The winning MD of the newly-crowned Action Medical Research Youth Entertainment Champions, Eric Landon has told 4BR of his delight at the bands seventh victory in the competition since 2002 but just how he does it, remains a secret.

Team work

'People ask me all the time, how I do it?' Eric told 4BR 'and the honest answer is I just don't know. It's nice to take the plaudits, but in all honesty, it's about teamwork. I can come up with the ideas in my mind but when it comes to implementing them, it's a real team effort within Rochdale Music Service'.

I can come up with the ideas in my mind but when it comes to implementing them, it's a real team effort within Rochdale Music ServiceEric Landon

Indebted

Paying tribute to his young band, Eric told 4BR 'I want to say a massive well done to them all but also pass on my thanks to former player, Michael Goulding for his arrangement of 'The Ugly Duckling' which gave us the award for the Most Entertaining Item and there are other arrangers as well and not forgetting the lady who made all the bee costumes herself'.

Red-herring

The MD also revealed that he enjoys having fun with his players when he said, 'they are always asking me what we will play and whilst we will do some pieces on the concert stage, i've put them off-scent with a few red-herrings in the past, but once they get told what the programme will be, it's all about hard work from there on in until the contest'.

Busy year

Victory on Sunday will see the band reappear at Brass in Concert in November for a second time which delights the MD, but before that there is a tour of Germany planned for the half-term holiday followed by intensive preparations for the National Youth Championships in April.

Title defence

If that's not enough, Eric's thoughts are already thinking to the band's title defence in twelve months time. 'I've got some ideas, that's for sure, but that's for me to know and the band to second guess' he quipped.