The band is celebrating winning third prize at the National Finals after a fantastic weekend to remember in Harrogate.
The inevitable mix of nerves and excitement were fully evident on Saturday morning as the band assembled for one final rehearsal before embarking on the 300 mile journey north. With the rehearsal over and the coach fully loaded with band members, supporters, instruments and the contents of Fiona and Adrian’s fridge, we bid farewell to Sidmouth at about 11:30am. If Sunday was to be all about the contest, then Saturday was all about the second most important competition of the weekend – Martin’s quiz. In what was a closely fought battle between the two teams at the back of the coach, it was Basses Minus One that clinched victory over the perhaps slightly over competitive Team Gnu. United in their victory, this moment was to be the beginning of a special bond between team leaders Steve and Graham that would only grow in strength over the course of the next two days. With the likes of the quiz, a DVD and a highly intellectual game of Scrabble (just how many points is it for rat, Gemma?) to keep us entertained, we had soon arrived at our hotel in the centre of Harrogate.
After a relaxing but low key evening on Saturday, come Sunday morning the band were up and raring to go, despite knowing that we had a fairly long day ahead of us. With the draw for our section not until 1:30pm, we got back on the coach and headed a few miles out of town to the bandroom of the Tewit Youth Band. Equal to the impressiveness of the actual bandroom itself was the impressiveness of the fantastic ‘good luck’ cake that had been made for us by Emily, a member of Tewit Youth Band who comes and plays with the band when on holiday in Sidmouth each summer. Thank you once again Emily, both the cake and the bandroom were lovely!
Back in Harrogate, Martin made his way to the International Centre to find out where we had been drawn. With the fourth section already running behind schedule, we knew that being drawn 15th out of the 17 bands in our section would mean our turn on stage would come well into the evening. However, none of us realised quite how late into the evening it would turn out to be! With the whole of the afternoon having been spent apart, by 7:00pm it was essential that the band regrouped and refocused. For most bands, this would probably consist of a simple team talk. But, if there’s one thing that was to become apparent over the couple of hours that followed, it’s that we’re not like most bands! At first, it was Fiona’s and Colette’s creation of a Willow Pattern Alphabet that got the band focussed on the crockery inspired music. A short while later, Hilary – the person with possibly the worst public speaking skills in the room – somehow found herself positioned in front of the band with 25 faces staring at her in anticipation of a story. The band listened intently as she read them the story of the Willow Pattern, much to the amusement and perplexity of the onlooking bands. With story time over and Christine’s and Josie’s excess energy burnt off with some star jumps, it was time for a short warm up before trekking to the other side of the building to wait to play. By this time it was close to 10:00pm, but, thanks to the camaraderie shown by the band and an inspired pep-talk from Adrian, spirits were high and we took to the stage with a reignited sense of pride and determination. A good performance followed, with just a few nervous slips and clips that were perhaps inevitable given the enormity of the occasion.
With the last of the 17 bands having played, we gathered in the hall with the 16 other eagerly awaiting bands to find out who had impressed the two adjudicators enough to find themselves placed in the top six. With an aim to come in the top 10, we sat hopeful but certainly not expectant that our name would be in amongst those read out. Our delight at being placed third was evident from the fact our cheers echoed loudest around the large auditorium, even compared to those bands placed in the top two. Despite the few blips that we already knew about, the adjudicators recognised that our performance captured the oriental feel that is crucial to the story being told. With the time now gone 11:00pm, we headed back to our hotel to celebrate our success in style. Led by Graham, Steve and Ivor, we treated the rest of the hotel to several karaoke classics, before reaching the highlight of the evening (apart from the results of course!) with our own attempt at the Conga. As the singing, dancing and all other events of the day gradually took their toll, we headed to bed as very proud National Finals prize winners.
Given that Sunday was such an exhausting day and it was well into the early hours of Monday morning before most of us got to bed, it came as no surprise that the long trip home was a slightly quieter journey than on the way up. To round off an already great weekend, we returned to Sidmouth to find our bandroom had been decorated with flags and a ‘Well Done’ sign courtesy of members of staff from Sidmouth Town Council. This was a lovely surprise and the support very much appreciated by us all.
