Alex Ford, Reg Monck and Alex Brown are looking forward to Sate City Band's participation in the 2007 national competition.

THE Sale City Band has been busy rehearsing for the Australian National Band Championships to be held in Melbourne on this Easter long weekend.

The championship brings together bands from Australia and overseas and are the premier contesting event for Australian brass and concert bands. Run by the Victorian Bands' League under the auspices of the National Bands' Council of Australia, the 2007 nationals will provide a weekend packed with great fun, music and entertainment.

The bands competing will start the championship with a street march on the Saturdav. Each  band will be required to march up Burgundy St, Heidelberg and will be judged on their appearance and musicality.

The playing of a test piece. a hymn, a concert march and a piece of their own choice is played for the championship and will be scored to determine the winner.

The Sale City Band has not attended a National Band Championship in more than 20 years and this competition has really brought the band together with extra rehearsals, camps and meetings to get the band to a standard that Sale and district should be proud of.

Sale City Band on a march up Burgundy Street, Heidelberg

SALE City Band performed in the Australian National Band Chnmpionships held recently in Melbourne and was happy with results.

The competition was of a high standard and a total of 14 brass bands competed in the D grade section alone.

First place was awarded to Northern Brass, Victoria, second to City of Bendigo and third to the City of Holroyd New South Wales.

Sale City placed eighth.

The street march up Burbrundy St. Heidelberg was Sale's strongest section. It was awarded first place for the drill, giving it an overall third place in the march.

The conductor of Northtrn Brass expressed in his winning speech how grateful the city bands were for the involvement of the country bands in the nationals.

He recognised the commitment of country bands to their communities while city bands could purely focus on competitions, country bands had an obligation to their towns, participating in events such as Anzac Day, Christmas carols or school fetes.

He also congratulated country bands for encouraging their young players to join city bands when relocating to undertake studies, and highlighted the amount of country players making up the city bands.

The National Band Championships attracted bands from all over Australia and New Zealand, with the mnjority of the bands travelling to compete.

SALE City Band is currently preparing for its annual concert on October 12 from 7:30pm at Sale Memorial Hall.

The concert's theme is music from around the world and will highlight the Sale City Band's musical ability and will also include local guest artists.

Tickets will be available at the door.

This will be a cabaret-style concert so those attending should take along drinks and nibbles.

Sale City Band recently won the D grade competition at the Latrobe Valley Eisteddfod. The band won with 248 points, nine ahead of the Mornington Youth Citizen's Band with 239 with Latrobe City Band third with 235.

Sale City Band was one of many attractions at the Christmas festival along Raymond St.