The Concert Band Award Scheme is a programme run by our conductor Dave Odams to acknowledge the hard work and consistent effort of students who are participating in concert bands at Normanhurst West. Learning a musical instrument is not easy and takes effort and persistence over many years. The award scheme aims to identify milestones in the journey from beginner players, so that students can mark their level of achievement as they progress.
The scheme is based on the Tradition of Excellence books which are structured to introduce musical concepts week by week. By following the books throughout the year, each student can be sure to learn the fundamental principles for reading and playing music at a steady pace.
Participation in the award scheme is not mandatory, however, it is highly recommended as it provides students and parents a means by which to measure progression of learning, making sure all of the basics are covered.
The scheme has 3 stages: Bronze Award for Training Band Students, Silver Award for Intermediate Band student and Gold Award for Senior Band Students.
Training Band and the Bronze Award
Complete the four worksheets, one for each term, which step through the Tradition of Excellence Book 1 to qualify for the Bronze Award.
Do the best you can to complete these worksheets during the first year of playing. Each student completes these sheets at a different pace, some slower or faster than others. Some terms go better than others, depending on how busy we get with other things. So don’t worry, just do the best you can. At the end of the year, all Training Band students move up to Intermediate Band whether they have completed all of the sheets or not.
Click on the links to download the worksheets:
Intermediate Concert Band and the Silver Award
Complete the four worksheets, one for each term, which step through the Tradition of Excellence Book 2 to qualify for the Silver Award.
The Silver Award is optional. The work on book 2 is completed the music tutor and the award is given upon completing the worksheets, or by doing the AMEB Grade 2 exam.
Students move to SCB when they finish (or are close to) finishing their awards.
Click on the links to download the worksheets:
The NWPS Concert Band Gold Award
Gold award is our highest level of achievement and can be started at any time after completion of the Silver Award. It is purely tutor based and the worksheet lays out a set of scales and solos to be learned. The award is optional, and not everyone chooses to do it.