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 July 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

Mini Recitals

D01 “Two of Us” Duets - any two instruments including voice, 15 years & under. (NOT running in 2024)
D02 “Two of Us” Duets - any two instruments including voice, 21 years & under. (NOT running in 2024)

N01 Mini Recital Piano Solo, non-competitive. AMEB Grades Preliminary – 2 or equivalent†
N02 Mini Recital Piano Solo, non-competitive. AMEB Grades 3 – 4 or equivalent†
N03 Mini Recital Piano Solo, non-competitive. AMEB Grades 5 and above†
N04 Mini Recital String, Wind or Vocal Solo, accompanied, non-competitive. AMEB Grades Preliminary – 2 or equivalent†
N05 Mini Recital String, Wind or Vocal Solo, accompanied, non-competitive. AMEB Grades 3 – 4 or equivalent†
N06 Mini Recital String, Wind or Vocal Solo, accompanied, non-competitive. AMEB Grades 5 and above†

We welcome any type of strings or wind instrument or voice in N04, N05 and N06. Soloists in N04, N05 and N06 may perform unaccompanied or accompanied (by a single acoustic instrument such as piano). We offer you a free professional accompanist for your performance, and opportunities to rehearse with the accompanist on the morning of your performance. We make it easy for you to perform accompanied!

These sections are non-competitive, and offer the perfect introduction to eisteddfod performance without the pressure of competition. Participants gain valuable performance experience in front a warm and appreciative audience and receive a detailed Adjudicator’s report based on the standard of their piece. Each section features a mini master class conducted by the Adjudicator.

This experience is invaluable for participants to prepare for future music festivals and eisteddfods, music exams, school concerts and any occasion where your music may be shared.

VCE Music Performance Recitals

VCE 01 VCE Music Recitals - Piano, Instrumental and Vocal Solos

This section is open to students currently doing VCE Music Performance only. At least one of the pieces played must be from the current VCE list of Prescribed Works.

This section is non-competitive and offers the VCE student a valuable opportunity to gain performance experience and feedback from a qualified VCE examiner, 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 to help improve the VCE student's performance outcome.

Participants may choose more than one piece, provided that the total playing time does not exceed the time limit of 8 minutes.

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

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

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

✨NEW SECTION✨

Guzheng Solos

G01 Guzheng Solo - 10 years & under
G02 Guzheng Solo - 16 years & under

This is a new discipline for 2024. Entrants must provide a photocopy of their sheet music in cypher (Jianpu) notation for the adjudicator.

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

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

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

W06 Woodwind & Brass Solo - AMEB Grade Preliminary – 2 or equivalent†
W07 Woodwind & Brass Solo - AMEB Grade 3 – 4 or equivalent†

If this is your first music competition, we recommend that you also enter one of the Mini Recital

sections N04, N05 or N06.

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

† The AMEB Grade or equivalent is the level at which the entrant is studying at time of competition. Entry is open to all music students learning AMEB, ABRSM, Trinity College, Suzuki, Yamaha or any other music education system.

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

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