Speech and Drama vs Singing: Which to Enter?
Both speech and drama and singing sit inside the same festival, share the same adjudicators and reward the same core skill: the ability to hold an audience. But they develop that skill in quite different ways, and choosing the wrong one at the start can leave a beginner feeling out of their depth. More importantly for parents and teachers reading this, the right choice also points toward the right kind of coach or studio to engage before September auditions arrive. Here is a practical breakdown to help you make that call.
What each category actually asks of a performer
Singing at the City of Bayswater performing arts festival for singers, musicians and actors means competing primarily on tone, pitch accuracy, breath control and musical interpretation. You will perform a prepared song, and the adjudicator's written report will assess those musical qualities specifically. Even at beginner levels, intonation is part of what a qualified adjudicator listens for, and that is simply the nature of a music competition. It is the reason the right singing teacher matters before entry, not after.
Speech and drama centres on spoken word, physicality and dramatic interpretation. Categories include verse speaking, prose readings, monologues and group drama. The adjudicator listens for clarity of diction, phrasing, characterisation and presence, not musical pitch. A student with a natural flair for storytelling or a strong instinct for character can do genuinely well here without any musical training, which also means the skills a speech and drama coach builds are directly relevant to what the adjudicator will assess on the day.
Which coach or teacher do you need first?
This is the question that actually drives the discipline choice for most families. If a child is already working with a singing teacher who has confirmed the voice is ready for competition, the path into the singing categories is clear and that teacher is the right person to select repertoire and prepare the entry. If no singing teacher is yet involved, entering singing without one is a significant risk: the adjudicator's report will focus on technical deficits rather than growth, which is discouraging and not particularly useful feedback for a beginner.
Speech and drama has a different entry point. A drama coach, a speech teacher or a school performing arts coordinator can prepare a student effectively for these categories, and the skills taught in those lessons map directly onto what a performer needs to demonstrate on the day. For families who are choosing a discipline at the same time as they are choosing a teacher, this difference in entry point is worth thinking through carefully before committing to September auditions.
A few practical questions worth running through before you commit:
- Does the student already have a teacher in one of these disciplines? If so, enter the category that teacher can prepare them for. That alignment between training and competition is the single most reliable predictor of a useful adjudicator report.
- If no teacher is yet engaged, which discipline are you more easily able to find qualified coaching for in your area? Starting with a strong teacher in one discipline is better than starting without preparation in the other.
- What does the student actually want to do? An engaged student who turns up to lessons willingly is easier for any teacher to prepare well.
- Is the goal feedback and experience, or a genuine tilt at a prize? Either is valid, but if prize competition is the aim, the teacher's honest assessment of readiness should be the deciding factor before September arrives.
Adults entering for the first time face the same question. Someone with a background in amateur theatre or public speaking often finds that a few sessions with a speech and drama coach translate directly into competition readiness, because the skills are already partly there.
What the adjudicator's report actually covers in each discipline
One of the most valuable things about entering this festival is the personal written report from a qualified adjudicator. The report is specific to the category, so knowing what an adjudicator is assessing helps a teacher structure preparation, not just the performance itself.
In singing, expect comments on breath support, vowel placement, diction, stylistic understanding and performance presence. A common error for first time entrants is choosing repertoire that is technically too demanding. The result is a report focused on pitch and breath issues rather than interpretive feedback, which limits its usefulness for development. A good singing teacher will select repertoire at a level where the student can demonstrate genuine musicianship, and that conversation with the teacher should happen well before the September audition window.
In speech and drama, reports address vocal variety, pace, clarity, physical expression and whether the piece was believable as a performance rather than a recitation. Expression is weighted heavily in this discipline. Working with a drama or speech coach before entry means the preparation in lessons directly supports what the student will be assessed on, which is another reason finding the right teacher early matters.
Can a student enter both?
Yes. The festival runs categories across piano, strings, singing, instrumentals and speech and drama, and there is no restriction on entering multiple disciplines. For a student who is actively studying both singing and drama, entering both makes sense and produces two separate adjudicator reports covering different skills.
