Assessment Criteria  For Senior Band and Concert Band 

At the start of each school year all Balgowlah Heights band members (as well as those who wish to join a band), are assessed to determine which band they are best suited for. This ensures all children are placed in the band that best reflects their current abilities.  

Band Music Director, Mr Ray Hampton and Senior Band Conductor, Mrs Emma Clain, will carry out the assessments with each student. The assessments take around 5 minutes to complete and are very informal and relaxed - care is taken to make the children feel at ease.  

The assessments are held at the beginning of the year so that the conductors get a clear picture of the playing levels of each child. This assists the conductors with choosing the right level music and shows the abilities across the bands.  In addition, if the students do not pick up their instruments during the break, they will have to re-learn technical aspects of their instrument. This impacts the level of the bands which could do all the hard work carried out this year will be wasted.   A few weeks not playing equates to months of having to re-build the bands.  

Assessments for Senior Band and Concert Band take place on the staff development day at the beginning of Term 1. 

Below are the criteria for joining Senior and Concert Bands.  Please take this criteria to your private tutors over the next few weeks so they can help your child prepare for these assessments. If the children are running through this criteria in their private lessons regularly they will be in a great position for the assessments.

ASSESSMENTS for Senior and Concert Band are held at the school at the beginning of each year. Students in Senior Band usually try out for Concert Band and students in Junior Band try out for Senior Band

CRITERIA

• Perform a short prepared piece that they may be learning with their tutors - this piece cannot be a band piece.

• Sight reading - the students will be asked to sight read a piece they have not seen previously suited to the level required for the band they are auditioning for

Senior Band children should be able to recognise and to play the following scales:

Flute, Oboe, Lower Brass - C, G, F, B Flat Majors Chromatic Scale 1 Octave

Clarinet, Trumpet, Alto & Tenor Sax - C, F, G Majors & Chromatic Scale 1 Octave

Keyboard, Electric Bass Guitar - C, F, G, B Flat Majors Chromatic Scale 1 Octave

French Horn - C, F, G Majors Chromatic Scale 1 Octave

Percussion - C, B Flat Majors and Chromatic.  Play scales on Glockenspiel/Xylophone; show proper technique for snare drum such as basic stick techniques, closed & ope, paradiddle and flam rolls. Timpani - single stick roll 

Concert Band children should be able to competently play the musical scales listed below:

Flute, Oboe, Lower Brass - C, G, F, B flat, D Majors, E Flat Major, Chromatic Scale 2 octaves where possible

Clarinet, Trumpet, Alto & Tenor Sax - C, G, F, D, B Flat, E Flat Major, Chromatic Scale 1 octave, 2 if possible

Keyboard - C,  F,  G,  D,  B  Flat,  E  Flat  Major  and Chromatic

Electric Bass Guitar - C, F, G, D, B Flat, E Flat Major Chromatic Scale 1 Octave

French Horn - C, F, A, B Flat Major, Chromatic Scale 1 Octave

Percussion - Be able to play from memory the following major scales and chromatic scale (2 octaves where possible).

C, F, G, B flat, D, E flat major scales and chromatic

Able to tune Timpani; play scales on Glockenspiel/Xylophone; show proper technique for snare drum and other percussive instruments

Access word document of criteria here.