A team singing section for choirs of twenty or more voices, performing own-choice pieces in unison or in two, three or four parts, in three school-age categories.
Choral music is the section of South Africa’s national eisteddfod where whole choirs, not individual singers, are adjudicated. A choir here means at least twenty members singing together under a conductor or choirmaster, and the festival points smaller groups to its vocal section instead. The section covers two broad families of repertoire: classical choral music, and contemporary choir music, which the festival describes as arrangements of popular music. A separate Classical Crossover category sits beside them and has its own definition in the festival’s prospectus.
The shape of a choir depends on the school level. Junior primary choirs are mostly soprano and alto voices, boys and girls together, and normally sing in unison while being encouraged to add part-singing. Senior primary choirs are expected to sing in two or more parts. Senior choirs have four sections (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) for four-part harmony, and a secondary school with few male voices may sing in three parts (soprano, alto, bass) so that inexperienced boys can share one line. Any choir may choose two-part or three-part arrangements; four parts is not a requirement.
The repertoire rule is generous: there are no prescribed pieces and every item is own choice. A concert programme is limited to three songs and a single-work performance to one, and a choral work may not be presented in more than one section. Senior choirs are encouraged to sing at least one song a cappella. Choirs may sing unaccompanied, with live accompaniment on an acoustic instrument such as a piano, or to a backing track, but backing tracks are allowed only in Classical Crossover. A copy of the programme goes to the adjudicator before the performance.
On eTalenter the item is one Team item open to both genders, offered in the Entry Level (Grades 0 to 3), Junior (Grades 4 to 7) and Senior (Grade 8 and above) categories, in English and scored out of 100 on a working scale. The festival’s public page states that a time limit applies but does not publish the figure, so the template sets none and an organiser should name one in the entry notice. Organisers run a choral section because a choir is the cheapest way to bring a large number of children into a festival at once, and because the adjudicator’s written comment gives a conductor a clear next step for rehearsals.
Where Music – Choral is run
On eTalenter this item appears in one template, the one modelled on South Africa’s national eisteddfod, where it runs in all three entry categories. The twenty-voice minimum, the own-choice rule, the three-song concert limit and the Classical Crossover category are that festival’s own terms. Other school and community choir festivals use different minimum sizes, set pieces or time limits, so use this page as a description of one festival’s section and write your own rules into the entry notice.
- South Africa
Key facts
- A Team item, open to both genders, offered in the Entry Level, Junior (Grades 4 to 7) and Senior (Grade 8 and above) categories
- The festival sets a minimum of 20 members for a choir; smaller groups are directed to its vocal section
- Every piece is own choice, with no prescribed repertoire; a concert programme is limited to three songs and a single-work performance to one
- Unison, two-part, three-part and four-part singing are all accepted; senior choirs are encouraged to include at least one a cappella song
- Live accompaniment means an acoustic instrument; backing tracks are allowed only in the separate Classical Crossover category
- Scored out of 100 on the template’s working scale; the festival’s own awards are Diploma, Gold, Silver and Bronze, with a Junior Diploma for Grades 0 to 3, and the template sets no time limit
On eTalenter, Music – Choral 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, Music – Choral is most often entered as an Team competition, typically scored out of 100.
What judges look at in Music – Choral
What a Music – Choral panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Intonation: a choir that drifts flat in an unaccompanied passage is the commonest way to lose marks, and an a cappella song exposes it at once
- Balance and blend between the parts: no section, and no single loud voice, should cover the others, and in a three-part boys’ line the shared melody must still sound like one voice
- Diction and unity of words: consonants landing together and vowels matched across the choir show the adjudicator that the text is understood, not just sung
- Conductor’s control: clear starts and finishes, tempo changes shown early enough for the singers to follow, and dynamics that the choir actually produces
- Choice of repertoire: an arrangement that suits the age and the voice types, such as unison for young primary singers or a two-part setting for a thin tenor line, scores better than an ambitious one the choir cannot hold
- Musical expression and stage presence: shaping of phrases, a settled entrance and eyes on the conductor, which the festival’s general yardsticks reward as spark and sincerity
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Music – Choral under Scoring Setup, or start from song competition judging criteria.
How to prepare for Music – Choral
How entrants and their teachers usually get Music – Choral right on the day:
- Count the voices before you enter: the festival minimum is twenty, and a group below that belongs in the vocal section
- Match the number of parts to the choir. Young primary singers do well in unison with one added harmony line, and a secondary school short of tenors should use a three-part arrangement rather than strain four
- Choose one piece you can sing in tune with no instrument at all, and rehearse it unaccompanied weekly, even if you will perform it with a piano
- Rehearse each voice part on its own, then in pairs, before putting all parts together, and record the full run-through so the choir can hear its own balance
- Mark the breathing places in every copy of the score and agree them as a choir, so phrases end together and nobody gasps in the middle of a line
- Practise the entrance and the exit as carefully as the song: walking on, taking the starting note, and holding the final chord until the conductor releases it
- Check the entry type against the rules: live accompaniment must be an acoustic instrument, backing tracks belong only to the crossover category, and one choral work cannot be entered in two sections
- Prepare the programme copies for the adjudicator in good time, and after the day sit down with the written comment and choose a single fault, such as pitch or diction, to fix first
Ready-made event templates that include Music – Choral
Open any template to preview it in eTalenter and install it as a live, editable event.
| Template | Category | Score label | Competitions |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Eisteddfod of South Africa (NEA) | On Stage | Marks | 3 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Music – Choral 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.
How many singers do we need for a choir?
The festival sets a minimum of twenty members for a choir, and it directs smaller groups to its vocal section. On eTalenter the item is a Team item and does not enforce a head count, so an organiser who wants the same rule should state it in the entry notice.
Do we have to sing in four parts?
No. Junior primary choirs usually sing in unison, senior primary choirs are expected to use two or more parts, and a secondary school may use three parts. Two-part and three-part arrangements are open to a choir of any level.
Can we use a backing track?
Under the festival’s rules, only in the separate Classical Crossover category. In the ordinary choral section a choir sings unaccompanied or with a live acoustic instrument such as a piano, and the festival notes that venues are not guaranteed to provide instruments for backing-track items.
How many songs can we perform?
A concert programme is limited to three songs and a single-work performance to one. A choral work cannot be presented in more than one section, so a piece sung here cannot also be entered elsewhere.
Is there a time limit?
The festival says a time limit applies but does not publish the figure on its public page, which points to the registration-gated prospectus. The eTalenter template sets none, so state your own limit in the entry notice.
Want the full judging picture? Read song competition judging criteria, or browse every on stage competition item.
Try Music – Choral in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs Music – Choral, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.