WA Schools' Concert Band Festival

This event is run in partnership with the Australian Band and Orchestra Director's Association (WA). The thirtieth WA Schools' Concert Band Festival was held at Perth Modern School from Thursday, 13 August to Sunday, 16 August, 2009.

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The aims of the Concert Band Festival are:

  • To give bands a performance opportunity at an outstanding venue.
  • To give band members an opportunity to hear other bands perform.
  • To provide each band with constructive comments from a panel of informed adjudicators.
  • To present to each band a certificate which recognises its participation and standard of performance.

The festival is open to any independent or government school concert band, with divisions catering for young, unbalanced, bands to experienced senior bands. The festival is not suitable for brass bands.

It is emphasized that conductors of bands should make every endeavor to ensure members of their band are encouraged and given ample opportunity to listen to other bands as part of their participation in the Festival.

Although the Festival is not planned as a competitive event, bands will remain in divisions with a panel of adjudicators providing written and spoken comments. Bands will also receive a certificate which will be inscribed with a grading of Outstanding, Excellent, Merit or Certificate of Participation. Novice Division bands will not be graded, but will receive adjudication comments and a Certificate of Participation. At the conclusion of the festival the director will receive a recording of the band. This recording will include comments from the adjudicators, which will be made throughout the band’s performance and superimposed over the music.

Bands in A, B and C divisions are expected to present an appropriate program of up to three pieces which must include two pieces from the Music Selections List 2009. The program should equate to the standard set in the list of music chosen for the division. Due to the length of pieces, Premier Division bands need only choose one piece from the list, however they must perform at least two pieces and the second piece be an equivalent standard to the list pieces. Bands who do not present the required number of pieces from the Music Selections List will only be eligible to receive a Certificate of Participation.

The pieces on the Music Selections List 2009 have been carefully chosen to equate to the degree of competence which a band is expected to attain within a division. For more information or advice on repertoire selection email Neil Coy.

The standard of bands can vary each year and directors have the option of moving their bands into another division if their band could better handle the technical aspects of the music by such a move. Novice division is aimed at junior bands which have been learning for a very short time, and whose members may have limited skills. These bands may present a program of up to three pieces of their own choice.

While teachers or other adults are permitted to play in participating bands, the band will only be eligible to receive a Certificate of Participation.

For the first time this year, a keyboard and amplifier will be provided on stage for all sessions except the final session on Sunday 16 Aug. A Division bands requiring the use of an amplifier or keyboard should take this into account and select an alternate session.

Many of the scores and parts of the music of each division can be perused at the School of Instrumental Music Resource Centre. For further information contact Paul Duhig at the School of Instrumental Music.

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