Wessex Summer School

Elizabeth Stimpson from the Knottingley Band seemed to have had a great time at the recent Wessex Band Summer School. Here is what she made of it all...

As the end of July approached, many excited people of all ages were preparing themselves for the 36th annual Wessex Band Summer School, held again at Oakmead College of Technology in ‘sunny' Bournemouth. Last year saw the new committee successfully in place and once again, they did not disappoint, continuing the fantastic outcome of the course. 

The conductors on the course this year included Steve Chislett (training band), Stewart Osgood (training band), Alan Pope (training band), Janet Roe (training band), Derek Broadbent (wind, brass and massed band), Michael Fowles (brass band), Stan Lippeatt (brass band), Tony Whittaker (wind band) and new to the course this year, David Marshall (wind band).

The exciting and slightly bizarre atmosphere of the course attracts many families, couples, bands people and even non-musicians to the fun-filled week each year, and everyone is made to feel welcome. This year was no exception as people from all over the country came to attend. 

A damp and windy start

After an extremely damp and windy weekend of setting up tents of all shapes and sizes, removing bucket loads of water from them, and rescuing gazebos from nearby hedges (who said Bournemouth is a sunny place?!? It's warmer up North!), Monday morning arrived with great enthusiasm. Everyone gathered in the main hall for the welcome meeting before the bands went their separate ways. As the brass band was warming up I noticed a mixture of terrified and excited expressions as players of all abilities looked through their music to see what it had in store for them.

So, how is the course timetabled? Well, from 10am until 5pm, each day is split up into 4 slots of band rehearsals and a sectional from Monday to Wednesday. These rehearsals are interspersed with breaks and an hour for lunch. The sectional time involves running through the music, focusing on the more challenging areas, alongside discussing the fundaments of playing, such as breathing, flexibilities, tonguing, followed by general advice on improving one's playing as a whole. The ‘regulars' amongst us look forward to this part of the course in order to experience different teaching techniques and approaches. New to the course this year was Flute tutor Jo Welch and Euphonium tutor David Thornton, solo euphonium of the Black Dyke Band.
 
Each year I always look forward to the selection of music the bands are given. Many of us will have played some of the pieces before, but the conductors always manage to produce pieces that are brand new for the course, and even to the music world itself. This year, the programme included Sinatra in Concert, West Side Story (Symphonic Dances), Tuxedo Junction, and the fantastic Blue Rondo a La Turk for the wind band. And for the brass band we had Night Flight to Madrid, Golden Lady, Mammy B, Independence Day Suite, the stunning Hymn to the Highlands (Phillip Sparke) and Alberta Suite (Derek Broadbent), which was played for the first time in England on this year's course.

As the first day of sight-reading came to a close, we all happily retreated back to our tents to build on the friendships we had made during the rehearsals. Camping on the school field may sound a little basic but it really is a great bonus of the course. For many people, the socializing after rehearsals is a great way to relax, have fun, and be merry…

Work begins...

Tuesday morning, now the work begins! Every year, the first conductor of the day makes the point that we did our sight-reading yesterday, and so the music will become easier, with few or no mistakes! (??) Ok, maybe the men in the middle are not that harsh on everyone (apart from the principals!!). However, we were all still relatively fresh and eager to crack the music and some amazing sounds really did start to appear through the fog of notes in front of us.
 
After a tasty lunch (which was to a fantastic standard all week), the sections went their way to have a further grilling from the tutors. The atmosphere in our sectional had relaxed somewhat from the day before, which helped when playing things separately. This year, I was lucky enough to have my own peripatetic teacher as a tutor…so I was the guinea pig for his examples (thanks for that Dave!).

The day ended with a sense of achievement and we all went to enjoy a night of socializing, laughter and visiting the local pubs to see how they compare with those ‘up north', all educational of course!

The next morning, heads were beginning to get sore (not mine, may I add) and lips were starting to tire. One of the hardest aspects of the course, in my opinion, is pacing yourself. I learnt last year not to play everything at the marked dynamic every rehearsal, because that causes a lot of pain by mid Tuesday. I took this into consideration, as does everybody who is used to these situations, but there is little you can do to avoid any tiredness at all. This is where the sectionals really do help as we are reminded of maintaining a strong, supported air flow during and after a steady warm up of long, low notes, reducing the pressure on our lips and hence prolonging the onset of tiredness. Despite the band's slight tiredness, the conductors were full of praise. It was only the middle of the week and already the pieces were coming together.

The final sectional of the week gave everyone a chance to overcome their main difficulties and by the end of the day the band's sound was enormous and confident. It always amazes me how the conductors can get 90 musicians to play as together as an ensemble of 25. However, they do like to express this difficulty to us in an attempt to gain sympathy, still doesn't work though (but keep trying, it gives us plenty of inspiration for Friday's talent show…more of that later!). Each conductor works in different ways, as do all conductors, but what they all do, is maintain a high level of motivation in order to keep us pushing forwards, which is very admirable.