Although this was very much a team effort, the band needs to say a big thank you to a few individual players. Firstly, thank you to Rachel and Sally, who were both drafted in to fill a couple of empty seats, but who we’re thrilled to say we’ll be seeing much more of in the future. Thanks also to Ian (our flugel player Esther’s husband), who, only three weeks before the contest very bravely agreed to come and hit a few things in the percussion section for us. Ian did a fantastic job playing all sorts of instruments he had never picked up before, and we even think he secretly enjoyed himself more than he would like to admit! Thank you Martin and Fiona for the time spent over the past six months making sure the weekend went as smoothly as it did. Finally, as always, thank you to Adrian for the relentless hard work he puts in before every contest and for putting up with those few extra grey hairs that must be an inevitable part of being the man in the middle.
So, what did Sidmouth Town Band learn from our trip to Harrogate? We learnt that two bass players being forced to share a twin room works wonders for sectional bonding, that Mexican waves are a great way to forget about nerves when waiting for results, and that there is no way you can fit six people in a Yorkshire Hotel lift. We also learnt how something as seemingly insignificant as Hilary reading a story could play such an important part in coming together as a team and finding that extra fire in our bellies to go out on stage and achieve something special. The whole weekend was a great experience and an invaluable morale booster, but to come away with those fantastic memories and a trophy for being the third best Third Section band in Great Britain..? As our principal cornet and second man down players Fiona and Colette would say, ‘That’ll do!’.
Sunday, 3 October 2010
Pastures New For Joel
The National Finals was a big occasion for all of us, but even more notable for one member of the band. For Joel Stephano, the band’s bass trombonist, it was his last engagement with the band before heading off to Sheffield University to study Electronic Engineering.
Having been introduced to the youth band by Fiona (our principal cornet player and a teacher at his school), Joel quickly progressed into the senior band. Growing in confidence, his playing has continued to improve year on year. Although we’re very sorry to see Joel go, we’re lucky that bass trombone is the instrument of choice for Rachel, who played euphonium for us at Harrogate in Elaine’s absence.
Good luck in Sheffiled Joel! We’ll miss your insane optimism, your annoyingly talented musical ability and your insistence on choosing solos that are impossible for the band to play. Make sure you come and play with us whenever you’re back in Devon!
Having been introduced to the youth band by Fiona (our principal cornet player and a teacher at his school), Joel quickly progressed into the senior band. Growing in confidence, his playing has continued to improve year on year. Although we’re very sorry to see Joel go, we’re lucky that bass trombone is the instrument of choice for Rachel, who played euphonium for us at Harrogate in Elaine’s absence.
Good luck in Sheffiled Joel! We’ll miss your insane optimism, your annoyingly talented musical ability and your insistence on choosing solos that are impossible for the band to play. Make sure you come and play with us whenever you’re back in Devon!
Saturday, 11 September 2010
Summer Season Ends On A High
The band has rounded off its 2010 summer season in style, with a successful Proms concert and another two pieces of silverware to add to our expanding collection.
After weeks of preparation, the evening of the band’s Last Night of the Proms concert finally arrived on Saturday 21st August. Over the past few years we have grown accustomed to the unpredictability of August’s weather, however, experience has also taught us that we don’t need glorious sunshine to create a memorable evening. Luckily, for the second year in a row the rain held off, leaving the audience with umbrella-free hands to sip their champagne and wave their flags in true patriotic style. Special thanks must go to our talented guest singer Val Howels and to our compère Nick Agg-Manning, both of whom added that extra bit of sparkle to a thoroughly enjoyable evening.
The final weekend of the summer season sees the band make the short journey along the coast to take part in the Exmouth Brass Band Festival. Having been drawn to play first, we arrived in Exmouth early on Saturday morning ready to play our 25 minute programme to the adjudicator and the handful of early risers listening
in the hall. Eight hours later and back in the hall to listen to the results, we were delighted to come away with not only a cup for the being the best Third Section band, but also a cup for the best trombone section of the day. Congratulations
Chris, Martin and Joel - it was well deserved! Read the adjudicator’s remarks for our performance by clicking here.
The summer passed by with barely a moment to stop for breath, and things are certainly no different at the moment. With only two weeks to go until the National Finals in Harrogate, the band is currently working very hard practising the set test piece ‘Willow Pattern’. Once again, we are very lucky that Steve Sykes agreed to come and take us for a couple of rehearsals prior to the contest to put us through our paces. He has already been to one rehearsal, we are very much looking forward to his return next week.
