A solo instrumental item of up to five minutes in which the entrant plays one string or one wind instrument, unaccompanied, and is scored out of 100 with the largest share, 30 marks, for authenticity and perfection.
Instruments (String or Wind) is an open instrumental class for solo players. The title names two families, strings and winds, and the entrant picks one instrument from either: a violin, a guitar or a veena on the string side, a flute or a clarinet on the wind side. The class is one of the music entries of a youth festival for under-18s held in Pennsylvania, listed beside the vocal items Carnatic Music, Light Music, Film Song and Western Music.
A round is short and plain. The entrant is announced by registration number, brings their own instrument, and plays alone on stage for up to five minutes. The printed rules allow no other accompanying instrument, no recorded track and no karaoke, so every note heard comes from the one instrument in the entrant's hands. The entrant may play on only one instrument; changing from a flute to a violin halfway through is not permitted.
The rules also say that only the participant is allowed on stage. Help with set-up or clear-up is given by the organising team, and families remain responsible for their own instruments, so a string player should arrive with spare strings and a tuner already checked, and a wind player with a spare reed or mouthpiece where the instrument needs one.
Organisers run an open class like this because it takes in every young player who does not fit a named instrument item, from a beginner playing a simple tune cleanly to a trained player in a classical or Western tradition. It is entered as an individual, boys and girls together, with no language attached, so one result list covers the whole class.
Where Instruments (String or Wind) is run
In eTalenter data this class appears on one template: a US youth festival for under-18s, run in Pennsylvania. Nothing in the data shows the same title in any other competition, so this page does not claim a wider use. Open string-or-wind instrument classes are common at community youth festivals in general, but the five-minute limit, the ban on any accompaniment and the judging scale on this page are the ones printed for that festival only. Kerala-style festival syllabuses name each instrument as its own item instead.
- United States
Key facts
- Individual entry, boys and girls together, no language applies. Every item in the festival except Group Dance is a solo item.
- One youth group covering everyone under 18. The rules print no minimum age.
- Time limit: 5 minutes. The festival-wide rules say that exceeding the time limit leads to disqualification, and that entrants get visual or audible warning signals before it.
- One instrument only, either string or wind. No other accompanying instrument, recordings, tracks or karaoke are allowed.
- Marked out of 100 on five printed criteria: rhythm and timing 15, creativity 15, authenticity and perfection 30, expression 20, execution 20. No bonus points for placings are printed.
- Idea starters, not rules: choose one piece that shows both a steady tune and a short moment of contrast; open with a slow passage and close with a faster one to show range; pick a piece in a style you can play from memory without losing the beat; keep a short second piece ready only if the first runs well inside the limit.
On eTalenter, Instruments (String or Wind) is filed under Music 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, Instruments (String or Wind) is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to around 5 minutes where a limit is set.
What judges look at in Instruments (String or Wind)
What a Instruments (String or Wind) panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Authenticity and perfection (30 marks, the largest share): whether the piece sounds like the style it belongs to, played in tune and without wrong notes. A simple piece played cleanly and in the right style scores above a harder one with slips.
- Expression (20 marks): how the player shapes the music with volume, phrasing and pauses. Playing every note at the same loudness and speed leaves marks unearned even when the notes are correct.
- Execution (20 marks): the control of the instrument itself, such as bowing or fingering on a string instrument, breath and tonguing on a wind instrument, and a steady tone from the first note to the last.
- Rhythm and timing (15 marks): holding the beat with no recorded track to lean on. Because nothing accompanies the player, any speeding up in an easy passage or dragging in a hard one is heard immediately.
- Creativity (15 marks): the choice and shaping of the piece, including a thoughtful arrangement, a small variation or an improvised ending where the style allows it. Copying a recording note for note earns less here than a personal touch within the style.
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Instruments (String or Wind) under Scoring Setup, or start from the full instrumental music judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Instruments (String or Wind)
How entrants and their teachers usually get Instruments (String or Wind) right on the day:
- Choose the instrument you play best, not the one that looks most impressive. A steady flute tune beats a shaky violin piece, because authenticity and perfection carries 30 of the 100 marks.
- Pick a piece that fits the five-minute limit with room to spare. Time yourself with a stopwatch and aim to finish a few seconds inside it, because going over the limit leads to disqualification.
- Practise without any backing track from the first week. The class forbids recorded accompaniment, so learn the beat from a metronome and then switch it off.
- Tune before you walk on and again as you start, and carry spares: an extra string, a reed or a cloth. The organising team helps with set-up but the family is responsible for the instrument.
- Rehearse the walk-on and the first four bars until they are automatic. You are announced by number only, so the opening note is your whole introduction.
- Record a run-through twice, once from the front to check timing and once close up to check tone and posture. Fix the first unsteady passage before adding anything new.
- Plan one clear moment of expression, such as a slow phrase after a fast one, and mark the dynamics on your music. Learn the piece well enough to play without the sheet if the festival allows it.
- After the result, compare your marks with the five criteria. A low rhythm mark means more metronome work; a low authenticity mark usually means a piece that needs a cleaner style or a slower tempo.
Frequently asked questions
Is Instruments (String or Wind) 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.
Can I play more than one instrument in my five minutes?
No. The printed rules say participants can perform on only one instrument, either string or wind, so pick one before you register.
Can I use a backing track or a second player?
No. The rules do not allow any other accompanying instrument, recordings, tracks or karaoke, and only the participant is allowed on stage.
How long can the performance be?
Five minutes at most. The festival rules say that exceeding the time limit leads to disqualification, and entrants receive visual or audible warning signals beforehand.
How is it scored?
Out of 100 on five criteria: rhythm and timing 15, creativity 15, authenticity and perfection 30, expression 20, execution 20. Check with the organiser for placings and any tie rule, as none is printed.
Which instruments count as string or wind?
The rules name only the two families. Violin, guitar and veena are typical string choices and flute or clarinet typical wind choices, but a drum or keyboard instrument is neither, so ask the organiser before registering anything else.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full instrumental music judging criteria guide, or browse every music competition item.
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