August 13 was a normal day for the majority of Pakūranga College, but for 37 of us, it was an incredibly exciting—and very long—day, full of performing for the annual KBB Music Festival.
At 7:30am, the members of our school’s Concert and Jazz bands gathered outside the Music Block, preparing our instruments, talking, and waiting for the bus to arrive. An hour later, we’d arrived at the Trinity Hall Cathedral, unloading the bus of the many trombones, flutes, and pieces of percussion equipment we had hauled along.
166 bands competed in this year’s KBB competition over the week: concert, jazz, and orchestral groups. Pakūranga College’s Concert and Jazz bands proudly performed that Thursday, at 11:30am and 3:30pm respectively.
As we all piled into Trinity Hall, armed with $4 kazoos and other trinkets available at nearby stands, Pakūranga College waited for the first concert band performance. That was the plan for the rest of the morning, with us performing near the end. A few schools before we were due to go on stage, we all gathered into a soundproof practice room to prepare our instruments and get ready for the big performance. I had a super fun time playing, and Pakūranga College’s Concert Band won a Silver Award—great job, us!
After a two hour lunch break, we moved to a different church to watch the jazz band performances. As I’m not a member myself, I got to watch our band perform three pieces, including My Favourite Things from The Sound of Music. Congratulations to our Jazz Band, who won a Bronze Award!
Overall, the KBB Music Festival 2026 was an exhilarating, fun experience and a great performing opportunity for all of us. (Plus, kazoos!)
Ava Hart – Year 9
