Editorial ~ 2009: August
4-Aug-2009This month we give our opinions on resisting media stereotypes, replacing the lost generation and in praise of David Childs...
Resisting the stereotypes
Brass bands are hamstrung by stereotype.
From the romanticised nonsense of ‘Brassed Off’ to the patrician attitude of cultural institutions such as the Proms, it is not that brass bands are viewed badly, but that they are looked down upon with a type of snobbish disdain by those who believe they continue to represent a strata of working class society trying to make good against the odds.
The news of yet another makeover programme, this time with the view of helping to revive the fortunes of Dinnington Colliery Band in Yorkshire, should therefore be treated with caution.
Such television programmes are cheap to make and easy to produce – and invariably leave little of substance behind. It’s the media’s opportunity to become Professor Higgins to yet another working class Eliza Doolittle.
Undertaken with a commitment that lasts longer than the chance to get a few repeats on BBC3, such programmes can do a great deal of good. Undertaken with a more cynical view to tap into the current taste for ‘quick fix’ remedies they can be nothing short of disastrous for those left to pick up the pieces once the cameras have gone.
Play to the media’s stereotypical view, and the 15 minutes of fame may be the worse thing that could have happened to a band that really needs long term help and commitment.
Worse still, it could just reinforce the media's existing stereotype of the banding movement as a whole even more.
What do you think?
Send an email to: comments@4barsrest.com
Replacing the lost generation
Week by week the banding movement loses yet more legends. Famous names of a generation gone forever.
Who will take their place though?
Who will forge their future reputations as players, conductors and adjudicators now that the numbers of the post war generation of banding greats becomes thinner on the ground by each passing year?
Look around and it seems we are short of candidates.
Not that there is a shortage of talent in the banding movement, but it seems we may have to skip a generation (or maybe two) to find the next David Read, James Scott, Roy Newsome, Richard Evans or Peter Parkes.
Where are the generation that should already be in place to follow them, the heirs apparent - players, conductors and adjudicators, who should at this time be ready to take on the mantle?
The names do not spring readily to mind do they now?
Perhaps we should make the most of those we have now, because it seems there isn’t much coming up behind for some time yet….
What do you think?
Send an email to: comments@4barsrest.com
In praise of David Childs
The banding movement is very fortunate to have a performer such as David Childs within its midst.
He commands respect and admiration, not just for the why he plays, but also by the way he conducts himself as an unofficial ambassador for the brass band community as a whole.
His recent performance at the ‘Last Night of the Welsh Proms’ was a case in point.
The hardened pros of the BBC Concert Orchestra we talked to have played with many a top flight concerto soloist in their time, but even they were full of genuine appreciation for the way in which he performed and interacted with the audience at St David’s Hall in Cardiff.
It was as impressive a professional performance that many of them could remember for some considerable time.
It was also a reminder that real talent doesn’t have to be accompanied by a misplaced ego either, and that even the most cynical of professional player recognises the ‘real deal’ when they hear them.
That he remains an exceptionally level headed, personable young man is remarkable enough given that he will perform as a featured concerto soloist at Carnegie Hall in New York next year.
Even more so, given he still remains totally committed to the banding community that allows him the opportunity to do so too.
What do you think?
Send an email to: comments@4barsrest.com
