Performance evaluation is of great importance to the development of musical performance. Yet, we know little about the psychological process that underlies such evaluations. In this essay, I argue that performance evaluation is essentially a form of aesthetic judgment, and that recent findings from psychological studies of aesthetics may provide valuable insights. First, I present a preliminary model of aesthetic judgment. Then, I outline a methodological paradigm which has proved useful in capturing the judgment process. This is followed by a consideration of ten insights about aesthetic judgment of music from recent studies. Finally, implications for music education are discussed. I ask whether there is such a thing as ‘good’ performance evaluation, and - if so - what this might entail. It is proposed that evaluation is a skill that can be trained based on feedback from analytic models which make the aesthetic judgment process transparent to musicians and listeners alike.