A team performance by a small group presenting a contemporary Christian piece, such as a song, a spoken-word item or a short sung-and-spoken presentation, judged as a single team entry.
A small group contemporary Christian performance is a team item in which a handful of performers present one prepared piece in a modern style with a Christian message. Typical entries are a worship-style song with harmonies, a sung-and-spoken presentation, a short spoken-word piece with music beneath it, or a song with simple staging. "Contemporary" separates it from traditional hymn singing or formal choir work: the music, words and delivery sound like current popular or worship styles rather than a set classical form.
A round is one prepared performance. The group walks on, sets up any instruments or microphones, performs, and leaves. The panel listens for whether the members sound like one group instead of several soloists: matched timing, balanced voices, clear words and a message that carries to the back of the room. Where the piece uses a backing track or a live accompanist, the panel also notices whether the group stays with it.
On eTalenter the item appears in one template, a teen talent template, where it is a team entry for ages 13 to 19, in English, open to both genders, scored as a rating out of 10 with a maximum of 5 printed against the entry. The template prints no time limit and no minimum or maximum group size. It sits beside a separate Large Group Contemporary Christian Performance item, so small teams are not marked against big ones.
Because the template leaves the size boundary and the time limit open, an organiser who runs this item should publish both in the notice: for example how many performers count as a small group, how long the piece may last, and whether recorded backing tracks, instruments and amplification are allowed. Stating these in advance prevents disputes over which of the two group items a team belongs in.
Where Small Group Contemporary Christian Performance is run
On eTalenter this item sits in a single teen talent template, built for events where young people perform music, art, writing and speaking items with a faith theme. No wider reach is claimed here: the page records only that template, and organisers elsewhere should treat the group-size and time rules as their own to set.
- Worldwide
Key facts
- Team item: one rating for the whole group, never one per member
- Teen talent template: ages 13 to 19, English, both genders
- Scored as a rating out of 10 in the template; the entry prints a maximum score of 5
- No time limit and no group-size boundary printed; organisers should publish both
- Listed separately from Large Group Contemporary Christian Performance
- Sits in the Music category of the template
On eTalenter, Small Group Contemporary Christian Performance is filed under Music and typically scored with Rating out of 10. 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, Small Group Contemporary Christian Performance is most often entered as an Team competition, typically scored out of 5.
How it is scored
The scoring method the templates attach to this item, and what that scale means.
- Best score is
- the highest
- Decimal places
- 1
- Used for
- Arts
Where it sits
The category this competition is filed under when a template is installed.
Others in this category: Classical Vocal, Light Music, Folk Song, Western Vocal, Instrumental, Group Song, Devotional Song, Patriotic Song
Judging criteria installed for it
eTalenter matches an item to its criteria on the words in its name, and creates exactly these when the template is installed.
- Abstract Expression
- Audience Connection
- Audience Engagement
- Audience Immersion
- Audience Interaction
- Audience Reaction
- Body Language
- Collaborative Creativity
- Conceptual Clarity
- Creative Use of Space
- Emotional Resonance
- Environmental Integration
- Execution
- Harmony
- Innovative Use of Props
- Innovative Use of Technology
- Innovative Use of Texture
- Integration of Elements
- Interactive Engagement
- Musicality
- Original Music Composition
- Pioneering Techniques
- Psychological Depth
- Sensory Experience
- Sensory Integration
- Sound Design
- Symbolic Use of Music
- Synchronization
- Technical Complexity
- Technical Skill
- Timing
- Unconventional Formats
What judges look at in Small Group Contemporary Christian Performance
What a Small Group Contemporary Christian Performance panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:
- Unity as a group: entries, endings and changes of speed happen together, so the piece sounds like one team and not a row of soloists
- Voice and balance: voices blend, no one member drowns the others, and any soloist line sits clearly above the group
- Clarity of words and message: the text can be understood from the back of the room and the delivery fits what the words are saying
- Musical quality: staying in tune and in time, with sensible use of any accompaniment or backing track
- Presentation: a prepared entrance and exit, comfortable stage positions and a performance that looks rehearsed; the template prints a single rating, so a panel wanting separate headings should agree them beforehand
Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Small Group Contemporary Christian Performance under Scoring Setup, or start from the judge scoring and tabulation guide.
How to prepare for Small Group Contemporary Christian Performance
How entrants and their teachers usually get Small Group Contemporary Christian Performance right on the day:
- Pick a piece the whole group can sing or perform securely; a simple arrangement done together beats an ambitious one that wobbles
- Decide early who sings melody and who takes harmony or spoken lines, and write the parts down so nobody guesses on the day
- Rehearse with the exact microphones, instruments or backing track that will be used, since balance changes completely once sound is amplified
- Practise entries and endings as carefully as the middle: start together, finish together, and hold the final moment still
- Run the piece for time and agree where it can be cut if the organiser sets a limit
- Have one person step out and listen from the audience position, then adjust who stands where and who sounds louder
- Rehearse the walk-on, set-up and walk-off so the performance does not lose marks before the first note
Events that run this (1)
Ready-made templates that already include this competition. Installing one sets it up for you.
Frequently asked questions
Is Small Group Contemporary Christian Performance judged individually or as a team?
Across eTalenter's templates it's most often run as an Team entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.
Is a small group contemporary Christian performance judged as a team?
Yes. The template sets it as a team entry, so the group receives one rating rather than one per member.
How many people count as a small group?
The template does not say. Organisers should state the boundary between small and large groups in the notice so each team enters the right item.
How long can the performance be?
No time limit is printed in the template. Organisers should publish one so groups can choose or cut a piece to fit.
Can the group use a backing track or instruments?
The template does not rule on it. The organiser decides and should say so in the notice, along with whether amplification is provided.
Similar competitions
Items whose names share a word with this one — usually the same discipline in another form.
Want the full judging picture? Read the judge scoring and tabulation guide, or browse every music competition item.
Try Small Group Contemporary Christian Performance in eTalenter
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