A solo performance on a brass instrument such as trumpet, trombone, French horn or tuba, judged on tone, breath control, intonation and musicality, run as a rating out of 10 for teens or a score out of 100 for youth.
Brass is the entry for a single player on an instrument whose sound begins with buzzing lips against a mouthpiece: trumpet, cornet, trombone, French horn, euphonium, baritone, tuba and close relatives. The player chooses one piece, prepares it alone, and performs it for the panel. The label names no instrument, so a trumpeter and a trombonist stand on the same scale and the panel listens for the quality of the playing, not the instrument chosen.
What sets a brass entry apart is how much work the lips and the air do. Pitch comes from lip tension and air speed as much as from the valves or slide, so a panel hears breath support and embouchure before anything else: whether the first note speaks cleanly, whether long notes stay steady, whether the sound keeps its warmth from the low register to the high, and whether a tired lip lets the pitch sag near the end. Valve or slide technique has to stay tidy underneath that, especially in quick passages and wide leaps.
A round is short. The player is called, empties water from the instrument if needed, checks pitch against a reference or an accompanist, and plays. A broad, singing piece shows tone and phrasing; a bright, rhythmic one shows tonguing and agility. Neither template that carries the item prints a time limit, so organisers should say in the event notice how long a performance may run, whether a piano accompanist or backing track is allowed, and whether a mute may be used.
Two eTalenter templates carry it. A teen talent template offers it to ages 13 to 19, English, both genders, scored as a rating out of 10. A Jamaican community talent showcase template offers it in a Youth group for ages 13 to 40, English, both genders, scored as Marks out of 100. Both treat it as an individual item, listed apart from the woodwind, strings, keyboard and organ items because each instrument family is marked on its own technique.
Where Brass is run
On eTalenter this item appears in two templates: a teen talent template for ages 13 to 19 and a Jamaican community talent showcase template whose Youth group runs from 13 to 40. As a format, a solo brass slot is a familiar part of school music days, community talent showcases and youth programmes wherever players have access to a trumpet, trombone or similar instrument, but this page records only those two templates.
- Jamaica
- Worldwide
Key facts
- Individual item: one player, one performance, one score
- Teen talent template: ages 13 to 19, English, both genders, rating out of 10, no time limit printed
- Jamaican community template: Youth group 13 to 40, English, both genders, Marks out of 100, no time limit printed
- Neither template sets a time limit, so the organiser should state one in the event notice
- The templates name no instrument: trumpet, trombone, French horn and tuba are the usual entries
- Listed separately from Woodwind, Strings Bowed, Strings Plucked, Keyboard and Organ, each of which is marked on its own technique
On eTalenter, Brass is filed under Music and typically scored with Marks, Rating out of 10. It appears in 2 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.
Across the templates that use it, Brass is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100.
What judges look at in Brass
What a Brass panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Tone: a full, centred, unforced sound with the same warmth in the low, middle and high registers, and no pinched or blaring notes at the top
- Breath control: long notes held steadily and phrases that end with the music rather than when air runs out
- Intonation: notes in tune with each other and with any accompaniment, remembering that brass drifts as the instrument warms and the lips tire
- Articulation and agility: clean attacks, even tonguing, accurate valve or slide work, and wide leaps landed on the note rather than slid into
- Musical expression: dynamics, phrasing and a clear character for the piece, so it sounds chosen rather than merely learnt
- Stage manner: a calm entry, a quick pitch check, and a clean finish; each template prints a single rating or total, so a panel that wants separate headings agrees them beforehand
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Brass under Scoring Setup, or start from the full instrumental music judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Brass
How entrants and their teachers usually get Brass right on the day:
- Pick a piece you can play cleanly from first note to last, with one lyrical section for tone and one livelier section for tonguing
- Warm the instrument by blowing warm air through it before you are called; a cold brass instrument plays flat and the first notes feel stiff
- Build stamina steadily: short, regular practice sessions protect the lips better than one long push the night before
- Mark breath points in your copy and practise slowly so each phrase is planned instead of squeezed in
- Use a tuner at the start of every practice, and learn to adjust your tuning slide quickly on the day without making the panel wait
- Pack valve oil or slide cream, a cleaning cloth, a mute if the organiser allows one, a stand if needed and a copy of your music
- Record yourself and listen for cracked notes, sagging pitch and rushed fast passages, then fix those before polishing style
- Ask the organiser whether a pianist or backing track is permitted, and rehearse with whichever is allowed at least twice
- If a time limit is announced, time the whole piece with a stopwatch and cut a repeat rather than risk being stopped
Frequently asked questions
Is Brass 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.
Which instruments can I play in Brass?
The templates do not name one. Trumpet, trombone, French horn and tuba are the typical choices, and cornet, euphonium and baritone are normally welcome too, but check the event notice if you play something less common.
Is Brass judged individually or as a group?
Individually. Both templates set it as an individual item, one player and one score, with the teen template using a rating out of 10 and the youth template Marks out of 100. Ensembles are separate items.
How long is a Brass performance?
Neither template that carries it prints a time limit, so the organiser should state one in the event notice.
Can I use a mute or a backing track?
The templates say nothing either way. Ask the organiser before the day; if a backing track or pianist is allowed, rehearse with it, and agree with the panel beforehand whether a mute counts as part of the performance.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full instrumental music judging criteria guide, or browse every music competition item.
Try Brass in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs Brass, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
