School Brass Bands in Australia

British-style brass bands were a flourishing phenomenon within schools in Australia up to the 1970s, yet very little has been written in scholarly literature to acknowledge the role that brass bands played in shaping music education in Australia.  

There is a focus on orchestral brass instruments in our educational institutions in Australia, and the main band setting used is the ‘concert band’.  

However, brass bands are not completely extinct: the Salvation Army’s Just Brass program is making a mark in primary schools around Australia, and there are some other schools embracing the brass band setting. Additionally, there are many young people around Australia who play in community brass bands. 

The dilemma faced by many students who play a brass band instrument, is the convention and expectation of playing orchestral brass, particularly in secondary school, and almost always in higher education. 

This site offers some explanation of brass bands and their instruments, and provides practical solutions for music educators to so that they can be more inclusive of brass band students when they present in school music programs.