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. 👉

Decide which disciplines and sections you wish to enter and check the adjudicator for those disciplines.

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

Make sure you read the Rules & Conditions of Entry, so that you understand what is required of you before you enter!

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

Non-Competitive Disciplines

Mini Recitals

N01 Mini Recital Piano Solo. AMEB Grades Preliminary – 2 or equivalent†. Time limit: 2 mins
N02 Mini Recital Piano Solo. AMEB Grades 3 – 4 or equivalent†. Time limit: 3 mins
N03 Mini Recital Piano Solo. AMEB Grades 5 and above†. Time limit: 5 mins
N04 Mini Recital String, Wind or Vocal Solo, accompanied.

- AMEB Grades Preliminary – 2 or equivalent†. Time limit: 2 mins
N05 Mini Recital String, Wind or Vocal Solo, accompanied.

- AMEB Grades 3 – 4 or equivalent†. Time limit: 3 mins
N06 Mini Recital String, Wind or Vocal Solo, accompanied.

- AMEB Grades 5 and above†. Time limit: 5 mins.

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.

Competitive Choral and Ensemble Disciplines

Choirs

C01 Primary School Choirs - limit 50 voices. Time limit: 6 mins

C02 Secondary School Chamber Choirs - limit 30 voices. Time limit: 8 mins

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. Time limit: 6 mins
E02 Junior Small Ensembles 3 – 12 players. Time limit: 6 mins
E03 Senior Large Ensembles 13 – 50 players. Time limit: 8 mins
E04 Senior Chamber Music Groups 3 – 12 players. Time limit: 8 mins

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.

Every ensemble or group must submit a stage sketch plan to the Registrar at least 1 week before Ensembles Day, even for a trio.

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, 10 years & under. Time limit: 3 mins
G02 Guzheng Solo, 13 years & under. Time limit: 4 mins

G03 Guzheng Solo, 16 years & under. Time limit: 5 mins

The guzheng is a Chinese traditional instrument that uses a different form of sheet music notation; it is called cypher, or jiǎnpǔ notation. The guzheng also uses pitch- bending and other musical techniques not normally found in western music.

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. Time limit: 3 mins
P02 Piano Solos – 10 years & under. Time limit: 3 mins
P03 Piano Solos – 12 years & under. Time limit: 4 mins
P04 Piano Solos – 14 years & under. Time limit: 4 mins
P05 Piano Solos – 12 to 14 years - Baroque or Classical. Time limit: 5 mins
P06 Piano Solos – 16 years & under. Time limit: 5 mins
P07 Piano Solos – 18 years & under. Time limit: 6 mins
P08 Piano Solos – 21 years & under. Time limit: 8 mins

P09 Piano Solos – AMEB Preliminary to Grade 2 or equivalent†. Time limit: 2 mins
P10 Piano Solos – AMEB Grades 3 – 4 or equivalent†. Time limit: 3 mins

P11 Piano Solos – AMEB Grades 5 – 6 or equivalent†. Time limit: 4 mins

Please note that the standard for the age limited sections is quite high, so if this is your first music competition, we strongly 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. Time limit: 3 mins
S02 String Solos – 10 years & under. Time limit: 3 mins
S03 String Solos – 12 years & under. Time limit: 4 mins
S04 String Solos – 14 years & under. Time limit: 4 mins
S05 String Solos – 16 years & under. Time limit: 5 mins
S06 String Solos – 18 years & under. Time limit: 6 mins

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

Vocal Solos

V01 Junior Vocal Solos – 10 years & under. Time limit: 2 mins
V02 Junior Vocal Solos – 12 years & under. Time limit: 3 mins

V03 Junior Vocal Solos – 14 years & under. Time limit: 3 mins
V04 Senior Vocal Solos – 18 years & under. Time limit: 4 mins
V05 Senior Vocal Solos – Contemporary or Theatre Music – 15 to 18 years. Time limit: 4 mins
V06 Senior Vocal Solos – Operatic Aria Solo – 19 years to 25 years. Time limit: 5 mins

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

Woodwind & Brass Solos

B01 Brass Solo - 12 years & under. Time limit: 3 mins
B02 Brass Solo - 14 years & under. Time limit: 4 mins
B03 Brass Solo - 16 years & under. Time limit: 5 mins
B04 Brass Solo - 18 years & under. Time limit: 6 mins

W01 Woodwind Solo - 12 years & under. Time limit: 3 mins
W02 Woodwind Solo - 14 years & under. Time limit: 4 mins
W03 Woodwind Solo - 16 years & under. Time limit: 5 mins
W04 Woodwind Solo - 18 years & under. Time limit: 6 mins
W06 Woodwind & Brass Solo, AMEB Grade Prelim – 2 or equivalent†. Time limit: 3 mins
W07 Woodwind & Brass Solo, AMEB Grade 3 – 4 or equivalent†. Time limit: 4 mins

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.

VCE Music Recitals - not running in 2026

We need a Registrar! Would you like to become one? Please let us know!

VCE 01 - VCE Music Performance - Any piece from the current VCE syllabus or another work of equivalent standard. The total 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 as we need an extra committee member to act as registrar for this discipline. Please let us know if you would like to join us!