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Well
– here we are again…
… and I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to get back into the swing of
things! Normal service (i.e. chaos) will now be resumed! I hope you all
had a good festive season and are now fully recovered from any hangovers,
“lurgies” and over-indulgence. Meanwhile
a belated Happy New Year!
Carolling
– Well done everybody!
This
years carolling was very successful, considering the appalling weather,
the economic crisis and the number of lurgies around. Despite all this we
managed the splendid sum of £2033.39.
Given the trul;y awful weather and the number of cancelled jobs
this is amazing – well done all!
Thanks to all those who gave up their evening and weekends to get cold,
wet and miserable in a good cause!!
Thanks also go to all the parents, grandparents and others who gave up
their free time to rattle collecting tins and brave fierce dogs!
You did us proud!
A.
G. M.
This
will be on Monday 22nd March, instead of Band Practice, so you have no
excuse for not coming! There will be a short committee meeting at
7.30 and the meeting for the whole band is at 8.00.
Please make an effort to come; parents of learners (and main band
members!!) are very welcome. It’s your band and the important
decisions that need to be made affect you – this is when you have a say
in how the band is run!
At the AGM, officers and committee members are elected for the year.
Anybody over 16 can stand for election so if you would be interested in
being an officer or on the committee, get yourself nominated and seconded,
a list will be up in the Bandroom shortly. Equally if there are
people who you think should be on the committee, ask them to stand and
nominate them!
Birthdays
Ha
ha – There is no escape from standing on your chair!
Happy
Birthday (belated or otherwise) to:
Mandy
6th January
Ellis
9th January
Mike C
14th January
Niamd
15th January
Ian
1st February
Maggie
10th February
Catherine
12th February
Tom
15th February
Cieran
16th February
As usual to anyone else I have missed –
Happy Birthday!
Holiday List
The
Holiday List will soon be up on the notice board.
Please fill in absolutely any dates when you know that you will be
away that may affect either band practices or engagements.
This helps Nigel to plan practices and Dorothy to try and find
players to take your place in advance!
The sooner Dorothy can start looking the easier it is for her to
ensure we have a full band for all engagements!
Solo Contest
Yes,
I know it’s a long time ahead but do get planning. This year it will take place on 23rd October at
Swinton Sports Centre. Last year was a fantastic event – hopefully this
year will be even better!
TIP OF THE MONTH......
When
practising the test piece (or anything else come to that!), don’t waste
time “practising” the bits you can play, practice the bits you can’t
play – don’t avoid them. If
you have any real problems, don’t be afraid to ask for help from Nigel,
or from your section leader (only a few members of band have been known to
bite in the past, and never fatally!)
Fundraising
Last
years fundraising was amazing – well done all!
Thanks to Tracey for masterminding it all and especially for the
“Chocolate Raffle” she held before Christmas, which raised £74.50.
We
are going to need to carry on fundraising this year, so ideas and offers
of help continue to be needed. Keep
up the good work!
Attention all learners – and anyone
else!!
Steve will be taking a session on instrument cleaning and
maintenance on the first Saturday in February at the Bandroom during the
Learners group. While it’s
aimed at learners and their parents, main band members are also very
welcome. Poor maintenance can
result in expensive damage to instruments so come and learn how to avoid
this!
Back to Work!
We
have to have extra practices for the Area contests, both sectionals and
full band – please try and make any dates that Nigel asks for,
available!
Also please try to make the practices constructive – less chatter and
more listening would be a good start!
Please don’t throw things around the Bandroom - we don’t
want injuries or damaged instruments!
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Band
Practice times
Please
take note that until further notice Band Practices will run from 7.30 to
9.00 without a tea-break. This
enables the younger members of the band to stay for the whole practice so
that they don’t miss out.
If you feel that you want the
extra socialising time with band friends, remember that some of us generally
go for a drink at the Blacksmith’s Arms on Wednesdays after practice.
Come and join us!
The
Annual Nag!!
1. Uniform
Now
is the time to ensure that all is well on the uniform front.
