Melbourne School Bands Festival
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The Melbourne School Bands/Strings Festival is a two week program where school bands mainly from metropolitan Melbourne, Australia, as well as country Victoria and interstate, gather to compete against each other for a Gold, Silver, Bronze, Merit or Participation shield. The festival is produced and sponsored by Billy Hyde Music Foundation.
In 2005, over 270 concert bands, jazz ensembles and string ensembles performed at the Robert Blackwood Concert Hall and School of Music Auditorium, Monash University. Since the inception of the festival in 1989 the number of students electing to learn an instrument through their school music program has increased substantially. The festival is now one of Australia's most prestigious musical events for school musicians.
The festival is designed to support and develop instrumental music education. Not only do students have the opportunity to perform at Australia's finest venues (acoustic-wise), but they receive adjudication from an outstanding panel of adjudicators.
The festival runs for two weeks until the Festival Finale on the last Saturday of August. This showcases the best live performances live and the distribution of the awards.
[edit] Competition Categories
Concert Bands
- Novice Concert Band
- Training Concert Band
- Junior Concert Band
- Intermediate Concert Band
- Advanced Concert Band
Jazz Ensembles
- Junior Jazz Ensemble
- Intermediate Jazz Ensemble
- Senior Jazz Ensemble
String Ensembles
- Beginner String Group
- Junior String Orchestra
- Senior String Orchestra
- Symphony Orchestra
- String Ensemble
[edit] Chief Adjudicators
Concert Bands
- 1989: Col. John Bourgeois, United States Marine Band, USA
- 1990: Col. John Bourgeois, United States Marine Band, USA
- 1991: Dr. Wayne Bennet, University of Oregon, USA
- 1992: James Swearingen, Composer, USA
- 1993: Col. John Bourgeois, United States Marine Band, USA
- 1994: Dr. Francis McBeth, Ouachita University, Arkansas, USA
- 1995: Dr. Barry Kopetz, University of Utah, USA
- 1996: Dr. Barry Kopetz, University of Utah, USA
- 1997: Ed Huckeby, Composer, USA
- 1998: Dr. Ben Hawkins, Transylvania University, Kentucky, USA
- 1999: Ms. Paula A Crider, The University of Texas, USA
- 2000: Dr. Rob McWilliams, University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, USA
- 2001: Mr. Richard L Floyd, University of Texas, Austin, USA
- 2002: Mr. Robert W Smith, Composer, USA
- 2003: Mr. Ken Waterworth, Australia
- 2004: Mr. John M Laverty, Syracause University, USA
- 2005: Ms. Paula A Crider, The University of Texas, USA
Jazz Ensembles
- 1997: Mr. Gil Askey, USA
- 1998: Mr. Jeff Jervis, USA
- 1999: Mr. Doug Beach, Elmhurst College, Illinois, USA
- 2000: Mr. Daryl McKenzie, Australia
- 2001: Mr. Reg Walsh, Australia
- 2002: Mr. Patric Crichton, WAAPA, Australia
- 2003: Mr. J Richard Conscombe, Composer, USA
- 2004: Mr. Monte H Mumford, Australia
- 2005: Mr. Steve Newcomb, Australia
String Ensembles
- 2000: Mr. Michael Loughlin, Australia
- 2001: Mr. Willem van der Vis, Australia
- 2002: Ms. Andrea Keeble, Australia
- 2003: Mr. Peter Bandy, Australia
- 2004: Ms. Christine Belshaw, Australia
- 2005: Mr. Mark Drummond, Australia
