It took out second place on Saturday in the competition it had last entered almost 20 years earlier.

The band had regularly tested itself at the championships in the late 1970s and early 1980s, contesting the junior and open sections.It had last competed in 1996 and dedicated band conductor Stephen Smith felt that by 2013 the hiatus had been long enough.

He said it would also be a great platform to consolidate the hard work the band had put in mastering new challenging pieces.

"The band consists of high school students through to retirees who all have a passion for music and a strong desire to constantly improve their playing," Mr Smith said.

The Dubbo musicians were up against four other bands at the championships held at Penrith.

All entrants had to play test piece On A Hymn Song of Philip Bliss by David Hoilsinger.

Dubbo was awarded 75 points for its performance, second only to the band that gained 80 points.

The band also played First Suite in Eb by Gustav Hoist and Arabesque by Samuel R Hazo.

For all three pieces the band was awarded a total of 188 points.

"All three pieces were technically very different and I was extremely proud of the band's performance on the day," Mr Smith said.

"I believe that being awarded second place in our category was the ultimate recognition of this dedication."