Music – Instrumental Competition: What It Is, Where It’s Run and How It’s Judged

A solo and small-ensemble instrumental section for players beyond the beginner stage, entered in classical, classical crossover or contemporary style, in three school-age categories.

Instrumental music is the section of South Africa’s national eisteddfod for players who have moved past the beginner stage and want an adjudicator to hear a prepared piece on their instrument. It is Part 7 of the festival’s prospectus and follows the novice and elementary section, which takes players with under eighteen months of total music study, so this is where a pianist, violinist, guitarist, flautist or drummer goes once they are playing real repertoire. The full rules are released only to registered users, so this page describes the section from the festival’s public definitions and leaves the fine print to the entry notice you write.

The public page organises the section by musical style rather than by instrument, and the style decides where a piece belongs. Classical music is serious, formally written music, and the term also covers the narrower classical period of eighteenth and nineteenth century Europe. Classical crossover mixes two styles: a piece with a classical feel in its instrumentation and orchestration but a contemporary character, such as many film and stage-show melodies. Contemporary music is music currently being written and performed, and the festival lists blues, country, folk, funk, hip-hop, jazz, metal, pop, rock and world music among its genres. The festival’s rule of thumb is that how the music sounds decides the section: if it sounds contemporary, it is entered as contemporary, and a classical-crossover piece should not carry a strong rock or belting element.

A round is a short live or recorded performance in front of one adjudicator, who gives spoken and written feedback. The festival describes itself as a non-competitive, developmental platform, so entrants are not ranked against each other. Each performance is rated against the level expected at that stage of learning and translated into a Diploma, Gold, Silver or Bronze award, with a Junior Diploma for Grades 0 to 3. On eTalenter the item is a single Individual item, open to both genders, offered in three categories: Entry Level (Grades 0 to 3), Junior (Grades 4 to 7) and Senior (Grade 8 and above). It is scored out of 100 on a working scale, with no time limit, because the festival’s public pages publish neither a limit nor a marks scheme for this section.

Organisers run an instrumental section because it is the natural home for the many children who learn an instrument privately and rarely get to play for anyone but a teacher. It needs little more than a good piano or keyboard, a quiet room and a table for the adjudicator, a performance takes only a few minutes, and a single day of entries can cover piano, strings, woodwind, guitar and percussion together. If you want results by instrument or by style, set that out in your entry notice, since the template carries one Individual item.

Where Music – Instrumental 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 style definitions, the three categories and the feedback-first awards are that festival’s own. Other music festivals around the world use instrument-by-instrument classes, graded syllabus levels or set test pieces instead, 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

• An Individual item in the template, 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
• The festival sorts pieces by musical style: classical, classical crossover or contemporary; its public rule is that how the piece sounds decides the section
• It follows the novice and elementary section, which takes players with under eighteen months of total music study; this section is for players beyond that stage
• The festival rates each performance against the level expected at that stage rather than ranking entrants; awards are Diploma, Gold, Silver and Bronze, with a Junior Diploma for Grades 0 to 3
• The template scores out of 100 on a working scale and sets no time limit; piece lengths, accompanist rules and programme size are in the registration-gated prospectus, so state them in your entry notice
• Idea, not a rule: ask each entrant to name the style they are entering when they register, so a rock-flavoured piece is not entered as classical crossover

On eTalenter, Music – Instrumental 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 – Instrumental is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100.

What judges look at in Music – Instrumental

What a Music – Instrumental panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:

• Accuracy of notes and rhythm: the right pitches, the right durations and a steady pulse, with a stumble recovered cleanly rather than allowed to derail the piece
• Tone quality and technical control: a clear, even sound on the instrument, with the fingering, bowing, embouchure or sticking that the passage actually needs
• Phrasing and dynamics: shaping the music with louder and softer passages, breathing between phrases and giving the melody priority over the accompaniment
• Style and interpretation: a piece that sounds like the style it was entered in, whether classical, classical crossover or contemporary, with the feel and articulation that style expects
• Choice of piece: repertoire that suits the player’s grade and hands, played confidently, scores better than a showpiece just out of reach that falls apart
• Presentation and musicianship: a settled entrance, a clear start, an ending that is held and finished and, where there is an accompanist, a real partnership with them

Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Music – Instrumental under Scoring Setup, or start from instrumental music competition judging criteria.

How to prepare for Music – Instrumental

How entrants and their teachers usually get Music – Instrumental right on the day:

• Pick a piece the player can already perform start to finish three times in a row at a steady tempo, and then work on the expression rather than adding difficulty
• Decide the style early and keep to it: listen to two or three recordings of the piece in that style, and avoid adding a rock or belting edge to a piece entered as classical crossover
• Practise slowly with a metronome and then at performance tempo, and record a run-through each week to hear rushed passages and uneven notes that are missed while playing
• Mark the dynamics and breathing places in the copy, and bring a clean, legible second copy in case the adjudicator asks to follow the music
• Rehearse with the accompanist, if there is one, at least three times before the day, agreeing the starting tempo, the count-in and where each of you takes the lead
• Check the instrument before the day: fresh strings or reeds, a tuned instrument, a spare stick, mute or capo, and any stand or stool height the player needs
• Rehearse the whole performance, including the walk in, the tuning or settling time, the bow and the walk off, so the day feels familiar
• After the day, read the written comment together and choose one thing to fix first, such as rhythm, tone or phrasing, before choosing the next piece

Frequently asked questions

Is Music – Instrumental 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.

What is the difference between Music – Instrumental and the novice and elementary section?

The novice and elementary section is for players with under eighteen months of total music study and for those still playing elementary tutor-book pieces. The instrumental section is for players beyond that stage entering classical, classical crossover or contemporary repertoire. If a player is unsure, count total months of music study across every instrument, as the festival does, and ask the entrant to choose in your entry notice.

How do I know whether a piece is classical, crossover or contemporary?

The festival’s public rule is that the sound decides. Formally written classical music goes in classical; music with a classical feel in its instrumentation but contemporary character, such as many film and stage-show melodies, is classical crossover; music that sounds modern, such as pop, rock, jazz or folk, is contemporary. A piece that sounds contemporary should be entered as contemporary.

Will the adjudicator rank the players and announce a winner?

Under the festival’s own approach, no. Players are not compared with each other; each performance is rated against the level expected for that stage and the adjudicator gives feedback. If your event wants placings, use the 100-mark scale on eTalenter and say so in your notice.

Which instruments can enter?

The festival’s public page does not list instruments for this section, and the template does not restrict them. State in your entry notice which instruments you accept and whether you provide a piano or keyboard, since the full rules are in the registration-gated prospectus.

How long can a piece be?

The festival’s public pages give no figure for this section, so the eTalenter template sets no time limit. Set one in your entry notice, and use the warning bell setting in eTalenter if you want a cue before the limit.

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