Pulse Alive

Showband

The Pulse Alive team are seeking talented musicians to form the showband for Pulse Alive 2025. The showband will accompany all performance items within the show.

How to apply

Applications are now open for individual students to nominate for the showband in Pulse Alive 2025.

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

Please complete the Pulse Alive 2025 – showband nomination form by Monday 2 September (Term 3 Week 7).

To audition, students need to submit a video of themselves performing a 1 minute excerpt of their own choice of 2 contrasting pieces.

  • 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 2024.
  • 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.

Eligibility and selection

Nominations are open to students from Year 5 to Year 12 in 2025 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 duty of care of these students.

Three violinists
A drummer in the show band

Instruments

We are seeking performers on the following instruments

  • Violin
  • Viola
  • Cello
  • Double Bass
  • Piccolo
  • Flute
  • Clarinet
  • Bass Clarinet
  • Bassoon
  • Alto Saxophone
  • Tenor Saxophone
  • Baritone Saxophone
  • French Horn
  • Trumpet
  • Trombone
  • Piano / Keyboard
  • Guitar (electric and acoustic)
  • Bass Guitar
  • Drum Kit
  • Percussion

 

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.

Key dates

Date Term/week Details Venue
Mon 2 Sep 2024 Term 3 Week 7 Nominations close  
Mon 14 Oct 2024 Term 4 Week 1 Notification of audition results  
Sat 1 and Sun 2 Feb 2025 Term 1 Week 1 Showband rehearsals The Arts Unit, Lewisham
Sat 15 Mar 2025 Term 1 Week 7 Showband rehearsal Ken Rosewall Arena
Sun 16 Mar 2025 Term 1 Week 7 Sitzprobe Ken Rosewall Arena
Tue 18 Mar 2025 Term 1 Week 8 Sound checks Ken Rosewall Arena
Wed 19 Mar 2025 Term 1 Week 8 Dress rehearsal Ken Rosewall Arena
Thu 20 and Fri 21 Mar 2025 Term 1 Week 8 Performances Ken Rosewall Arena

 

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.

 

A saxophonist with the brass section of the showband
Two french horn players

Costume

The performance clothes for the showband will be as follows:

  • Black Pulse Alive t-shirt – this is the show t-shirt that is included within your student resource fee. 
  • Long black pants – these will need to be supplied by students.
  • Black socks – these will need to be supplied by students.
  • Black shoes – these will need to be supplied by students.
A trumpeter with the brass section of the showband

    Resource fee

    There will be a resource fee of $180 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