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Thread: Music camp at our church

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
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    Music camp at our church

    Today was the first day of a week-long music camp that our church holds every year. It's a good program for music at an affordable rate ($75 / student) and an outreach to the community to encourage new attendees to our church. It's my 7th year helping out but I think it's the church's 14th year. We have 240 campers counting staff and this year it's a record. They offer choir, hand bells, keyboard, composition, creative movement, Orff instrumets, strings and Bible study for the juniors (grade school) - which my wife teaches. In concert band, made up of middle school students plus some H.S. staff and a few on college break, there are 95 seated. Yikes! 12 horns, too many trumpets @ 18, 9 trombones, 6 tubas and just 8 flutes and 15 clarinets. Only 10 in the percussion section this year. Happy to say that the euph section is a manageable 4 - self included. All are playing 4-valve instruments which is a first! The weakest player (2nd year at the camp age 13) got a Mack Brass compensator for Christmas. I haven't had a chance to try it but hope I get to. Had to tell her about using 4-2 fingering for low 'B' natural as she was using 123. The other two players have good horns too... a Yamaha 321 and a King 2280. The student on King 2280 is new to the camp and age 15. He's really just a year too old since he's a Freshman in H.S. BUT, he's only played euph for 1 year. Before euph he played A-sax, T-bone and says he can read both clefs - so should do very well I think. All considered it was a pretty fun first day.
    Rick Floyd
    Miraphone 5050 - Warburton BJ / RF mpc
    YEP-641S (recently sold)
    Doug Elliott - 102 rim; I-cup; I-9 shank


    "Always play with a good tone, never louder than lovely, never softer than supported." - author unknown.
    Symphonic Band of the Palm Beaches
    El Cumbanchero (Raphael Hernandez, arr. Naohiro Iwai)
    Chorale and Shaker Dance
    (John Zdechlik)

  2. #2
    Join Date
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    The Netherlands
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    Sounds like a great happening. What pieces are you playing?

    Quote Originally Posted by RickF View Post
    Had to tell her about using 4-2 fingering for low 'B' natural as she was using 123.
    - Doesn't that depend if it's in tune or not? I myself have noticed that (on my Compensated Hirsbrunner) 123 is better in tune than 2-4 wich is quite flat.

  3. #3
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    In my opinion 123 is always too sharp. 4-2 is a little flat because they can't make the comp loop on the back of the 2nd valve any shorter. The only time I use 123 is for some weird warm-ups.

    As far as music, the only slightly challenging piece is "Seventy Six Trombones" (M. Willson, arr. Leroy Anderson, adapted by Jay Bocook). That's because a number have never seen a 6/8 meter. Concert 'G' for part of it which puts the Bb instr with 3#s. Remember, this is middle school with some first-year players.
    Rick Floyd
    Miraphone 5050 - Warburton BJ / RF mpc
    YEP-641S (recently sold)
    Doug Elliott - 102 rim; I-cup; I-9 shank


    "Always play with a good tone, never louder than lovely, never softer than supported." - author unknown.
    Symphonic Band of the Palm Beaches
    El Cumbanchero (Raphael Hernandez, arr. Naohiro Iwai)
    Chorale and Shaker Dance
    (John Zdechlik)

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    West Palm Beach, FL
    Posts
    3,853
    The music camp is now over and we had the closing concert for the parents, grandparents and church members Friday night. It's always completely full with standing room only. The students did a great job. When the camp started I felt that we're going to need 3 weeks not 4-1/2 days to get an acceptable concert, but they always seem to surprise me. The kids did a good job. "Seventy Six Trombones" got scratched as it was too hard for the middle school students. Some haven't ever played cut time let alone 6/8. So "Procession of the Nobles" (Korsakov / Andrew Balent) was substituted. They also played "Two British Folk Songs" (Elliot Borgo), "Declaration and Flourish" (Movement-III from Vaughan Williams Suite, arr. Robert W. Smith), a brand new piece not really intended for middle school -- but only grade II called, "Rippling Watercolors" (Brian Balmages). This is a really nice piece where dynamics, intonation and sub-division was really stressed. We ended with "God Bless America" (Berlin, arr. Frank Cofield), along with the student orchestra, and choir joining us.

