2007 Australian National Band Championships - A Pommie Perspective

Expectations??..I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I stepped off the plane and straight into a 5 hour rehearsal, but, I was pleasantly surprised.

 Despite everything I heard from players who have either made it to the UK from the land down under or players that have journeyed the other way there was still a lingering uncertainty about the performance level I should expect of Australia's bands.

Having agreed to slot into St Mary's Bands bass section I was reassured to find out that this A Grade outfit weren't an Australian Grimesthorpe.  I must admit though that the standard was certainly higher than I had expected.

At this point I must confess to only hearing 4 A grade bands and 4 C grade bands over the weekend due to playing and rehearsing commitments so the comparisons drawn below are strictly based on those I heard and not the bar room adjudication. 

The eventual Australian Champions, Brisbane Excelsior would easily hold their own in the Championship section however I am doubtful the success would be as dominating as it is in Australia at present. 

Excluding Brisbane Excelsior, the A Grade bands I heard would all be capable of competing in our top section however I would imagine it would be competing for survival in the stronger regional competitions.  On the same scale the C grade bands I listened to would all be competitive in our 2nd Section but again I feel it would be more to avoid the drop that for the trips to Harrogate.  The difference seems to be consistent from the very top level of performance through to the lower sections and the obvious absence of bands capable of performance on par with Grimethorpe, Black Dyke, Fodens et al seems to cascade through the grades.

Having said that, there are players of exceptional talent and many of the performers in Australia would be (and several have been) excellent additions to the UK's very best bands.  Having enquired in more detail why the overall standard isn't slightly higher it became quite obvious that unlike the UK it can be hundreds of miles between bands and the best players are frequently found playing in smaller towns and not the big cities.  You only need look at a scale map of Australia and the UK to realise why star players here gravitate towards the better bands and players there don't.  There also doesn't seem to be the higher education possibilities in Australia that we have for aspiring brass performers which means that there is little chance of quality players congregating as they do here in Manchester, Huddersfield, Birmingham, Cardiff etc

The Australian National Championships itself has it strengths and its weaknesses compared to our more established Nationals however on the whole there is a great deal we could learn from our counterparts' down under.

Street March - Saturday

The contest itself began with the Street March on Saturday morning which I have to say seems both rather pointless and rather dangerous to any amateur player.  Marching and playing should be left to the professionals and I don't believe the deportment prize is worth risking your bands chances in the test piece elements for.  Please understand that this is not the Whit Fridays, this is formation marching with a drum major screaming the orders and an elderly chap in a hat marking your bands ability to stand to attention with a tambourine, keep your heels together at attention and march in formation. 

Several bands rested players (or entire front rows) on the day and the absence of some of the guest players flown over from the UK in these marching performances goes to highlight that this section is not about your bands ability to play well.  Yes it is a nice spectacle for the few that come and watch.  Yes it is a chance to meet many of the other players and bands and yes, any excuse for some sunshine is welcome but this element of the contest does not help determine the best ensemble in my mind.  Added to this the dangers of smashed teeth and damaged embouchures I believe this is something the contest can do without.

Set Test - Saturday

From there it was onto the contest hall and the first days stage performances which consists of the set test piece performance and an own choice hymn tune.  In complete contrast to the street march I am very impressed with this set up and the chance to highlight the strengths of your band in an item of sacred music as well as the set work not only gives every MD the chance to demonstrate their bands hidden qualities but also keeps the contest audience interested. 

Huge credit must go to the organisers as over the course of the weekend over 90 bands competed simultaneously and when everything is taken into consideration the running of each section was quite an achievement.  With A, B, C & D Grades as well as Concert Bands and all the solo contests on the Friday this was a true festival of Music.  That said, I am sure the time spent changing the stage between bands could be greatly reduced however I cant think of many contests that haven't ran over time with far less than 90 bands involved.

Venue

I must also congratulate the organisers for their choice of venues in Ivanhoe.  I was fortunate enough to be performing with 2 bands over the weekend (I will come to registration rules later) and upon stepping onto the contest stage with both bands it was a pleasant surprise to see a very reasonable audience to perform to.  This is not because there were 1000's of die hard brass band fanatics from across Australia banging the doors down but because each venue was a reasonable size and whether by design or by coincidence it worked perfectly.  The whole event certainly appeared to be more than a case of booking the biggest hall the committee could find or standing on tradition!

