Stratford Concert Band

I thought some of you might be interested to see this.
Looks like a good night out to me.
Steve.

Submitted by David. (Trombone) with a little artistic licence by Steve. (Trumpet)

The Office of Standards in Music “Ofstic” carried out an inspection of a concert by the local symphony orchestra.
A diluted version of their report is shown below.

Efficiency in Music.

1 . For considerable periods, the four oboe players had nothing to do. The number of oboes should therefore be reduced and the work spread more evenly over the whole concert programme, thus eliminating the peaks and valleys of activity.

2. All twenty violins were playing identical notes. This would seem to be an unnecessary duplication, so the staff of this section should be cut drastically. If a greater volume of sound is required, it could be obtained by means of an electronic apparatus.

3. Obsolescence of equipment is another matter warranting further investigation. The inspector noted that the leading violinist’s instrument was several hundred years old. Now, if normal depreciation schedules had been applied, the value of this instrument would have been reduced to zero and the purchase of more modern equipment recommended long ago.

4 Much effort was absorbed in the playing of the demi-semiquavers, which seems to be an unnecessary refinement. It is recommended that all notes should be rounded up to the nearest semiquaver. If this were done, it would be possible to use trainees and lower grade operatives more extensively.

5. In many cases, the operators were using one hand to hold their instruments. The introduction of a fixture would free that hand for other work. Also, it was noted that excessive effort was being used by the players of wind instruments, whereas, one compressor could supply enough air for all the instruments and under more accurately controlled conditions.

6. Finally, there seems to be too much repetition of some of the musical passages. therefore, scores should be pruned to a considerable extent. No useful purpose is served by repeating on the horns something which has already been handled by the strings. It is estimated that, if all redundant passages were eliminated, the whole concert time of two hours could be reduced to twenty minutes and there would be no need for an intermission.

**********************************************************************

My Life in the Band. by Matt Austin

Currently principal trumpet with Stratford Concert Band, I’ve come a long way since joining the band back in 1995. The band was known as SAWBA back then (Stratford upon Avon Wind Band Association) but the atmosphere and style of the band has remained much the same. As my first real wind band, I found that the weekly rehearsals and regular concerts did more to improve my playing than practicing alone ever could, and the sound of the band as we sailed through pieces such as the Liberty Bell, Jungle Book and classics such as Scarborough Fair made it so rewarding that I found myself really pushing to make sure my part was right.

With the exception of 4 years whilst at University and working in another part of the country, I have been very proud to play in my local wind band and hope that it will continue to flourish over the coming years. Personally I think being involved with something like this is an excellent way to build your confidence, and for children especially is a positive influence that will stand them in good stead later in life.

Over the years we’ve played at venues across Warwickshire with two formal concerts a year and a multitude of other events during the summer from village fetes in the South of the County to Concerts in the grounds of parks and formal gardens in Leamington and Coventry.

The general style of the band is quite informal and regular band socials make sure that everyone gets to know more than just the person sitting next to them. However, amidst all of this we manage to produce some really good music and have fun doing it.

Although these are just the thoughts of a trumpet player, I am sure that anyone else in the band would offer the same views and if you want to find out more, please contact June Farrow, on 01789 266124.