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Thread: To Those Returning to Playing

  1. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by highpitch View Post
    Kudos!

    DG
    Thanks highpitch.

  2. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by Snorlax View Post
    Def1,
    In 1989-90, I played solo euph in a 4th section band in Grantham while I was an exchange professor at a local college. If your band is fourth section, you sound great...and the piece is nice too! Excellent!!
    The Grantham band disappeared a few years later, unfortunately, and I never heard anything about a new band there.
    After the semester ended, I got to sit in a few times with a second section band in Wales--I'm still amazed at how good the bands are in the UK!
    Carry on!! ;-)
    Jim
    Thank you Snorlax,

    The band are 4th section after poor results saw them dropped from 3rd last year. The band have had a few changes in players and a new MD a couple of months ago. My first contest with the band was in November and that was still 3rd section and we came 3rd. We are hopeful that being 4th section is just a blip and the band can return to 3rd section next year. We’ve got the Area qualifiers at the end of February so have already started on the next test piece.

    My old band was in the Midlands area in the early 1980’s and they had to join up with another band to keep going. There were a lot of bands that either packed up or changed name around the 1990’s due to the closure of the mining industry as a lot of band were linked to collieries and supported by the national coal board.

  3. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by davewerden View Post
    DEF1,

    Jim's story reminds me that I sat in with the Wingates Band in 1983 (they were Bass Wingates at the time). I'm not solid on my knowledge of the "section" system. I know that Wingates was not considered to be in the contender list for national champs, but what section do you think they would have been at that time? My wife (also a musician) and I were very impressed with the band's playing, especially musicality and ensemble-wise.

    It was an education for me! We had heard the championships at Royal Albert Hall when we were there in 1980, and it was mind blowing! That was the year Black Dyke missed the double hat-trick to Brighouse. Anyway, I recall thinking as I sat in the group that most of the players, as individual players, were not quite as good as comparable players in the Coast Guard Band. However, I think their playing as an ensemble was in many ways better! There is probably a lesson in there somewhere!

    Hi Dave,

    Wingates band were championship section in 1983 and actually came 3rd in the British Open.

    I believe there are a lot of good players within brass bands but most are amateurs except for a few of the very top players. When I was in the Army bands there were also some very good players and musicians but there were also quite a few who were not as good as they should have been considering they were classed as professional.

    I remember playing with a US army band at Presidio camp in 1986. There were a lot of good musicians there. We did the US Army days parades in 1986 and 1987 in San Francisco. An enjoyable time.

  4. #14
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Summerfield, Florida Sturgis, SD (summers)
    Posts
    1,867
    DEF1 - Some very fine playing. I enjoyed listening! And congratulations on the best Euphonium award. Way to go! It is indeed nice to hear people coming back to music after a long absence. I am involved with New Horizons. (www.newhorizonsmusic.org) It is a huge program where bands are initially made up of people who played many years ago and are now retired and want to return or people who have never played at all. It was started for folks 50 and over, although that rule is relaxed now in many places and organizations. There are over 300 New Horizons organizations in existence, mostly in the US, but a dozen or more in Canada, and a handful in various other parts of the world. And the comments about music being good for you, socially and physically, etc. are so true. That is a big part of New Horizons, too. Glad you chose to come back. And to the Euphonium. There is music in every soul, just have to let it come out.
    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)

  5. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by John Morgan View Post
    DEF1 - Some very fine playing. I enjoyed listening! And congratulations on the best Euphonium award. Way to go! It is indeed nice to hear people coming back to music after a long absence. I am involved with New Horizons. (www.newhorizonsmusic.org) It is a huge program where bands are initially made up of people who played many years ago and are now retired and want to return or people who have never played at all. It was started for folks 50 and over, although that rule is relaxed now in many places and organizations. There are over 300 New Horizons organizations in existence, mostly in the US, but a dozen or more in Canada, and a handful in various other parts of the world. And the comments about music being good for you, socially and physically, etc. are so true. That is a big part of New Horizons, too. Glad you chose to come back. And to the Euphonium. There is music in every soul, just have to let it come out.
    Thank you for your comments John.

    It sounds a very good program that you are involved with. One of my main concerns when returning to playing was the fact that I might not be able to play any more. With a program like yours you will be with others who have been through the same process and will understand your fears and concerns. Anything that encourages others to return to music has got to be a good thing.

  6. #16
    Fabulous playing! Congratulations to all.
    Your story is very encouraging to me. I had not played for 42 years until I returned to my first love, the Euphonium, about five years ago. Your example shows me that I have to spend more time practicing :-)
    Seriously, we'll done!!
    Euph Loosh
    Imperial by Boosey & Hawkes 4-valve Euphonium (mid-1950's)
    MPs: Kosikup 1 1/2, Bowman BB2 Euro shank, Denis Wick 4AM; Marcus Bonna case

  7. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by Euph Loosh View Post
    Fabulous playing! Congratulations to all.
    Your story is very encouraging to me. I had not played for 42 years until I returned to my first love, the Euphonium, about five years ago. Your example shows me that I have to spend more time practicing :-)
    Seriously, we'll done!!
    Thank you Euph Loosh.

    I was lucky in a way because when I joined the band the solo Euphonium player had come from championship section bands and was very good. I suppose that this pushed me more as I didn’t want to be letting the section down if I couldn’t hold my own.

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