Vocal – Processed Competition: What It Is, Where It’s Run and How It’s Judged

A folk singing class for traditional songs arranged for the stage, scored out of 10 across seven age divisions.

Processed sits in the middle of the three-way folklore split. A processed vocal entry starts from a folk song but is worked up for performance: a stage arrangement, added harmony, a prepared accompaniment or a reshaped structure, while the song itself stays recognisable as coming from its tradition.

On the template it is an individual item offered in seven divisions: Mini Kids (4 to 6), Kids (7 to 9), Children (10 to 13), Junior (14 to 17), Adults, Senior (50 and over) and a Mixed Age division. Each entry receives one score out of 10 as Marks, with Polish as the language setting. The source describes award tiers from Diamond Grand Prix, Grand Prix and Small Grand Prix, through first to fourth place, to a Participant Diploma and a Debut Diploma.

A round runs one singer at a time. Because the arrangement is part of the entry, the panel hears two things together: how well the singer sings, and whether the treatment serves the song. A tasteful arrangement that keeps the folk character usually beats a flashy one that buries it. Results are ranked inside each division, so a Mini Kids singer never competes against an Adult.

Organisers offer a processed class for singers who want to bring a traditional song to a modern audience without leaving the tradition entirely, sitting between the strict authentic class and the open styled class.

Where Vocal – Processed is run

On eTalenter this item is used in one template, an international folklore dance and music festival template based in Krakow, Poland, where every discipline is offered in authentic, processed and styled forms. Other folk-music competitions often separate arranged material from traditional-only material, but the limits differ, so the organiser’s own notice decides what counts as processed.

• Poland (the festival the template is built from)

Key facts

• Individual item on the template: one singer is scored at a time
• 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 set on the template, so the organiser’s notice decides how long a song may run
• The arranged-for-stage class, between Vocal – Authentic and Vocal – Styled

On eTalenter, Vocal – 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, Vocal – Processed is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 10.

What judges look at in Vocal – Processed

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

• Recognisability of the source song: the folk melody and text should still be clear beneath the arrangement
• Quality of the arrangement: harmony, accompaniment or structure that supports the song rather than competing with it
• Intonation and vocal control, especially where a backing or harmony part makes pitch harder to hold
• Diction and understanding of the text, so the words reach the audience
• Balance between singer and any accompaniment, with the voice leading
• With one score out of 10 and no printed sub-criteria, the panel’s overall impression of a polished, coherent performance decides the result

Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Vocal – Processed under Scoring Setup, or start from our judging and score tabulation guide.

How to prepare for Vocal – Processed

How entrants and their teachers usually get Vocal – Processed right on the day:

• Read the organiser’s notice to see whether live accompaniment, a backing track or harmony singers are allowed
• Start from the authentic version of the song and change only what the stage needs, so the tradition stays audible
• Test the arrangement with someone who does not know the song: if they can still hum the tune afterwards, the treatment is working
• Rehearse with the exact accompaniment, including the starting note and tempo, so entry and ending are clean
• Keep the voice in front; set the backing level so every word is understood
• Choose the correct age division, since each is ranked separately, and keep the key within the singer’s comfortable range
• After a loss, ask whether pitch, balance or the arrangement itself held the entry back and fix that one thing
• Ideas, not rules: a village song with a simple guitar or accordion accompaniment, a two-part vocal setting of a seasonal song, or a call-and-response piece with a steady drone

Frequently asked questions

Is Vocal – Processed 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 Vocal – Processed and Vocal – Authentic?

Authentic keeps the song as it is in its home tradition. Processed arranges it for the stage while it stays recognisable. The template does not print exact definitions, so the organiser’s notice decides.

Is Vocal – Processed the same as Vocal – Styled?

No. Styled allows the most freedom, while processed still expects the folk song to be recognisable. Where the line falls is for the organiser’s notice to say.

Is Vocal – Processed judged individually or as a team?

On the template it is an individual item, scored one singer at a time. Choirs have their own items.

How is Vocal – Processed scored?

Out of 10 as Marks, with no printed sub-criteria. The source describes award tiers from Diamond Grand Prix down to a Debut Diploma.

Want the full judging picture? Read our judging and score tabulation guide, or browse every on stage competition item.