Own Choice - Sunday

The Sunday saw the start of the A Grade own choice element where each band takes to stage to perform an own choice test piece and an own choice march.  The selections of testpiece were mouth watering, even those of us who don't make a habit of listening would have found a test piece they wanted to hear and with the likes of St Magnus, Essence of Time, Isaiah 40, Dances and Alleluias and Journey to the Centre of the Earth on offer this was going to be a winner for all those coming to listen.

Pre Draw

I have always been a fan of the pre-draw, especially in situations like this where bands are travelling considerable distances to attend contests (and I mean 1000's of kilometres here, not Scotland to Cambridge.  No offence intended).  The draws were available well in advance of the weekend however when I found out we had be drawn number 1 for the second day I got that usual resigned feeling.  When I found out we were on stage at 8am I could do nothing but laugh! 

This is ludicrous and even the most die hard of bands would struggle to be up to scratch by this time of day, hangover or no hangover.  We took to the stage and performed to less than 20 people, many of those were supporters that had come with the band and this can only highlight this start time is not only detrimental to the performers but also from the listeners perspective.  Never before have I performed at a contest and had time to get back to the hotel for breakfast and I hope never to have to again.

Audiences swelled over the course of the contest and Brisbane Excelsior were clearly the big draw of the day with a hall full to capacity.  Players from every grade of Australias banding tree were able to come and listen thanks to the organisers allowing performers in uniform to get in free and it was exciting to see players plotting a route through all the own choice performances they intend on listening to at the various contests through the day.

Player Registration & Permits

This is one of the areas of Australia's contesting rules that I am most impressed with and while I know there are arguments against it I think they have a perfect balance.  At the National Championships, each band is allowed 2 permit players which is a player who is already registered with another band and not necessarily someone from overseas.  At the State level (our equivalent of Regionals), and rules vary from State to State, the registration rules get even better. I will use Sellers International as my example.  As a member of Sellers International Band I would be able to play for Sellers Youth Band as a permit player should both bands enter the regionals along with 2 other permit players.  In addition 3 members of the Sellers Youth Band could play for the senior band or any other senior band as a permit player as well as Sellers youth band.

This is the same rule that some contests in the UK already operate, this means that no band ever has to withdraw due to player shortages, junior bands have the chance to perform together at senior competitions without causing conflict with their ‘adult' bands and senior bands at the top end of the food chain need not feel guilty about poaching players as they can still perform on a permit with their previous band. 

I see this as a win-win situation and although there will always be the morality issues of guest players, at least every band has the option.  I think this is made a lot easier to stomach in Australia by the fact there are no promotions or relegations as a result of the state and national contests and a band is graded depending on their competency and consistency, not just their most recent performance.

Adjudication

Here again the Australians are pointing the way and following the announcement of the results each band is given a recording of each of their performances with the adjudicators commentating over the top.  Finally there are no more illegible adjudicators comment sheets and the adjudicators simply dictates during the performance.  Obviously this means a much more detailed adjudication is available to each band and conductor.  On the downside there is not a recording without the adjudicators commentary available for every band, however I am sure that is easily overcome.

I have also become a big believer in contests involving more than one element and anyone looking at the results over the 2 days here will notice that bands were generally scored very consistently.  It also gives bands the chance to make up for a bad day at the office or to enhance their set test piece performance with own choice repertoire.  Although I am convinced this would never work for the regional championships I would be delighted to see the Nationals (both of them) and the Open in this format, just as the Europeans are.  Additionally I have never enjoyed rehearsing for a contest as much as I did this one, with the combination of 2 test pieces, a march and a hymn tune providing an excellent cure for contestitis.  Especially when you do it for 2 different bands.

Excluding the 8am start on the Sunday and the ridiculous circus show of a march contest this was an exceptional contest and hopefully many of the better points will be introduced to our contesting scene.

Steven March

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