At the 2024 NBCA Annual Conference it was decided that a one-year trial of five Open Brass grades will be conducted at the 2025 Nationals in Victoria.
The decision to trial an extra Open Brass grade named Open Premier Grade Brass was made as a result of feedback from adjudicators and participating bands about the apparent disparity between the playing standards of top-ranked and bottom-ranked bands competing across all Open Brass grades and in light of the relatively large number of bands in the higher grades.
To create the Open Premier Grade Brass, the top five placed bands from Open ‘A’ Grade Brass at the 2024 Nationals will be automatically promoted. It is then up to each state to determine the gradings across the five grades for their remaining bands.
Open Concert will remain with four grades, but in recognition of the parity of standard between the top brass and concert bands, Open ‘A’ Grade Concert will become known as Open Premier 'A' Grade Concert. Open 'B', 'C' and 'D' Grade Concert will remain the same.
This change will be implemented with a view to achieving the following goals:
- The standard of bands across each grade will be much closer together making for closer competition, and the majority of bands in each grade being more competitive.
- A more manageable and sustainable grading system where bands who are regraded, either up or down, have a chance to still be competitive and continue improving whilst still participating positively in contests.
- Test pieces can be chosen to suit the standard of grades rather than having to make do with pieces to fit such a huge range of bands in each grade.
The grading of bands will be determined as follows for Year One:
- Open Premier Grade Brass: Top five places in Open ‘A’ Grade Brass at the 2024 Nationals plus each State Governing Body can choose to nominate one additional band (maximum of ten bands in the grade in Year One).
- Open ‘A’ Grade to ‘D’ Grade Brass: States to provide a national grading for their bands to enter. Following the trial, a full review will be conducted by the NBCA in consultation with the competing bands.
