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Musical maestros hit all the right notes

By Owen Sinclair

Sep 10, 2025

A cohort of young local musicians has proved that coming from the country is no barrier to success.

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The Cobram Secondary College senior concert band has punched above its weight after claiming its first ever gold medal in the intermediate category at the recent Victorian School Music Festival in Hawthorn.

Band conductor and music teacher Justin McLaren said he was pleased for and proud of his amazing music students.

“They have worked very hard in the lead-up to this performance,” he said.

Each week leading up the competition, the band’s 36 members prepared by rehearsing together for hours outside school.

While the band has performed in the junior category for the past few festivals, it is its first time stepping up into the intermediate section.

“The band members love this trip each year and are absolutely ecstatic to have achieved a gold award,” Mr McLaren said.

Mr McLaren said the band had punched above its weight after coming away with a gold medal at the Victorian School Music Festival. Credit: Red Book Photography. Photo by Contributed

The band enchanted adjudicators with three compositions, including Praeludium and Dance by Robert Sheldon, When An Angel Gets Its Wings by Christina Huss and The Great Locomotive Chase by Robert W. Smith.

There are five categories of the competition: Beginner, Novice, Junior, Intermediate and Advanced.

Each level comes with a performance repertoire of added complexity and demand on musical skill.