjudicator or teacher which of tone, rhythm or expression cost the most, and spend the next block of practice on that single line.

Frequently asked questions

Is String Solo – Own Choice 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.

Can I choose any piece in an own-choice string solo?

Yes within the limits the event sets. The syllabus this page draws on sets no test piece, but each class has a time limit and a stated level of playing, so check the rules for your class before settling on the music.

What instruments are allowed?

It depends on the class. On this template the youngest class is for violin or cello, the middle classes add viola, the 14 and under class is for violin or cello, and Open Age takes violin, viola or cello. Always confirm in your own syllabus.

How long can the piece be?

On this template the limit is 2 minutes for 6 and under, 3 minutes for 8 and under, 5 minutes for 10, 12 and 14 and under, and 10 minutes for Open Age. A piece that runs beyond the limit for its class is a risk, so time it before the day.

Is this the same as the String Solo class?

They are close cousins but separate catalogue items: the String Solo page describes classes from other events, while this one describes the own-choice class on one Australian template with its own age bands and limits.

Does it matter which age class I enter?

Yes, because the time limit, the allowed instruments and the standard of playing change from class to class. The “and under” bands overlap on this template, so a player who qualifies for more than one should pick the one that matches their ability.

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