The Award

This award, named in honour of a former conductor of WA Brass, Norm Snow, is presented annually to the best soloist within a competing brass band, as judged by the adjudicator. 

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Norm Snow was a British born, Australian Conductor and Music Teacher.

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Served in the Royal Army Service Corps during WW2, including service in Normandy in June, 1944.  After WW2, briefly performed on Cornet with the Black Dyke Band.    Emigrated to Australia in 1953, playing cornet on the ship during the 4 week voyage.   

In 1955, he was appointed as the Bandmaster of the City of Perth Regiment, and joined the Australian Army as a member of the Citizen Military Forces (CMF).  He was also teaching privately, having not taken up an offer to teach music for the Education Department of WA.

In 1958 he began the Junior Band of the 11/44 Infantry battalion, growing to 29 students (all taught by Norm) by the end of that year.   In 1960, he formed the “National Youth Brass Band of Western Australia”, a group that eventually became WA Brass, having been known as variously as Channel 9 Band, 6KY Brass Band and the Stirling City Brass Band.   He also began the Northern Districts Junior Band in 1974, which was for a time the Junior Band of the Stirling City Brass.

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Norm taught a large number of students to play brass in a 40 year teaching career, including Principal Trumpet of WASO Kevin Johnson, and Head of Music at UWA, Professor Alan Lourens.

In memory of the outstanding contribution to bands and music in WA, the WA Band Association awards the “Norm Snow Medal” for the most outstanding brass performance in the State Contest.