If your jacket needs cleaning, now is a good time to do it!
Dorothy is going to try and negotiate a bulk price for cleaning
jackets if enough people are interested. Your jacket will need to be clearly
and properly marked – nametape or similar!
Ties – Dorothy has new ties with the proper band logo on them.
Present her with your old tie (washed and ready to use) and she will
exchange it for a nice new one!
Check that you have black trousers and shoes that are clean and smart, and
that fit – discovering that your trousers won’t do up on the morning of
a contest is not good! Check
too that your shirt is white and your socks are black – neither should be
a sad shade of grey!
Check that your band cagoule is in your case (either instrument or jacket)
so that it comes to all jobs. If
you don’t have one please let Dorothy know as soon as possible – i.e. NOW!
Dorothy has some band jumpers for sale at the knockdown price of £10.
If you need one please see her!
Make sure that you have a jacket case in good condition and that both it and
your jacket are clearly labelled with your full name and that of the band
– it’s horribly easy to mislay things at contests.
2. Instruments
Now is the best time to
clean out and check your instrument, so you can get it back in tune and in
full working order in plenty of time for Darlington. Valve oil is available
from Dorothy at a very reasonable price.
There are also some pull-throughs available – if you need one see
Catherine. Any requests for
felts, springs etc or maintenance problems – Steve is your man!
If you are uncertain about any aspect of cleaning your instrument
come to the Learners’ session on Saturday and Steve will be glad to help!
Please, please, always carry your instrument in a proper case, preferably a
hard one, (don’t use gig-bags – especially for larger instruments, they
present a real danger of damage and are also easier to pinch).
Don’t leave an instrument visible in a car, and don’t leave it in an
unattended car for any
length of time.
Don’t ever leave your instrument at school – even if the teachers say it
will be safe!
All in all, this can be summarised as STOP & THINK!
Our instruments are valuable – take care of them!
And remember if you want to use your instrument for anything other than
Band (Church, School, County Band, depping, whatever!) you need to get
permission from the Band Secretary first!
3. Miscellaneous
Please continue to take
care how you park in the village – don’t block drives or park on the
grass!
Please try and make it on time for band practices and jobs and show courtesy
both to other members of the band and our public!
At the end of a job, be sure to put away your stand, banner, folder,
instrument and chair. Then help
to pack the trailer – please! If
you are going to have to rush away, please tell Dorothy in advance! Offers of help at the Bandroom end are always appreciated!
HERE
ENDETH THE NAG (until next time!!!!)
Area Contest
This
year we have an EARLY start as the 4th section is on in the
morning! The bus will leave
Dorothy’s at 6.30 a.m. prompt. On
arriving at Darlington, we have a rehearsal at 8.45
in St Cuthbert’s church. Our
section starts at 10.00 So we have to be available to go on stage then!
Whit-Friday contests
Last
year we joined the hordes of bandspeople who made a beeline for Saddleworth
on Whit-Friday and had a great night out, although our results weren’t
actually very good. This year
we aim to have just as much fun and hopefully do a little better! Hopefully the weather will be a bit better too – it could
hardly be worse than last year!
If you want to do it – and it really is an amazing experience - please
remember, you’ll need to be ready to leave Dorothy’s at 12.30. on Friday
28th May and we’ll probably get back to Malton at about 2.00
a.m. So now is the time to get
the day off work!
We don’t need registered players for these contests so if you know people
who would like to play for us do ask them along and give their names to
Dorothy! While we can only play 25 players on the stand we can march with
any number – so a bigger band means that people get a chance to listen to
some of our performances and get in the drinks!
Last year the band included players coming from all over the country
and we’ll hope to see some of them back this year.
Assuming we have space we also welcome supporters to come along
for an evening of music and merriment!
This year we are going to ask everyone to make a small contribution towards
the cost of the coach as the long booking is a pricey affair.
The contest format is that we play an easy march as we march through each
village followed by a contest march on the “bandstand” We need to do at
least 6 contests to get an overall placing but there is usually plenty of
time for a drink and to chat with other bands while we wait to play.
