Showband

Auditions will be via video, which must be submitted with the nomination form.

To audition, students must submit a video of themselves performing two contrasting pieces, with each excerpt lasting one minute.

• These excerpts can be either accompanied or unaccompanied and should be chosen to best demonstrate the student’s ability on their instrument. 
• The Pulse Alive team will also accept audition videos created for other events/ensemble programs or for formal examinations in 2026.
• Students may audition on more than one instrument, but must submit a separate online application and audition video for each instrument they wish to be considered for.

Nominations were open to students from Years 5 to 12 in 2027 who will be enrolled at a NSW public school.

Students should be confident on their instrument, with an indicative minimum standard of AMEB Grade 5, and be able to read music notation.

Application is via video audition.

Please note, this category is only open to individual performers. Students selected as members of the showband will not be able to participate in the event in an additional category.

Successful students will require the endorsement of their school principal to participate. Students are encouraged to discuss their nomination with a teacher at their school prior to submission.

Students participating in this category will be supervised by members of the Pulse Alive team. Schools will not be expected to provide a teacher for the duty of care of these students.

We are seeking performers on the following instruments

If your instrument is not listed above, please get in touch with us at pulse@det.nsw.edu.au, as we may have capacity to increase the scope of the showband in some circumstances.

Commitment

Students selected as members of the showband must be available for all rehearsal and performance dates. A medical certificate must be supplied for each missed rehearsal; otherwise students will forfeit their place in the ensemble. No refunds of student resource fees will be given in this circumstance. Due to the limited number of rehearsals for the showband, any rehearsal missed due to illness (with a medical certificate) will need to result in the student's role in the ensemble being modified.

There will be a resource fee of $240 per student (GST inclusive). 

The resource fee assists with the costs involved in the conductors, choreographers and tutors working with the students, supports a number of music clearance costs and includes a Pulse Alive t-shirt, which will be worn by all performers as their costume during the event.

Showband members will be required to pay the resource fee through The Arts Unit student payment portal on acceptance into the show.

Third-party content attributions

Pulse Alive images, photographer: Anna Warr