Monash Youth Music Festival disciplines and sections

Festival Schedule

The Monash Youth Music Festival offers both competitive and non-competitive performance opportunities. If you have little or no eisteddfod experience, we highly recommend that you enter the non-competitive Mini Recitals instead of, or as well as, the competitive sections.

Download our complete Schedule by clicking on the image to the right. 👉

The entrant's age is calculated to be as of 1 August as calculated from their date of birth.

Decide which disciplines and sections you wish to enter, read the Rules & Conditions of Entry, and, then (when entries have opened), go to Stardom and register.

For more details, go to the How to Enter page.

Non-Competitive Disciplines

वीसीई म्यूजिक - इंस्ट्रुमेंटल और वोकल सोलो

आवाज सहित कोई भी उपकरण ! इस खंड में, आपको अपना स्वयं का संगतकार प्रदान करना होगा।

ये खंड गैर-प्रतिस्पर्धी हैं, और प्रतिस्पर्धा के दबाव के बिना ईस्टेडफोड प्रदर्शन के लिए सही परिचय प्रदान करते हैं। प्रतिभागियों को गर्मजोशी और सराहना करने वाले दर्शकों के सामने मूल्यवान प्रदर्शन अनुभव प्राप्त होता है। सभी प्रतिभागियों को आगामी संगीत परीक्षाओं के लिए इन टुकड़ों को पूरा करने में सहायता करने के लिए उनके टुकड़े के मानक के आधार पर एक विस्तृत एडजुडिकेटर की रिपोर्ट प्राप्त होती है। एडजुडिकेटर प्रत्येक सेक्शन का समापन एक मनोरंजक मिनी मास्टर क्लास के साथ करता है।

यह अनुभव प्रतिभागियों को भविष्य के संगीत समारोहों और ईस्टेडफोड्स के साथ-साथ संगीत परीक्षाओं, स्कूल संगीत कार्यक्रमों और किसी भी अवसर पर तैयार करने में मदद करता है जहां आपका संगीत साझा किया जा सकता है।

VCE Music Recitals - not running in 2025

VCE 01 - VCE Music Performance - Any piece from the current VCE syllabus or another work of equivalent standard. The performance time is 8 minutes.

This section is open to students currently enrolled in VCE Music subjects only.
This section is non-competitive and offers the VCE student an opportunity to gain valuable performance experience, and to assist them in perfecting their music for VCE music exams.
The Adjudicator gives every participant a detailed Adjudicator’s report and conducts a short master class at the end of the section to provide musical insights, feedback and practice techniques.

VCE Students wishing to enter a duo were warmly welcome to do so.

Please note that VCE Music Recitals are not running in 2025.

Competitive Choral and Ensemble Disciplines

Choirs

C01 Primary School Choirs - limit 50 voices

C02 Secondary School Chamber Choirs - limit 30 voices

Performers may appear in more than one group in a section, but there must not be more than a 40% overlap between groups.

Instrumental Ensembles

This discipline welcomes orchestras, concert bands, jazz bands, percussion groups , chimes and bell ringers, string orchestras, brass bands, wind ensembles and single instrument groups such as guitar ensembles, oboe choirs and recorder consorts.

We warmly welcome music groups of all kinds!

E01 Junior Large Ensembles 13 – 50 players
E02 Junior Small Ensembles 3 – 12 players
E03 Senior Large Ensembles 13 – 50 players
E04 Senior Chamber Music Groups 3 – 12 players

These sections are for acoustic ensembles. One or two instruments within a large group may be amplified, but this should be kept to a minimum and should not dominate the sound. For example, one might use an electric bass in a concert band, or include an electronic keyboard in an orchestra to cover missing instruments. Ensemble pianist MUST be within the age group specified for the section entered.

Music chosen for these sections may be two contrasting pieces.

A stage sketch plan must be submitted to the Registrar at least 1 week before Ensembles Day.

Performers may take part in more than one ensemble, but Large Ensembles must not interchange more than 40% of players to another group competing in the same section.

Small Ensembles – a performer cannot participate in more than three ensembles using the same instrument in a given section.

Provided: Full drum kit with cymbals, bass drum and 2 timpani will be provided, so please refrain from bringing your own. Approximately 30 music stands will also be provided.

Not provided: keyboard percussion, traps, idiomatic instruments, sticks, mallets or beaters.

Competitive Solo Disciplines

Guzheng Solos

G01 Guzheng Solo, 12 years & under
G02 Guzheng Solo, 16 years & under

Entrants must provide a photocopy of their sheet music in cypher/jiǎnpǔ notation for the adjudicator.

If this is your first music competition, we suggest that you also enter one of the Mini Recital sections N04, N05 or N06.

Guzheng Solos

Piano Solos

P01 Piano Solos – 8 years & under
P02 Piano Solos – 10 years & under
P03 Piano Solos – 12 years & under
P04 Piano Solos – 14 years & under
P05 Piano Solos – 12 to 14 years - Baroque or Classical
P06 Piano Solos – 16 years & under
P07 Piano Solos – 18 years & under
P08 Piano Solos – 21 years & under

P09 Piano Solos – AMEB Preliminary to Grade 2 or equivalent†
P10 Piano Solos – AMEB Grades 3 – 4 or equivalent†
P11 Piano Solos – AMEB Grades 5 – 6 or equivalent†

Please note that the standard for the age limited sections is quite high, so if this is your first music competition, we recommend that you enter one of the Mini Recital sections N01, N02 or N03, as well as P09, P10 or P11.

String Solos

S01 String Solos – 8 years & under
S02 String Solos – 10 years & under
S03 String Solos – 12 years & under
S04 String Solos – 14 years & under
S05 String Solos – 16 years & under
S06 String Solos – 18 years & under
S07 String Solos – 21 years & under (NOT running in 2025)

Please note that the standard for the age limited sections is quite high, so if this is your first music competition, we recommend that you also enter one of the Mini Recital sections N04, N05 or N06.

Vocal Solos

V01 Junior Vocal Solos – 12 years & under
V02 Junior Vocal Solos – 14 years & under
V03 Vocal Solos – 15 to 18 years
V04 Senior Vocal Solos – Contemporary or Theatre Music – 18 to 25 years
V05 Senior Vocal Solos – Art Song Classical Solo – 15 to 25 years

If this is your first music competition, we recommend that you also enter one of the Mini Recital sections N04, N05 or N06.

Woodwind & Brass Solos

B01 Brass Solo - 12 years & under
B02 Brass Solo - 14 years & under
B03 Brass Solo - 16 years & under
B04 Brass Solo - 18 years & under

W01 Woodwind Solo - 12 years & under
W02 Woodwind Solo - 14 years & under
W03 Woodwind Solo - 16 years & under
W04 Woodwind Solo - 18 years & under
W05 Woodwind Solo - 21 years & under (NOT running in 2025)

If this is your first music competition, we recommend that you also enter one of the Mini Recital sections N04, N05 or N06.

PLEASE NOTE! Pre-recorded accompaniment is not accepted in any section.

† While entry is open to all music students learning AMEB, ABRSM, Trinity College, Suzuki, Yamaha and all other music education systems, the AMEB Grade or equivalent is the level at which the entrant is studying at time of competition.

Please verify with your music teacher that the grade or level of the piece you want to perform is equivalent to the specified AMEB grade of the section to be entered to ensure fairness of competition.

PLEASE NOTE! The Adjudicator may choose to disqualify you from a placing if they consider that the music you perform is not within the standard prescribed.