Past Test Pieces
Past years test pieces are listed here
| BRASS BANDS | Open A Grade | Open B Grade | Open C Grade | Open D Grade |
| 2025 | The Legend of King Arthur (Meechan) | Buckley's Change (McCunnie) | Carnival (Perkin) | I, Dadaelus (Price) |
| 2024 | The Cosmographic Mystery (Vilhelmsen) | Three Extraordinary Journeys (Sparke) | The Lost Village of Imber (Bond) | A Bournemouth Suite (Tubb-Hearne) |
| 2023 | Metropolis 1927 (Graham) | Rhapsody on St. Francis (Wainwright) | Ravenhill Suite (Gates) | Vengeance (McCunnie) |
| 2022 | Of Distant Memories (Gregson) | Legacy (Davoren) | A Cambrian Suite (Ball) | Neverland (Bond) |
| 2021 | Tristan Encounters (Ellerby) | Cross Patonce (Richards) | Napolean on the Alps (Harper) | World Tour (Newton) |
| 2020 Nationals | Torchbearer (Graham) | Traversada (Waespi) | Viking Age (Deleruyelle) | A Royal Mile Suite (Fernie) |
| 2019 | A Brussels Requiem (Appermont) | Aotearoa (Sparke) | Darkwood (Price) | St. Andrew's Variations (Fernie) |
| 2018 | Fraternity (Deleruyelle) | Cry of the Mountain (Lorriman) | St. Austell Suite (Downie) | The Journal of Phileas Fogg (Graham) |
| 2017 | Rococo Variations (Gregson) | The Kingdom of Dragons (Harper) | Canadian Folk Song Suite (Calvert) | The Pacemakers (Gregson) |
| 2016 | …Dove Descending (Wilby) | Essay (Gregson) | Saint-Saëns Variations (Sparke) | An English Pastorale (Jones) |
| 2015 | Breath of Souls (Lovatt-Cooper) | Fanfares and Love Songs (Higgins) | Darkness Visible (Grantham) | Three Spanish Impressions (Fernie) |
| 2014 | On the Shoulders of Giants (Graham) | A Moorside Suite (Holst) | An English Suite (M. Ball) | A British Isles Suite (Bates) |
| 2013 Nationals | Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (Bourgeois) | Lyonesse (Dobson) | Northern Landscapes (Graham) | Prelude, Song and Dance (Golland) |
| 2012 | The Red Priest (Wilby) | Royal Parks (Lloyd) | Willow Pattern (Harper) | Voices of Youth (Gregson) |
| 2011 | Montage (Graham) | Prisms (Graham) | A Celtic Suite (Sparke) | A Haslemere Suite (Graham) |
| 2010 | The New Jerusalem (Wilby) | The Saga of Haakon the Good (Sparke) | The Once and Future King (Baker) | Four Little Maids (Carr) |
| 2009 | Harmony Music (Sparke) | Chaucer's Tunes (M. Ball) | The Dark Side of the Moon (Lovatt-Cooper) | Little Suite for Brass No. 1 (Arnold) |
| 2008 | -- Not Held -- | |||
| 2007 | -- Not Held -- | |||
| 2006 | Harrison's Dream (Graham) | Le Roi D'Ys (Lalo/Wright) | Indian Summer (Ball) | |
| 2005 | Chivalry (Ellerby) | Coventry Variations (Tovey) | Seven Wonders (Bloomfield) | Partita (Gregson) |
| 2004 | Pageantry (Howells) | Cross Patonce (Richards) | A Downland Suite (Ireland) | The Seasons (Wilby) |
| 2003 | Seascapes (Steadman-Allen) | St Paul's Suite (Holst/Kenyon) | Petite Suite de Ballet (Ball) | |
| 2002 | English Heritage (Lloyd) | Fanfare and Variations (Barry) | Chorale and Toccata (Bulla) | St. Michael's Mount (Ball) |
| 2001 | Paganini Variations (Wilby) | A Celtic Suite (Sparke) | Music for a Festival (Sparke) |
| CONCERT BANDS | Open A Grade | Open B Grade | Open C Grade | Open D Grade |
| 2025 | The Creation of Faith (Blackshaw) | Infinite Hope (Balmages) | Tarantella (Chambers) | Overture Spiritoso (Hultgren) |
| 2024 | Overture to Candide (Bernstein / Grundman) | Freedom Rising (Giroux) | The Stone Guest (Hogg) | Adventure to Empress Falls (Manton) |
| 2023 | Me Disagrees (Likhuta) | Cry of the Last Unicorn (Galante) | Tirana (Barnett) | The Visionaries (Hogg) |
| 2022 | To Walk With Wings (Giroux) | Viva Musica (Reed) | Gypsies (Jones) | To Create a Voice (Chambers) |
| 2021 | Give Us this Day (Maslanka) | Invocation and Toccata (Barnes) | The Light Eternal (Swearingen) | Three Dorset Songs (Vaughan Williams) |
| 2020 Nationals | The Speed of Heat (Giroux) | Puszta (van der Roost) | Pikes Peak (Balmages) | Suite of Old French Songs (Daehn) |
