The adapted-tradition choir class of the folklore split, where a team sings folk material in a worked-up arrangement and is scored out of 10 across seven age divisions.
Choirs – Processed is the group-singing class for choirs that start from traditional songs and then shape them into something arranged. In the folklore split of this template, processed sits in the middle of three forms: it is rooted in tradition, but the material may be harmonised, re-voiced, shortened, combined into a medley or given a new musical setting. A village melody turned into a four-part arrangement for a school choir is a typical entry.
On the template it is a team item in seven divisions: Mini Kids (4 to 6), Kids (7 to 9), Children (10 to 13), Junior (14 to 17), Adults (18 and over), Senior (50 and over) and a Mixed Age division across all ages. It is open to both genders, Polish is the language setting, each choir receives a single score out of 10 as Marks, and results are ranked within each division. The template prints no time limit and no sub-criteria, so running time, number of songs and accompaniment rules are for the organiser’s notice to set.
Because the arrangement is part of what is on show, the panel listens for how well the choir carries it: whether the parts balance, whether the new setting still honours the song it came from, and whether the singers sound secure in harmony. The conductor, if there is one, and the arranger are normally named at registration so the organiser has the details on the programme sheet.
Organisers run a processed choirs class to reward creative work with folk material and to give choirs that arrange their own repertoire a home beside the purists and the free stylists. Where processed stops and styled begins is a decision for the event notice, so a coordinator should say in plain words how far an arrangement may depart from the source.
Where Choirs – Processed is run
On eTalenter this item is used in one template, an international folklore dance and music festival template based in Krakow, Poland, which offers every discipline in authentic, processed and styled forms. Arranged folk repertoire is a staple of choral festivals in many countries, though how organisers label such a class varies, so each event’s own notice has the final say.
- Poland (the festival the template is built from)
Key facts
- Team item on the template: each choir receives one ensemble score
- Seven divisions from Mini Kids (4-6) to Senior (50+), plus a Mixed Age division
- Open to both genders, scored out of 10 as Marks
- Language setting on the template is Polish
- No time limit is printed on the template, so the organiser’s notice sets the programme length
- Second of three choir classes: authentic, processed, then styled
On eTalenter, Choirs – Processed is filed under On Stage 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, Choirs – Processed is most often entered as an Team competition, typically scored out of 10.
The scoring method the templates attach to this item, and what that scale means. The category this competition is filed under when a template is installed. Others in this category: Dance, Music, Drama, Mimicry, Debate, Elocution, Story Telling, Group Song, Action Song eTalenter matches an item to its criteria on the words in its name, and creates exactly these when the template is installed. No criteria match this name, so none are created automatically — judges score it on the event’s own criteria instead.How it is scored
Where it sits
Judging criteria installed for it
What judges look at in Choirs – Processed
What a Choirs – Processed panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Quality of the arrangement: parts that fit together and suit the voices actually in the choir
- Respect for the source: the folk character of the song still audible beneath the new setting
- Harmony and balance: no part drowning another, with chords that stay in tune
- Ensemble precision: clean entries, shared phrasing and a tempo that holds
- Diction: words that carry through the harmony
- Overall impression: with one score out of 10 and no printed sub-criteria, the panel’s total reaction decides the result
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Choirs – Processed under Scoring Setup, or start from our judging and score tabulation guide.
How to prepare for Choirs – Processed
How entrants and their teachers usually get Choirs – Processed right on the day:
- Read the organiser’s notice for the time limit, number of songs and any rule on accompaniment before choosing the arrangement
- Pick an arrangement the weakest section can sing securely, since a simpler setting done cleanly beats an ambitious one done shakily
- Teach each part alone first, then pair parts, then put the full choir together
- Practise the opening pitch and the first entry, because a poor start is hard to recover from
- Mark breathing places in the score so phrases end together
- Keep a short note on the song’s origin and what the arrangement changes, in case the organiser asks for it at registration
- Check the age division before registering, as each is ranked separately
- After a loss, record a run-through and listen for the part that wavered, then fix that part before adding anything new
- Ideas, not rules: a two-part round built on a folk tune, a medley of three short songs from one region, a unison verse that opens into harmony, or a song with a hummed backing section
Events that run this (1)
Ready-made templates that already include this competition. Installing one sets it up for you.
Frequently asked questions
Is Choirs – Processed 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 Choirs – Processed and Choirs – Authentic?
Authentic keeps to traditional repertoire and manner. Processed adapts tradition through arrangement or new elements. The template does not print the boundary, so check the event notice.
What is the difference between Choirs – Processed and Choirs – Styled?
Styled is the more open class. Processed stays tied to a traditional source. The exact line is for the organiser to define in the notice.
Is Choirs – Processed judged individually or as a team?
On the template it is a team item, so the whole choir receives one score out of 10 as Marks.
Can a choir use its own arrangement?
The template does not restrict it. Whether an arrangement must be original or may be published is for the organiser’s notice to state.
Similar competitions
Items whose names share a word with this one — usually the same discipline in another form.
Want the full judging picture? Read our judging and score tabulation guide, or browse every on stage competition item.
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