Ever since the band qualified for the National Finals back in March,we have been faced with the reality that we would only be able to go if we were able to raise the large amount of money needed to fund our trip. We would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to our fantastic audiences and the Town Council for their continued generosity and support. Without this support and a great deal of time and effort given by the band, we would not be able to represent Sidmouth and the West of England in Harrogate. Keep an eye on our news pages for more details about our journey to the National Finals.
After weeks of preparation, the evening of the band’s Last Night of the Proms concert finally arrived on Saturday 21st August. Over the past few years we have grown accustomed to the unpredictability of August’s weather, however, experience has also taught us that we don’t need glorious sunshine to create a memorable evening. Luckily, for the second year in a row the rain held off, leaving the audience with umbrella-free hands to sip their champagne and wave their flags in true patriotic style. Special thanks must go to our talented guest singer Val Howels and to our compère Nick Agg-Manning, both of whom added that extra bit of sparkle to a thoroughly enjoyable evening.
The final weekend of the summer season sees the band make the short journey along the coast to take part in the Exmouth Brass Band Festival. Having been drawn to play first, we arrived in Exmouth early on Saturday morning ready to play our 25 minute programme to the adjudicator and the handful of early risers listening
in the hall. Eight hours later and back in the hall to listen to the results, we were delighted to come away with not only a cup for the being the best Third Section band, but also a cup for the best trombone section of the day. Congratulations
Chris, Martin and Joel - it was well deserved! Read the adjudicator’s remarks for our performance by clicking here.
The summer passed by with barely a moment to stop for breath, and things are certainly no different at the moment. With only two weeks to go until the National Finals in Harrogate, the band is currently working very hard practising the set test piece ‘Willow Pattern’. Once again, we are very lucky that Steve Sykes agreed to come and take us for a couple of rehearsals prior to the contest to put us through our paces. He has already been to one rehearsal, we are very much looking forward to his return next week.
Ever since the band qualified for the National Finals back in March,we have been faced with the reality that we would only be able to go if we were able to raise the large amount of money needed to fund our trip. We would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to our fantastic audiences and the Town Council for their continued generosity and support. Without this support and a great deal of time and effort given by the band, we would not be able to represent Sidmouth and the West of England in Harrogate. Keep an eye on our news pages for more details about our journey to the National Finals.
Monday, 2 August 2010
Last Night of the Proms Tickets On Sale
Tickets for this year’s Last Night of the Proms concert are now on sale. The concert, which is the band’s biggest of the year, is being held in Connaught Gardens on 21st August, at 7.30pm. Now only three weeks away, we’re very busy in the bandroom rehearsing a varied programme featuring music you won’t have heard us play during the year so far. We will once again be joined by local singer Val Howells, whose talent and impressive outfits always add some extra sparkle to the evening. This year, Val will be accompanied by a special guest.
The success of our Last Night of the Proms concerts over the past four years has primarily been down to you - our audience. Come rain or shine, the spirit and enthusiasm shown has given us some very memorable evenings. With surroundings like Connaught Gardens, you would have to search far and wide to even come close to matching the atmosphere as the band and audience join forces for the patriotic classics such as Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory. So dust off the picnic table or dig out a blanket, bring a bottle or pack up a picnic, but most importantly, just bring yourselves, some friends, and your singing voices, and help us make 2010’s Last Night of the Proms the best yet.
Tickets cost just £5 and are now available from Sidmouth’s Tourist Information Centre, at any of our concerts, or from any member of the band.
The success of our Last Night of the Proms concerts over the past four years has primarily been down to you - our audience. Come rain or shine, the spirit and enthusiasm shown has given us some very memorable evenings. With surroundings like Connaught Gardens, you would have to search far and wide to even come close to matching the atmosphere as the band and audience join forces for the patriotic classics such as Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory. So dust off the picnic table or dig out a blanket, bring a bottle or pack up a picnic, but most importantly, just bring yourselves, some friends, and your singing voices, and help us make 2010’s Last Night of the Proms the best yet.
Tickets cost just £5 and are now available from Sidmouth’s Tourist Information Centre, at any of our concerts, or from any member of the band.
Monday, 24 May 2010
Concert Season Is Upon Us
Sidmouth’s Parish Church was the venue for the band’s latest concert, as we took to the stage just a week ahead of the start of our busy summer season. The concert - our first in the church since its refurbishment during 2009 - was enjoyed by all, with the new layout providing much improved surroundings for both band and audience.
