A team singing item in which a whole choir performs a prepared piece in Welsh, judged on how well the voices blend, tune and sing the words as one body.
A choir is a group of singers who perform together as a single instrument, usually in several vocal parts, with a conductor or leader keeping everyone in time. A choir competition is not a collection of solos sung at once: the panel listens for one blended sound in which no single voice sticks out, the vowels match, and the group breathes, starts and stops together.
On the eTalenter Welsh festival template, Choir Singing is a Team item for boys and girls together, and the language is fixed to Welsh. It is offered in all seven school-year bands: Year 2 and under, Years 3-4, 5-6, 7-9, 10-11, 12-13 and a 14-25 band. Competitors are grouped by school year rather than by an age range. It sits in the On Stage section beside solo singing, Cerdd Dant and recitation, and it is a separate item from them because the unit being judged is the whole ensemble.
A round runs like any team stage item. Each choir is called in turn, files on and settles into its formation, and then performs its chosen piece within the time allowed. The panel marks as the performance happens and the choir leaves before the next one enters. The 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; an organiser should replace them with whatever their own notice states. Prizes in the source are first, second and third in each competition.
Organisers keep a choir item because it is where the largest number of pupils can take part in one performance, including children who would never enter a solo. It teaches listening, discipline and shared responsibility, and a school or club that enters one choir in each band can build a continuous singing tradition from the youngest class to the oldest.
Where Choir Singing is run
On the eTalenter templates Choir Singing appears on one template, a Welsh-language youth arts festival in Wales, where it is in the On Stage section with the other singing items. Choirs themselves are found in schools, community groups and festivals in most countries; this page is about the choir item as it is set up on that Welsh template, so entrants elsewhere should check their own festival’s rules for the number of voices, the parts and whether accompaniment is allowed.
- Wales
Key facts
- Team item: one choir performs together, with boys and girls competing in the same group
- Offered in all seven bands: Year 2 and under, Years 3-4, 5-6, 7-9, 10-11, 12-13 and 14-25
- Language fixed to Welsh on the template
- Judged on the ensemble as a whole, so blend and unity count for more than any one strong voice
- The 10-minute time field is the app’s default, because the published rules print no figure for this item
- The template scores it as a Rating out of 10; the source names first, second and third prizes and publishes no grade bands
On eTalenter, Choir Singing is filed under On Stage and typically scored with Rating out of 10. 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, Choir Singing is most often entered as an Team competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to around 10 minutes where a limit is set.
What judges look at in Choir Singing
What a Choir Singing panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Blend and balance: one unified sound in which no voice dominates, and the parts are in proportion so the tune can still be heard
- Intonation: staying in tune with each other and with the pitch the choir began on, especially in long held notes and at the end of the piece
- Diction and Welsh pronunciation: clear consonants and matched vowels, so the words are understood and the whole choir shapes them together
- Rhythm and ensemble: starting, stopping and changing speed together, following the leader without a visible scramble
- Musical expression: dynamics, phrasing and mood that suit the words, rather than a flat delivery at one volume
- Presentation and time: an orderly entrance, steady posture and focused faces, and a performance that finishes within the time allowed
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Choir Singing under Scoring Setup, or start from the full singing competition judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Choir Singing
How entrants and their teachers usually get Choir Singing right on the day:
- Choose a piece the whole band can sing securely, not the hardest piece on offer: a clean, well-tuned simple arrangement beats an ambitious one that wobbles
- Rehearse the words as speech first, so every singer pronounces each vowel and consonant the same way before a note is added
- Practise each part on its own, then bring the parts together slowly, and only raise the tempo once the tuning holds
- Teach the starting note and the first entry carefully: a choir that begins in tune and together usually stays that way
- Agree breathing points as a group and mark them in every copy, so phrases end at the same moment and no one gasps alone
- Rehearse the entrance, the formation and the exit as well as the song, and practise standing for the full length of the piece
- Record a rehearsal and listen for the voices that stick out, the places where the pitch sags and the moments where the leader is not followed
- Hold at least one run-through in a larger room, so the singers learn to listen to each other across the choir and not only to the person beside them
Ready-made event templates that include Choir Singing
Open any template to preview it in eTalenter and install it as a live, editable event.
| Template | Category | Score label | Competitions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urdd Eisteddfod (Wales) | On Stage | Rating out of 10 | 7 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Choir Singing judged individually or as a team?
Across eTalenter’s templates it’s most often run as an Team entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.
What is the difference between Choir Singing and Solo Singing?
Solo Singing judges one voice. Choir Singing is a Team item in which the whole choir is judged as one group, so blend, tuning together and clear shared diction matter more than any individual voice.
How many singers make up a choir?
The template does not print a size, because the published rules give no figure for this item. Follow the number and the parts stated in your own festival notice.
What age groups can enter?
The template has 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. A choir enters the band that fits its members on the festival’s cut-off date.
Does the choir have to sing in Welsh?
On this template the language is fixed to Welsh. If your festival allows other languages, set that in your own event notice and check its rules.
Is the choir allowed an accompanist or a conductor?
The template does not say, because the published rules print no detail for this item. Check your festival notice for whether a conductor, piano or other accompaniment is allowed.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full singing competition judging criteria guide, or browse every on stage competition item.
Try Choir Singing in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs Choir Singing, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
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