The practical consideration is preparation time and teacher capacity. Each entry requires a different piece and different preparation work. For a primary school aged student, two entries across two disciplines means two teachers coordinating toward the same September deadline. That is manageable when both teachers are experienced with festival preparation, but it is worth confirming with each teacher before committing. Starting with one well prepared entry in the first year, then adding a second discipline once the student knows what to expect, is a pattern that many Perth music studio teachers and school coordinators recommend.
What about students who are strong in both?
Crossover performers exist, and the preparation for one discipline genuinely supports the other. A singer who also studies drama tends to bring more genuine expression to a vocal performance. A drama student who has learned to control breath and project will often have a cleaner, more sustained vocal delivery when they move into singing. If a student is strong in both and has teachers in both, entering both is a reasonable choice. The important thing is that the singing preparation is led by a singing teacher specifically. The physical freedom that drama training encourages can work against a singing performance where breath management and stillness are also being assessed, and a teacher who knows both disciplines will navigate that.
How teachers and school coordinators can structure entries
For music studio teachers and school performing arts coordinators, the speech and drama versus singing question comes up every enrolment cycle. A useful framework: match each student to the category that reflects what they have actually been taught this year, not what they did in a previous eisteddfod or a different context. A student who spent the year on technique in one to one voice lessons should enter singing with that teacher's guidance. A student who spent the year on a school drama production has built a different skill set, and entering them in singing without singing specific preparation will produce a report focused on deficit rather than growth.
Coordinators who manage multiple students across disciplines will find the companion article on how to choose your eisteddfod category in Perth useful when working through the broader category selection process across all disciplines. Planning entries well ahead of the September audition period gives teachers and coordinators enough time to align repertoire and preparation with each student's actual skill level.
Frequently asked questions
My child has never entered a competition before. Which discipline should they start with?
Start with the discipline they already have a teacher for. If they have a singing teacher, enter singing. If they have a drama or speech teacher, enter speech and drama. The adjudicator's report is only genuinely useful when it addresses the skills the student has been working on. If no teacher is yet involved, consider which discipline you can find qualified coaching for first, then enter that one in the first year so preparation and competition are aligned by the time September arrives.
How do I find a singing teacher or speech and drama coach who knows the festival?
Ask at local music studios and performing arts schools in the Perth metro area, and check whether schools in the City of Bayswater area have performing arts coordinators who enter students regularly. Teachers who have prepared students for this festival before will understand the repertoire requirements and what adjudicators focus on in each discipline, which makes a meaningful difference to how useful the report is for a student's development.
Is speech and drama easier than singing for a complete beginner?
Not necessarily easier, but for a student with no musical training, speech and drama does not require pitch accuracy, which removes one significant technical barrier. What it does require is genuine engagement with a piece, clear diction and physical expression, all of which a good drama coach can prepare in the weeks before September auditions. A beginner in singing without a teacher faces a harder path to a useful adjudicator report.
Can a teacher enter multiple students across both disciplines?
Yes. The festival is open to participants of all ages across all listed categories, and there is no restriction on how many students a teacher or studio enters. Many school coordinators and studio teachers enter cohorts across singing, speech and drama and instrumental categories in the same year.
What does the festival offer beyond the competition itself?
Every entrant receives a personal written report from a qualified adjudicator, the experience of performing in a structured public setting, and the opportunity to hear other performers in the same category. There is also a prize pool of $11,000 across the festival, including gold medallions, trophies and certificates, as well as a $2,500 cash prize for the Most Outstanding Performance, sponsored by Zenith Music.
The real reason the distinction matters
The festival has been running for over 69 years and has had participants go on to significant careers, with both Lisa McCune and the late Heath Ledger among those who came through the festival in their early development. What it offers every entrant, regardless of discipline, is a personal adjudicator report and the experience of performing in a structured, supportive public setting.
The distinction between speech and drama and singing matters not because one is harder or more prestigious, but because the specific feedback you receive is only useful if it addresses the skill you are actually working on, and you can only work on that skill properly with the right teacher behind you. Choose the discipline that maps to the work the student has done with their teacher this year, make sure preparation is in place before September, and the report will give them something real to act on.