Primary Concert Bands
Primary Concert Bands
There are 2 ACT Primary Concert Bands and they exist solely to provide extension for students who are members of IMPACT Year 6 Band Classes in schools associated with the Program. They are not community bands in the sense that membership is not open to all students from all primary schools. They were established to have a specific purpose as teaching bands to complement the work being done by IMPACT staff in schools. On that basis they are both directed and administered voluntarily by IMPACT staff, and they both rehearse after school hours each on a different evening - which explains their names; Primary Concert Band Monday and Primary Concert Band Thursday. Guess which evenings they rehearse!
IMPACT staff have divided the 43 associated schools with Yr 6 bands into two groups of 21 & 22 schools in such a way that there is an equal number of “woodwind schools” and “brass schools” in each group. Careful attention is given to the number of Northside and Southside schools in each group to avoid odious comparisons. Every attempt is made to keep the groups appearing to be as equal in ability as possible - which is why they have such boring names! “PCB Blue" and “PCB Gold” or “PCB 1” and “PCB 2” could have led to the perception by outsiders of an upper and lower level band.
The auditions for membership are a two-part process. In the first instance IMPACT staff will invite certain students to apply for audition. These students will be those who have shown more rapid development than other students in their Band Class AND who have demonstrated behaviour and practice habits which indicate their readiness to move into a larger band situation. Students who accept that invitation are auditioned by IMPACT staff, with one IMPACT staff member listening to all of the instruments of a specific type (e.g. all of the trumpets, or all of the clarinets). Following these auditions 50 ~ 60 students are offered positions in each specific PCB - either the Monday group or the Thursday group, depending on which school they attend. Accepting a position in “the other” PCB is not an option.
Unfortunately almost as many students are not offered positions. This is often accompanied by disappointment, but as musicians it will be just the first time that they are unsuccessful at audition - as has happened to all of the IMPACT staff at some stage or other. It does not mean that they are “no good”, but that of the 100s of others who auditioned on the day some were more successful. Hopefully they will be more determined to audition for the Junior Concert Band at the end of Year 6.
The bands have commenced rehearsals for 2008 and thier first public performance will be at Floriade in September.
Primary Concert Band Monday 2008
Chosen from - Calwell, Theodore, Farrer, Torrens, Fadden, Gowrie, Chisholm, Gilmore, Curtin, Arawang, Giralang, Kaleen, Isabella Plains, Richardson, Charles Conder, Fraser, Macgregor, Charnwood Dunlop, Ngunnawal, Aranda and Turner Primary Schools.
Conductors in 2008
Sarah Wicken and Annette Pirani
Performance Dates
Bandstravaganza - Tuesday November 25
Primary Concert Band Thursday 2008
Chosen from - Campbell, North Ainslie, Telopea Park, Southern Cross, Hawker, Miles Franklin, Mount Rogers, Lyneham, Majura, Evatt, Florey, Latham, Holt, Wanniassa, Wanniassa Hills, Monash, Urambi, Bonython, Forrest, Garran, Gordon and Red Hill Primary Schools.
Conductors in 2008
Susan Ford, Lynne Compton and Kirrilee Turner
Performance Dates Bandstravaganza Wednesday November 26