It’s a fun night out and something everyone should experience
sometime!
easyfundraising.org.uk
This
is one of the easiest possible ways of getting money for the band.
If you are shopping on line (anything from cat litter to holidays!)
do it through this site. Most online suppliers are registered with it and they have a
really good directory of suppliers. You
order through the site and the suppliers give money to Swinton Band!
Something for nothing – what could be better.
At Christmas we received a cheque for £46.10 from them – so get
shopping!
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| Dates
for your Diary
– PLEASE let Dorothy know NOW if there are jobs here that you
cannot do. N.B.
Changed dates and times!! |
| 6th
Feb |
Instrument
Cleaning and maintenance session at Learners. 6.00 onwards |
| 21st
Mar |
Darlington
Contest.
Bus leaves at 6.30 am from Dorothy’s |
| 22nd
Mar |
A.G.M.
Bandroom 8.00. |
| 28th May |
Whit-Friday
Contests, Saddleworth
Bus leaves Dorothy’s 12.30 |
| 12th Sep |
Hardraw Scar Contest |
| 23rd Oct |
Solo Contest – Swinton
Sports Centre |
| 6th Nov |
Minsthorpe Workshop |
| 20th Nov |
Malton Brass Contest |
Practice schedule for Area
Contest
During February there are sectionals at weekends, in March there
will be extra
practices. PLEASE try to be at all relevant practices – we need
you there!
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| 1st Feb |
Full Practice
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3rd
Feb
|
Full Practice |
| 7th Feb |
Sectional |
| 8th Feb |
Full Practice |
| 10th Feb |
Full Practice |
| 14th Feb |
Sectional |
| 15th Feb |
Full Practice |
| 17th Feb |
Full Practice |
| 21st Feb |
Sectional |
| 22nd Feb |
Full Practice |
| 24th Feb |
Full Practice |
| 1st Mar |
Full Practice |
| 3rd Mar |
Full Practice |
| 8th Mar |
Full Practice |
| 10th Mar |
Full Practice – Guest
Conductor |
| 15th Mar |
Full Practice |
| 17th Mar |
Full Practice – Guest
Conductor |
| 18th Mar |
Full Practice |
| 19th Mar |
Full Practice |
| 20th Mar |
Full Practice – 1 hour
only |
| 21st Mar |
8.45 Practice in church
at Darlington |
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Malton
White Star Band - Help wanted!
White
Star Band is busy recruiting players but are very short at the moment.
Any help would be gratefully received.
If time hangs heavy on your hands and you fancy a blow, you will be
VERY welcome at band practices. These
are at their Bandroom on Old Maltongate on Tueday and Thursday evenings at
7.30. You will be made incredibly welcome!
They will also have various jobs on over the year, and Dorothy will have
details of these and of what help is needed.
Please try and help them out if you are asked – they are a lovely
bunch of people and have shown willing to help us out often over the
years!
Ten
Commandments For Ba(n)d Playing
1.
Everyone should play the
same piece.
2.
If you play a wrong note, give your neighbour a nasty look.
3.
Carefully tune your instrument before playing. That way you can play out
of tune all night with a clear conscience.
4. If
everyone gets lost except you, follow those who get lost.
5.
Markings for slurs, dynamics and ornaments should not be observed. They
are only there to embellish the score.
6. If
a passage is difficult, slow down. If it's easy, speed it up. Everything
will work itself out in the end.
7.
If you are completely lost, stop everyone and say, “Can we tune?"
8.If
the band has to stop because of you, explain in detail why you got lost.
Everyone will be very interested.
9. When
everyone else has finished playing, you should not play any notes you have
left.
10.
A wrong note played timidly is a wrong note. A wrong note played with
authority is an interpretation.
Smartie Tubes.
Anna
has asked me to remind you that as well as the ordinary small Smartie
tubes, she now has the big ones available.
You eat the contents and refill the tube with silver – then let
her have it back. What are
you waiting for?
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