Ouch!

10 am, Thursday morning. The word which was now running through most of our heads was ‘ouch'. This was when the pain really started to kick in, but weirdly enough it seemed to make everyone push themselves harder. I always get the feeling that the conductors must really dread this day. By this time we have passed the midway point, and Wednesday saw the pieces making sense. So, what do they do in order to avoid silly mistakes and a tired sounding band? Push us harder. By the afternoon, Hymn of the Highlands was full of life and technical accuracy, For the Love of a Princess was beautiful and Night Flight to Madrid really was flying. With one full day of rehearsals left, the music had reached a level beyond each player's belief. And once again the proud faces returned to the field to see what the evening had in store for them.

It is rumored that Thursday night saw an enjoyable Cocktail night and 21st birthday celebrations. There was even an interesting game of pass the parcel, with dares and delights under each wrapper. It was certainly an evening to be enjoyed by all, including delightful cocktails for all ages. Of course, the rain was still falling and the wind was still blowing but everyone was still smiling….from the alcohol perhaps?!?

Friday morning saw the final day of rehearsing, with the concert just around the corner. Just as importantly for some, the talent show was also looming, but I'll come back to that shortly. Although there was a lot of work to be done, everyone still seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves, and that was well deserved as the level of playing was outstanding and the pieces were coming together nicely. Even Mamma B, our comedy item, was making sense. 

We all then set up for the afternoon's massed band rehearsal before another delicious lunch and then filed into the hall to watch the Junior Band Concert. Each year the young children proudly play to a great standard and this year was no exception.

Slightly bouncy musicians

Following this thoroughly enjoyable concert, the Wind and Brass players began rehearsing the Massed Band music, where Derek had the unenviable task of controlling nearly 150 enthusiastic and slightly bouncy musicians. This year's programme included Hootenanny, the course's signature piece Wessex Youth March, Nimrod, Procession to the Minster and of course, the fantastic Floral Dance. As soon as the rehearsal was under way, the magnificent sounds of the two bands shone through, leaving everyone elated and excited for the next day's concert.

Now I will move on to the all important talent show. The majority of people on the course had been gathering ideas from events during the week, and some had even been planning throughout the year! The talent show had two categories (or sections for all you banders), one for the young contenders and one for the older lot. Like Brass Band contests, each year sees the two familiar adjudicators take their place at the desk, the formidable Derek Broadbent, and the short but scary Stan Lippeatt

With only an hours practice, the contestants headed down to the concert stage with the hope of returning with the prestigious winner's trophy. One person was even involved in 4 entries; some will do anything to win this competition! There were three entries in the junior category, including some lovely violin playing, an Elvis impersonator and the Mimic Girls, who were the winners of this section. The entries in the older section included a rhythmical rendition of Floral Dance; Samba Style (including Derek's favourite instrument, the Kazoo!), Cage Dances, Titanic (including a lettuce?!?), a song about Portaloos, another song about painting and decorating, some sort of bird song, attempts at cornet playing and an excellent production of Trevada Towers, including Major Broadbent, a crazed Len Adams, and of course Stanuel Lipetto.

Bribes of cornflakes

Many bribes of cornflakes, sour milk and beer crossed the judges table, but the Mimic Girls stormed to the top and became the overall champions, followed by Trevada Towers as a close 2nd. Following the results, everyone went away to attend to their recipes to prepare for the Pudding Club Competition, whilst muttering about ranges of interpretation, togetherness of ensembles and the fairness of the adjudicator's decisions.
 Saturday approached as quickly as the course began, and following the final rehearsals and last minute changes, we were all lined up in our sections, ready for the concert to begin. And what a concert it was!

The afternoon opened with the Wind Band's militaristic March and Celebrations followed by the confident sounds of Sinatra in Concert and the theatrical Phantom of the Opera. Throughout their spots on stage, the audience also enjoyed the bouncy Blue Rondo a La Turk, and the magnificent styles of West Side Story. The Brass Band followed suit with the energetic feel of Night Flight to Madrid, a stunning performance of Independence Day Suite, the hilarious Mamma B and the musicality of Hymn of the Highlands really did shine through. The hard work that everyone contributed throughout the week had certainly paid off and everyone could relax as the concert closed with the joyful sounds of Wessex Youth and Hootenanny, followed by the beautifully emotional sounds of Nimrod and Procession to the Minster. Despite the slightly long duration of the concert, the audience was so alive by the time Floral Dance hopped its way round, and we were demanded for an encore.

What I have told you today does not even touch the amazing atmosphere of this course, but what I hope it has shown you is the enthusiasm and enjoyment experienced by all. I'd like to thank all the staff, committees and conductors on the course, and we look forward to seeing you all next year.

To find out more about the course and how to apply, go to www.wbss.net and download an application form and posters!

Elizabeth Stimpson
Knottingley Silver Band

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