A solo electronic keyboard performance in which one player is judged on technique, timing and musicality, run as a rating, a score out of 100 or a three-minute youth slot depending on the event.
The electronic keyboard is a portable instrument with weighted or semi-weighted keys, built-in voices and, on most models, rhythm accompaniment, a sustain pedal and a speaker or headphone output. As a competition item it asks one player to perform a chosen piece on that instrument, with no singing involved, and to make the piece sound convincing using the tools the keyboard actually offers.
A round is short and simple to run. The player is called, sets the stand and sustain pedal, picks a voice, and performs. Some entrants play a piano-style piece with a single sound; others use a pad or string voice under a melody, or an accompaniment style that supplies bass and drums while the left hand plays chords. The panel listens for steady time, clean notes, sensible voice and volume choices and a performance that sounds finished rather than rehearsed in pieces.
The three eTalenter templates that carry it set it up differently. A teen talent template offers it to ages 13 to 19, English, open to both genders, scored as a rating out of 10 with no time limit printed. A Swiss community kalotsavam template runs it in Sub Junior, Junior and Senior groups, both genders, scored out of 100 with no time limit printed. A Sunday-school and church youth template offers it to ages 15 to 40, both genders, with a three-minute limit, a warning at the two-minute mark and a score out of 100.
Organisers list Keyboard as its own item because electronic keyboards are widely taught and cheap to own, so it attracts entrants who would not enter a full acoustic piano item. A coordinator registers players into the right age group, sets the clock where the event uses one, and tells entrants in advance what equipment will be on the stage.
Where Keyboard is run
On eTalenter this item appears in three templates: a teen talent template (ages 13 to 19), a community kalotsavam template held in Switzerland with three age groups, and a youth kalamela template for ages 15 to 40. As a format, a solo keyboard slot is a familiar instrumental item at school talent shows, youth festivals and community arts competitions generally.
- Switzerland
- 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
- Swiss community template: Sub Junior, Junior and Senior groups, both genders, out of 100, no time limit printed
- Youth template: ages 15 to 40, both genders, three-minute limit with a warning at two minutes, out of 100
- Language is set to Any/NA on two templates, since an instrumental item has no sung text
- Separate from acoustic Piano and Organ, which are their own items
On eTalenter, Keyboard is filed under Music, On Stage and typically scored with Marks, Rating out of 10. It appears in 3 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.
Across the templates that use it, Keyboard is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 100, commonly time-limited to around 3 minutes where a limit is set.
What judges look at in Keyboard
What a Keyboard panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Accuracy and fingering: correct notes, clean chord changes and no stumbles in the fast passages
- Timing and steadiness: an even pulse, especially when an accompaniment rhythm is running, and tempo changes that are deliberate
- Voice and sound choice: a keyboard voice that suits the piece, with sensible volume balance between melody and accompaniment
- Musical expression: phrasing, dynamics and mood, not only getting the notes right
- Use of the instrument: sustain pedal, touch and registration used to help the music rather than to hide weak playing
- Presentation and finish: a confident start, no long pauses for settings and a clear ending inside the time limit where one applies
- The templates print one total or one rating and no split, so a panel that wants separate headings agrees them before the round
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Keyboard under Scoring Setup, or start from the full instrumental music judging criteria guide.
How to prepare for Keyboard
How entrants and their teachers usually get Keyboard right on the day:
- Read the event notice first for the age group, whether a time limit applies and whether backing tracks or accompaniment styles are allowed
- Choose a piece that fits the clock: the youth template allows only three minutes, so rehearse the full piece against a stopwatch, ending cleanly before the warning-to-limit window runs out
- Programme the voice and accompaniment settings in advance and write down the button sequence so there is no searching during the round
- Practise hands separately with a metronome, then together, raising the speed in small steps
- Test your own keyboard or the one supplied beforehand: key response, sustain pedal and volume differ between models
- Rehearse the opening and the ending on their own, because a confident first bar and a clean last chord shape the panel's impression
- Record a run-through and listen for rushed passages, uneven rhythm and a voice that drowns the melody
Frequently asked questions
Is Keyboard 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.
Is Keyboard the same as Piano?
No. Piano is played on an acoustic piano with hammer action and pedals, while Keyboard is an electronic instrument with voices and often accompaniment styles. Each is its own item when an event runs them.
How long is a Keyboard performance?
It depends on the template. The youth template sets three minutes with a warning at two minutes. The teen and Swiss community templates print no time limit, so the organiser should state one in the event notice.
Can I use backing tracks or accompaniment styles?
The templates do not say. A built-in accompaniment style is part of many keyboards, but the event notice decides whether it, or any external backing track, is allowed.
Is Keyboard judged individually or as a team?
Individually. Every template that carries it sets it as an individual item with one player and one score.
Want the full judging picture? Read the full instrumental music judging criteria guide, or browse every music competition item.
Try Keyboard in eTalenter
See every ready-made template that runs Keyboard, and install one as a live event — age groups, rules and scoring included.