    If any of you ever get invited to help out with a student band camp in your area I urge you to consider volunteering. It can really be rewarding. The kids will remember their experience playing along side an adult too.
    Rick Floyd
    Miraphone 5050 - Warburton BJ / RF mpc
    YEP-641S (recently sold)
    Doug Elliott - 102 rim; I-cup; I-9 shank


    "Always play with a good tone, never louder than lovely, never softer than supported." - author unknown.
    Symphonic Band of the Palm Beaches
    El Cumbanchero (Raphael Hernandez, arr. Naohiro Iwai)
    Chorale and Shaker Dance
    (John Zdechlik)

  5. #5
    Rick, did you get the chance to play the Mack Brass euph that the one student had? If so what did you think?

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    West Palm Beach, FL
    Posts
    3,853
    Sorry but no, I did not. There just wasn't any opportunity due to all the activities for the kids.
    Rick Floyd
    Miraphone 5050 - Warburton BJ / RF mpc
    YEP-641S (recently sold)
    Doug Elliott - 102 rim; I-cup; I-9 shank


    "Always play with a good tone, never louder than lovely, never softer than supported." - author unknown.
    Symphonic Band of the Palm Beaches
    El Cumbanchero (Raphael Hernandez, arr. Naohiro Iwai)
    Chorale and Shaker Dance
    (John Zdechlik)

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Summerfield, Florida Sturgis, SD (summers)
    Posts
    1,867
    Great job, Rick! I have done things like that before, and you are right, extremely rewarding and well worth the effort.
    John Morgan
    The U.S. Army Band (Pershing's Own) 1971-1976
    Adams E3 Custom Series Euphonium, 1956 B&H Imperial Euphonium,
    1973 F. E. Olds & Son Studio Model T-31 Baritone
    Adams TB1 Tenor Trombone, Yamaha YBL-822G Bass Trombone
    Year Round Except Summer:
    Kingdom of the Sun (KOS) Concert Band, Ocala, FL (Euphonium)
    KOS Brass Quintet (Trombone, Euphonium)
    Summer Only:
    Rapid City Municipal Band, Rapid City, SD (Euphonium)
    Rapid City New Horizons Band (Euphonium)

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    West Palm Beach, FL
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    3,853
    Just finished our 15th year (my 8th) of church music camp last week. There were 134 in band! So many that I didn't have to play. There were 5 euphs - one of which was his 4th year and in H.S. so a volunteer 'expert' as it were. I was pretty much a gopher and also helped some with sectionals and brass ensemble. The band directors were Paul Destito and Chris Murray. Both very fine band dirs. at local middle schools. Mr Destito was actually Landres Bryant's first private tuba teacher (Landres currently plays tuba with the President's Own, Marine Band).

    The favorite piece for most of the band students was, "John Williams: Movie Adventures" - arr. Mike Sweeney. It was a bit challenging for them with some triplets and a few meter changes, but they did a pretty good job come Friday night. Always at the start of the week we think "will it ever come together", but somehow it does.

    Here's a picture of one of our rehearsals. You might note that there are actually 2-1/2 rows of flutes!



    Rick Floyd
    Miraphone 5050 - Warburton BJ / RF mpc
    YEP-641S (recently sold)
    Doug Elliott - 102 rim; I-cup; I-9 shank


    "Always play with a good tone, never louder than lovely, never softer than supported." - author unknown.
    Symphonic Band of the Palm Beaches
    El Cumbanchero (Raphael Hernandez, arr. Naohiro Iwai)
    Chorale and Shaker Dance
    (John Zdechlik)

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