The concert not only gave us the opportunity to show off our recently acquired collection of silverware, but also to treat the audience to the first public performance of the test piece ‘Labour and Love’ since being crowned West of England Third Section Champions in March. In another ‘first’ for the evening, the band played - and quite possibly premiered - a brand new arrangement by local composer Matt Kingston. It’s a piece you’re bound to hear during the summer, so for those of you can’t quite make out Adrian’s (mis)pronunciation of the title, it’s called ‘The Kingdom of Asturias’, and we’re confident our audiences will like it as much as we do.
So that leaves less than a week until we’ll be in back in Connaught Gardens for the first of 15 Sunday night concerts. Don’t forget that we start at 8pm and admission is free. Let’s hope the warm and sunny weather we’ve been spoilt with this weekend continues!
The concert not only gave us the opportunity to show off our recently acquired collection of silverware, but also to treat the audience to the first public performance of the test piece ‘Labour and Love’ since being crowned West of England Third Section Champions in March. In another ‘first’ for the evening, the band played - and quite possibly premiered - a brand new arrangement by local composer Matt Kingston. It’s a piece you’re bound to hear during the summer, so for those of you can’t quite make out Adrian’s (mis)pronunciation of the title, it’s called ‘The Kingdom of Asturias’, and we’re confident our audiences will like it as much as we do.
So that leaves less than a week until we’ll be in back in Connaught Gardens for the first of 15 Sunday night concerts. Don’t forget that we start at 8pm and admission is free. Let’s hope the warm and sunny weather we’ve been spoilt with this weekend continues!
Monday, 3 May 2010
Here Comes Summer
In only four Sundays time the band will have kicked off the 2010 summer season of concerts in Connaught Gardens. We’re currently very busy in the bandroom putting the finishing touches to our four programmes, each one offering a variety of music to suit all tastes. In a bid to raise enough money to fund our trip to the National Finals in September, this year will see our audiences having a little more say over what we play each Sunday evening. Come along to one of our concerts to find out how you can make sure we play your favourite piece this summer.
Don’t forget that you don’t need to wait until the 30th May to hear the band. On Friday 21st May we will be playing in Sidmouth’s Parish Church for the first time since its refurbishment and restoration during 2009. The concert will feature a wide range of music, and you will be the first to hear some exciting new pieces we are working hard to rehearse at the moment. Tickets cost £6 and are available now from Paragon Books, High Street, Sidmouth.
Don’t forget that you don’t need to wait until the 30th May to hear the band. On Friday 21st May we will be playing in Sidmouth’s Parish Church for the first time since its refurbishment and restoration during 2009. The concert will feature a wide range of music, and you will be the first to hear some exciting new pieces we are working hard to rehearse at the moment. Tickets cost £6 and are available now from Paragon Books, High Street, Sidmouth.
Friday, 2 April 2010
Back To Business
It’s a long way down from Cloud Nine, but with a very busy few months ahead, the band has been making its way back down to Earth following its win in Torquay three weeks ago.
The band headed to its first engagement as newly crowned West of England Third Section Champions this morning as it took part in Sidmouth’s annual hot cross bun giveaway. We’re only two days into the month, but the term ‘April Showers’ couldn’t be more suitable as, for the second year running, Bedford Lawn car park was abandoned in favour of a dry venue for the event. However, the rain never does anything to deter the crowds, and as always the band enjoyed taking part in this old Sidmouth tradition.
2010 looks set to be an incredibly busy year for us all. Scarily, the summer
season is creeping up on us with the first concert in Connaught Gardens only 8 weeks away. With that in mind, and a concert to celebrate the refurbishment of Sidmouth’s Parish Church on the 21st May, the band will be busy over the next few weeks rehearsing a wide selection of music. In amongst our usual engagements, we will also be working as hard as possible over the next 6 months to raise the money needed to make it possible to compete in the National Finals in September. Remember to keep an eye on our engagements page for details of any upcoming fundraising events. If you have any ideas on how we can raise funds, or are able to help in any way, please do contact us or come and see us after any concert.
The band headed to its first engagement as newly crowned West of England Third Section Champions this morning as it took part in Sidmouth’s annual hot cross bun giveaway. We’re only two days into the month, but the term ‘April Showers’ couldn’t be more suitable as, for the second year running, Bedford Lawn car park was abandoned in favour of a dry venue for the event. However, the rain never does anything to deter the crowds, and as always the band enjoyed taking part in this old Sidmouth tradition.