| 2019 | The Year of the Dragon (Sparke) | Korean Folk Songs from Jeju Island (Ticheli) | Fate of the Gods (Reinecke) | Celebration and Song (Sheldon) |
| 2018 | Aspen Jubilee (Nelson) | Four Norfolk Dances (Sparke) | Prelude, Sicliano and Rondo (Arnold/Paynter) | Three London Miniatures (Camphouse) |
| 2017 | An Outdoor Overture (Copland) | Billy the King (Copland/Hilliard) | Appalachian Spring (Copland/Longfield) | Old American Songs (Copland/Moss) |
| 2016 | Danceries (Hesketh) | An Original Suite (Jacob) | Greek Folk Song Suite (Cesarini) | Suite of Old French Songs (Daehn) |
| 2015 | Symphony for Band (Persichetti) | Spangled Heavens (Grantham) | Children's Folk Song Suite (Walczyk) | Suite from Bohemia (Nelhybel) |
| 2014 | Theme and Variations (Schoenberg) | San Antonio Dances (Ticheli) | Plymouth Triology (Iannaccone) | Three Ayres from Gloucester (Stuart) |
| 2013 Nationals | Yiddish Dances (Gorb) | Illyrian Dances (Woolfenden) | Three Klezmer Miniatures (Sparke) | Simple Gifts (Ticheli) |
| 2012 | Paris Sketches (Ellerby) | Bridges Over the River Cam (Bourgeois) | Southwest Saga (Sheldon) | Encanto (R.W. Smith) |
| 2011 | Suite of Old American Dances (Bennett) | Vesuvius (Ticheli) | A Little Concert Suite (Reed) | Whispers of the Wind (Shaffer) |
| 2010 | Lincolnshire Posy (Grainger) | Overture for a New Age (de Haan) | Cajun Folk Songs (Ticheli) | Renaissance Festival and Dances (Pearson) |
| 2009 | Armenian Dances Part 1 (A. Reed) | Ross Roy (de Haan) | Gypsy Dance (Compello) | Scenes from a Royal Tapestry (Johnson) |
| 2008 | -- Not Held -- | |||
| 2007 | -- Not Held -- | |||
| 2006 | ||||
| 2005 | Vesuvius (Ticheli) | Northbridge Portrait (Bulla) | ||
| 2004 | Aotearoa (Sparke) | A Moorside Suite (Holst/Wright) | ||
| 2003 | Evocations (Ellerby) | The Loaded Dog (Lloyd) | Ross Roy (de Haan) | |
| 2002 | Highland Fling (Barker) | Dolce and Dance (Fagan) | Renaissance (Susato) | |
| 2001 | Armenian Dances Part 2 (Reed) | First Suite in Eb (Holst) | Three Songs from Sussex (Stuart) |
Junior competitions aren't held every year and test pieces are selected depending on entries, some years junior bands are instructed to select an own choice from the ABODA list or relevant grade.
| BRASS BANDS | Junior Grades | Junior A Grade | Junior B Grade | Junior C Grade |
| 2025 | Own choice test piece | |||
| 2024 | Own choice test piece | |||
| 2023 | Own choice test piece | |||
| 2022 | Own choice test piece | |||
| 2021 | ||||
| 2020 Nationals | Spirit of Youth (Kennedy) | Village Scenes (Fernie) | An Irish Folk Song Suite (Fernie) | |
| 2019 | ||||
| 2018 | ||||
| 2017 | ||||
| 2016 | ||||
| 2015 | ||||
| 2014 | ||||
| 2013 Nationals | Fanfares and Love Songs (Higgins) | Lydian Pictures (Dobson) | The Territorians (McAllister) | |
| 2012 | ||||
| 2011 | ||||
| 2010 | ||||
| 2009 | ||||
| 2008 | -- Not Held -- | |||
| 2007 | -- Not Held -- | |||
| 2006 | ||||
| 2005 | The Territorians (McAllister) | |||
| 2004 | Island Music (Johnson) | |||
| 2003 | ||||
| 2002 | ||||
| 2001 |
| CONCERT BANDS | Junior Grades | Junior A Grade | Junior B Grade | Junior C Grade |
| 2025 | Own choice test piece | |||
| 2024 | Own choice test piece | |||
| 2023 | Own choice test piece | |||
| 2022 | Own choice test piece | |||
| 2021 | ||||
| 2020 Nationals | Incantation and Dance (Chance) | Terpsichorean Dances (Blackshaw) | Sunchaser (Carol Brittin Chambers) | |
| 2019 | ||||
| 2018 | ||||
| 2017 | ||||
| 2016 | ||||
| 2015 | ||||
| 2014 | ||||
| 2013 Nationals | Four Dance Episodes (Gilroy) | Gypsy Dance (Compello) | Westmorland Celebration (Owens) | |
| 2012 | ||||
| 2011 | ||||
| 2010 | ||||
| 2009 | ||||
| 2008 | -- Not Held -- | |||
| 2007 | -- Not Held -- | |||
| 2006 | ||||
| 2005 | ||||
| 2004 | Kelly (Hogg) | |||
| 2003 | ||||
| 2002 | Enchanted Wizard (O'Reilly) | |||
| 2001 | An Australian Rhapsody (Hultgren) |