Assessment Criteria  For Senior Band and Concert Band 

At the beginning of each school year, all Balgowlah Heights band members, as well as students wishing to join a band, participate in an assessment to determine the band most appropriate to their current playing level. This process ensures each child is placed in a band that best reflects their abilities and supports their continued musical development.

Assessments for Senior Band and Concert Band are held on the staff development day at the start of Term 1. The assessments are conducted by Band Music Director, Mr Ray Hampton, and Senior Band Conductor, Mrs Emma Clain. Each assessment takes approximately five minutes and is informal and relaxed, with care taken to ensure students feel comfortable and at ease.

Holding assessments at the beginning of the year allows conductors to gain a clear understanding of each student’s playing level. This supports accurate band placement, appropriate repertoire selection, and an overall view of the skill levels across the bands. An additional benefit of early assessments is encouraging students to continue practising over the holiday break, helping to maintain embouchure strength, finger technique, and overall playing confidence.

Extended breaks without playing can result in students needing to re-learn technical aspects of their instrument, which impacts both individual progress and the overall standard of the bands. Even a few weeks away from regular practice can take months to rebuild, potentially undoing much of the progress achieved during the previous year.

Outlined below are the criteria for joining the Senior and Concert Bands. We encourage families to share this information with private tutors over the coming weeks so they can assist students in preparing for the assessments. Students who regularly work through this criteria in their private lessons will be well prepared and confident on assessment day.

Assessment overview:

• Assessments for Senior and Concert Bands are held at the school at the beginning of each year.

• Students in Senior Band typically audition for Concert Band.

• Students in Junior Band typically audition 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.