Editorial ~ 2006 August

This month we give our opinion on the most recent NBCA conference, and briefly consider opportunistic behaviour.

NBCA AGM and Conference 2006

It is now 6 weeks since the National Band Council of Australia's (NBCA) Annual General Meeting and Conference. The meeting was held in Melbourne over the weekend 23-25 June 2006.  Unfortunately, at the time of writing this article, the official report and minutes were yet to be released.

What we do know is the motion from Queensland: That the time limit for all Own Choice Music as defined in Regulation 2.1 at National Competitions be removed was lost.  The wording of the motion as it is, applies to all events and all own choice music.  By removing all time limits, it was felt that the management of the contest in terms of timings and lengths of sessions would be a nightmare for the contest organisers.

Should the motion have applied to A Grade Own Choice music only?  Would the motion have stood more of a chance of being adopted if this were the case?  Or could limiting the removal of the time restrictions for A Grade Own Choice only have created a 'what about us' reaction from the other grades?

It also begs the question, with the Own Choice music needing to be submitted no later than 6 weeks prior to the contest, doesn't this give the contest organisers plenty of time to arrange the appropriate schedule to allow for the timings of the chosen music?

Both the dual registration and conductor registration issues as discussed in 4BRDU June editorial were referred back to the States for their control.

We may never be completely sure of the thought processes and reasoning behind the votes at the recent NBCA AGM and conference.  Perhaps there is still a need for a stronger concentration of people with a more progressive and dare I say it, less apathetic attitude to become more directly involved in the process of change.  This is not to say there aren't already people with the appropriate attitude, influence and power in position , we just need more of them.

Recently within some circles, there have been misconceptions and one could even go as far as saying, poorly worded statements which suggest the NBCA don't do enough to help brass banding.  We should not, for a minute, allow these comments to become personal nor suggest that those in positions on this Association don't work hard - because they do.  The problem still lies with the inherent nature and structure of the governing bodies in the Australian nation - essentially, the NBCA is governed by the States. 

The first objective of the NBCA is to ensure that national band contests, marching contests and solo & party competitions are conducted under a common set of rules.  Whilst the national band contests etc. are conducted under a common set of rules, many of these rules then refer back to the States.  As a consequence, the national band contests are essentially run under a distinctly uncommon set of rules.  At the recent conference, more rules have been handed back to the States - the dual registration option and the conductor registration. 

However, Robert Bedwell NBCA President, is keen to see a common set of National rules be adopted by all States - but all of the States have to want this - again, the process relies upon the individual States reaching an agreement.  Tasmania and Western Australia have chosen to use the NBCA set of rules in an attempt to incorporate some consistency.  However, as they are at the moment, the NBCA rules are not sufficiently comprehensive enough to stand alone.

Another objective of the NBCA is to provide positive leadership and direction to enable brass and concert bands to achieve their maximum potential through planned administration, policy development and communication. The appointment of James Morrison as Patron is a positive step in the right direction.  However, there are several other potential initiatives which come to mind that would help to achieve this particular objective that are yet to be presented or even discussed. 

Could the NBCA lobby harder to achieve its objectives? Given the power the State associations have, should they be assuming greater responsibility in the process of NBCA objective achievement?

We have had a sniff of some positive change, but unless there are some radical changes to current ways of thinking in some of the states and a closer focus on the objectives of the National Band Council of Australia, the reform process will be a very slow one.

What do you think:
Send an email to du.comments@4barsrest.com

Opportunistic Behaviour

At what point should a player sacrifice loyalty to a band to pursue opportunities to advance, or just simply to enjoy their brass band playing?

If a player leaves one band to join another, should they be subjected to abuse from their previous band or even from broader circles for their decision?  Unfortunately, this appears to happen too often.  Amongst most of the top UK bands, loyalty to one particular band is virtually non-existant - that's just the way it is, and everyone seems to get on with it.

Is there a right or wrong? Is it that simple?

What do you think:
Send an email to du.comments@4barsrest.com

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