2010 looks set to be an incredibly busy year for us all. Scarily, the summer
season is creeping up on us with the first concert in Connaught Gardens only 8 weeks away. With that in mind, and a concert to celebrate the refurbishment of Sidmouth’s Parish Church on the 21st May, the band will be busy over the next few weeks rehearsing a wide selection of music. In amongst our usual engagements, we will also be working as hard as possible over the next 6 months to raise the money needed to make it possible to compete in the National Finals in September. Remember to keep an eye on our engagements page for details of any upcoming fundraising events. If you have any ideas on how we can raise funds, or are able to help in any way, please do contact us or come and see us after any concert.
Sunday, 14 March 2010
Champions In Torquay!
The band is celebrating this weekend after being crowned winners of the Third Section at the West of England Regional Championships, booking a place at the National Finals in Harrogate in the process!
Having been promoted in 2008, the band has been working hard over the past couple of years to put in solid performances to secure its position in the Third Section. With the danger of relegation in the back of our minds, we started preparations for this contest knowing that another good performance on stage would not only put us in a safer position, but prove that the band is capable of holding its own in a field with strong competition.
With a win at Torquay last November, confidence was high as the band set to work on Percy Fletcher’s ‘Labour and Love’ – a challenging piece, but one that suited the band well and one we knew we would all enjoy rehearsing. A run of consistent, productive practices in the weeks leading up to the contest meant that we left Sidmouth bright and early on Saturday morning confident that we stood a good chance of improving on our 9th place last year. Drawn to play 6th out of the 15 bands, it was mid-morning by the time it was our turn to play for adjudicators David Horsfield and Peter Bassano. Although a few nerves did creep in, the band left the stage happy that we had put in a good performance.
Come results time, the band gathered in the hall to listen to the top six bands being announced, hopeful – but by no means certain – that our efforts may have just about put us in with a chance of hearing our name read out. With sixth, fifth, fourth, third, and second places each going to other deserved bands, nerves reached a record high. The short pause before the winning band’s name was revealed felt like a lifetime, but it was well worth the wait as the Sidmouth Town Band was announced as the new regional champions! The result, which is the band’s highest since at least the 1920’s, is testament to the time and the hard work put in by both Adrian and the band not only over the past couple of months, but over the last few years.
The win on Saturday will make for a very busy 6 months for the band, as we try and raise the money needed to fund our trip to the National Finals in Harrogate in September. We’re already thinking ahead and coming putting plans in place, so keep an eye out for any fundraising events between now and then. But if anyone has any ideas of how we can raise some money to get us to the Finals, please do let us know – we’d love to hear from you!
Having been promoted in 2008, the band has been working hard over the past couple of years to put in solid performances to secure its position in the Third Section. With the danger of relegation in the back of our minds, we started preparations for this contest knowing that another good performance on stage would not only put us in a safer position, but prove that the band is capable of holding its own in a field with strong competition.
With a win at Torquay last November, confidence was high as the band set to work on Percy Fletcher’s ‘Labour and Love’ – a challenging piece, but one that suited the band well and one we knew we would all enjoy rehearsing. A run of consistent, productive practices in the weeks leading up to the contest meant that we left Sidmouth bright and early on Saturday morning confident that we stood a good chance of improving on our 9th place last year. Drawn to play 6th out of the 15 bands, it was mid-morning by the time it was our turn to play for adjudicators David Horsfield and Peter Bassano. Although a few nerves did creep in, the band left the stage happy that we had put in a good performance.
Come results time, the band gathered in the hall to listen to the top six bands being announced, hopeful – but by no means certain – that our efforts may have just about put us in with a chance of hearing our name read out. With sixth, fifth, fourth, third, and second places each going to other deserved bands, nerves reached a record high. The short pause before the winning band’s name was revealed felt like a lifetime, but it was well worth the wait as the Sidmouth Town Band was announced as the new regional champions! The result, which is the band’s highest since at least the 1920’s, is testament to the time and the hard work put in by both Adrian and the band not only over the past couple of months, but over the last few years.
The win on Saturday will make for a very busy 6 months for the band, as we try and raise the money needed to fund our trip to the National Finals in Harrogate in September. We’re already thinking ahead and coming putting plans in place, so keep an eye out for any fundraising events between now and then. But if anyone has any ideas of how we can raise some money to get us to the Finals, please do let us know – we’d love to hear from you!
Thursday, 11 March 2010
The Final Countdown
With only 2 days left to go until the most important date in the band’s calendar, final preparations are being made ahead of the West of England Regional Championships. Bright and early on Saturday morning, the band will set off from Sidmouth to make that familiar journey down to Torquay to compete against 14 other bands in the Third Section.
The band has put in a lot of hard work over the past couple of months, but
ultimately it all comes down to a 10 minute performance on the day and the opinions of the two adjudicators in the box. Whilst it would be nice to get a good result, the band’s priority is just to play as well as we can and put in a performance to be proud of. Findnout how the band got on by checking our news page after the contest.
The band has put in a lot of hard work over the past couple of months, but
ultimately it all comes down to a 10 minute performance on the day and the opinions of the two adjudicators in the box. Whilst it would be nice to get a good result, the band’s priority is just to play as well as we can and put in a performance to be proud of. Findnout how the band got on by checking our news page after the contest.
Sunday, 28 February 2010
Charity Concert Goes With A Swing
The band returned to the Manor Pavilion stage last night as it joined forces with local singer Avril Best and pianist Andrew Sturmey in a ‘Swinging and Singing’ charity concert organised by the Lions Club of Sidmouth. The audience enjoyed an evening of great variety, as the band, Avril and Andy each performed a selection of pieces. The band’s programme included both classical and modern numbers, and featured popular solos from Fiona Bell and Christine Sweetapple. The trombone section did their best Tom Jones impression as they performed his number one hit ‘It’s Not Unusual’, although we believe all the women in the audience did leave at the end of the evening with all items of clothing that they arrived in still intact!
The concert provided the band with the opportunity to perform the upcoming test piece ‘Labour and Love’ to an audience for the first time. Although it generally went well, it certainly gave us lots to think about and has reminded us that there is still plenty of work to do in the 7 rehearsals left between now and the 13th March!
Having now played in his first concert with the band, we must officially welcome our newest member - Gareth Davies. Gareth walked through the bandroom door 3 weeks ago, and although a very versatile player, was promptly handed a cornet. With a shortage of players on the back row and with only weeks left until the Areas contest, he has arrived at a very good time for us. Gareth is settling in well, and we hope he enjoys his time as a member of the band.
The concert provided the band with the opportunity to perform the upcoming test piece ‘Labour and Love’ to an audience for the first time. Although it generally went well, it certainly gave us lots to think about and has reminded us that there is still plenty of work to do in the 7 rehearsals left between now and the 13th March!
Having now played in his first concert with the band, we must officially welcome our newest member - Gareth Davies. Gareth walked through the bandroom door 3 weeks ago, and although a very versatile player, was promptly handed a cornet. With a shortage of players on the back row and with only weeks left until the Areas contest, he has arrived at a very good time for us. Gareth is settling in well, and we hope he enjoys his time as a member of the band.
Thursday, 18 February 2010
All Systems Go
February may be the shortest month of the year, but the band is certainly doing its best to cram in as much practice as possible in preparation for its upcoming concert and contest. With only 3 and a half weeks until the Areas (a quick count up in our head makes that a total of 10 practices left), rehearsal of ‘Labour and Love’ is very much in full swing, with progress being made slowly but surely. We have already had the first of our practices with Steve Sykes, and now can’t wait for the next one on Tuesday 23rd.
The band has been juggling practising the test piece with practising for our fast approaching concert in the Manor Pavilion on Saturday 27th February. Organised by the Lions Club of Sidmouth, this year sees the band joining forces with local singer Avril Best and pianist Andrew Sturmey. In aid of two great charities, the ‘Swinging and Singing’ concert promises to be a very entertaining evening. Click here to see our engagements page for more details.
The band has been juggling practising the test piece with practising for our fast approaching concert in the Manor Pavilion on Saturday 27th February. Organised by the Lions Club of Sidmouth, this year sees the band joining forces with local singer Avril Best and pianist Andrew Sturmey. In aid of two great charities, the ‘Swinging and Singing’ concert promises to be a very entertaining evening. Click here to see our engagements page for more details.
Back To School
It was back to school time for three members of the band last weekend as Fiona, Christine and Hilary headed to West Buckland School near Barnstaple to attend the South West Brass Band Association’s Mid-Winter Workshop. Having navigated their way through some tiny lanes, they arrived bright and early on Saturday morning with instrument in one hand and packed lunch in the other. Even being faced with a scarily large amount of chairs set up for trombones didn’t put them off, and they made themselves comfortable ready for the busy two days ahead. Tutors for the weekend were Steve Sykes, Philip Harper and Brian Menear, who each took turns at both conducting the full band and tutoring each section. It’s always good experience to be taken by different conductors – not only do you learn new things, but it also helps to keep you on your toes!
The band rehearsed nine pieces in total, including a number of pieces composed or arranged by Steve and Philip. Keep an ear out in the future for ‘In This Hour of Soften’d Splendour’; a lovely piece arranged by Steve for quartet and band accompaniment that we are now thinking of buying. An enjoyable yet tiring two days (Hilary still hasn’t quite managed to recover!) came to an end at 5pm on Sunday, after the band had performed the pieces it had been working hard on all weekend to a small but appreciative audience.
A good weekend was definitely had by all. You only need to look around and see 75 other players of all ages and abilities sharing the same desire to learn new music, develop new skills and have fun to be reminded what is so special about being part of the brass band world.
The band rehearsed nine pieces in total, including a number of pieces composed or arranged by Steve and Philip. Keep an ear out in the future for ‘In This Hour of Soften’d Splendour’; a lovely piece arranged by Steve for quartet and band accompaniment that we are now thinking of buying. An enjoyable yet tiring two days (Hilary still hasn’t quite managed to recover!) came to an end at 5pm on Sunday, after the band had performed the pieces it had been working hard on all weekend to a small but appreciative audience.
A good weekend was definitely had by all. You only need to look around and see 75 other players of all ages and abilities sharing the same desire to learn new music, develop new skills and have fun to be reminded what is so special about being part of the brass band world.
Sunday, 24 January 2010
Contest Preparations Underway
With the tinsel and carol books packed away for another year, the band has been busy back in the bandroom. March might not seem that close at the moment, but for us, knowing that it’s only 7 weeks until the Areas contest is actually rather scary! With so many hours of rehearsal going into preparing for a contest, it’s always a relief when the test piece is one we can enjoy playing - and luckily Percy Fletcher’s ‘Labour and Love’ falls into that category.
The band is looking forward to welcoming back renowned bass soloist, conductor and arranger Steve Sykes, who will be taking us for two rehearsals leading up to the contest - the 9th and 23rd of February. The couple of rehearsals that Steve took us for prior to the 2009 Areas not only taught the band a great deal, but were also thoroughly enjoyable. The venue is yet to be confirmed, but anyone interested in coming along to listen to these practices would be very welcome to do so.
In addition to practicing for the contest, the band has been kept entertained by taking it in turns to select a piece of music at random from the library to play. So far, it’s been fairly easy to see why some pieces have been left to gather a thick layer of dust over the years, but we’re bound to uncover some forgotten about classics at some point. In the mean time, Hilary is going to continue to do her best to convince everyone to choose a piece from the ‘Selections’ section of the library, in the hope that Calamity Jane will make that long overdue appearance...
The band is looking forward to welcoming back renowned bass soloist, conductor and arranger Steve Sykes, who will be taking us for two rehearsals leading up to the contest - the 9th and 23rd of February. The couple of rehearsals that Steve took us for prior to the 2009 Areas not only taught the band a great deal, but were also thoroughly enjoyable. The venue is yet to be confirmed, but anyone interested in coming along to listen to these practices would be very welcome to do so.
In addition to practicing for the contest, the band has been kept entertained by taking it in turns to select a piece of music at random from the library to play. So far, it’s been fairly easy to see why some pieces have been left to gather a thick layer of dust over the years, but we’re bound to uncover some forgotten about classics at some point. In the mean time, Hilary is going to continue to do her best to convince everyone to choose a piece from the ‘Selections’ section of the library, in the hope that Calamity Jane will make that long overdue appearance...
Sunday, 3 January 2010
New Website Coming Soon!
In amongst the caroling and eating far too much over the festive season, we have been very busy getting a brand new website ready for 2010. With a few glitches along the way, we couldn't quite manage to get it up and running by 1st January. But, fingers crossed, it will be finished and uploaded within the next week. Keep an eye on http://www.sidmouthtownband.co.uk/.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
