Wantage Silver Band

 Bandmaster’s Report 2011 

            As another year in the life of the WSB draws to a close we should have a positive outlook for the future. The bands are all performing brilliantly and the standard in all of them continues to rise. The lease has been signed and, barring hitches, we are planning to start building in the summer

            This is very timely as our need for the Band hall gets ever more desperate as the months go on; the music in the library is getting damp, the percussion instruments living in the van are getting damaged through constant lifting in and out, the van is getting ever more rusty- not to mention the driver... and the constant hastle of organising practice venues, getting keys etc is a disaster waiting to happen – I dread the day when players coming to an A band practice from all over Southern England find they have no-where to practice. A big thank-you to all those who help loading and unloading, getting keys and locking up, for every practice. One-half the people now playing in the Band have never enjoyed the use of a permanent base.

            A special thank you to Carolyn as Deputy Bandmaster for all her help and support throughout the year.

            It is with great sadness that we lost two of our players this last few months – Nicola Johnstone and Allan Tomkins, both great characters and supporters of the Band; Allan was librarian for many years, and Nicola our ace percussionist who did so much to train and encourage others. 

A Band

 has worked extremely hard this year and has reaped the rewards in return. Coming 3^rd in the Areas was a great achievement, and winning at Folkestone really got us in the limelight, and won us the most magnificent cup. Many thanks to Phil for building up such a good band,  and guiding us to such heights. In two weeks we are going to try for the ultimate accolade – a place in the National Finals in the Royal Albert Hall!

            Thanks also to Phil, for organising the very popular Wantage Big Band. Look out for future appearances- two major events featuring them are in the pipeline!

            Having an all-star ‘A’ band brings its own problems – we need continuity, and permanent players – however some of last year’s new recruits have become firm members of the Band and we appreciate their input at practices and performances. Recruiting from ‘B’ band is difficult, as they are achieving great success themselves. I understand this and we wish them well. We therefore have to rely on people from outside the Wantage area, which is helped by our growing reputation. It is imperative to keep the standard up to maintain our position as the only Championship section band over a large area. This status is a great asset to our whole organisation.

            ‘A’ band engagements have been a great success –especially the recent Rotary Concert - and the Dining In nights at RAF Brize Norton have been much appreciated both by players and (apparently) audience – and these have all been successful financially. Regrettably, just as we had become established in the London Royal Parks Scene (thanks to Mihaela’s charm and persistence) the Parks have lost their funding for Concerts, so no more trips to Greenwich!

Contest Band

            Under the baton of Danny the ‘B’ Band has now firmly established itself in the 3^rd section. Seventh last year is a good first result and I am sure they will do even better this year. The standard of players is high and we all wish them every success. They hope to attend  more contests this year, which will really focus the players and further raise the standard.

            A highlight of the past summer was their very successful open air concert at Ardington by the lake, and I am pleased that another is being planned for this summer.

            The ‘B’ band enjoys stability with regular players, and has welcomed some very talented players from Youth Brass who are a great asset.

            Thank you Danny for all your hard work and your steadying influence; and to Carolyn who works tirelessly in organising and keeping players informed of events, venues etc. Please try to help by giving her your availability for jobs – this is a really difficult task and needs your full support! 

Concert Brass

has had a very good year. The supper concerts are a great success story; they are well attended, much enjoyed and extremely profitable – helped by the enthusiastic catering and bar teams. It is a fun band to be part of and Alan very carefully manages the music and provides great entertainment. Depleting numbers and erratic attendance are a problem. The band depends upon young players who want to gain experience in solo positions - however these players soon become very proficient and then are in great demand by other bands. We would like to see more Youth Brass players taking this opportunity to develop.

            A highlight of 2010 was the appearance in the Parade Gardens Bandstand by the river in Bath – a great day out and a very entertaining performance. The Rogation Service last year enjoyed wonderful weather and an idyllic setting. Thanks to Colin and Neil who have taken over the roles of Marshal and Librarian very efficiently.

Youth Brass 

has worked hard this last year. They have played at many events new to our calendar, including Concert from Scratch, Play for your supper, and Pub Gardens in the summer – not to mention a great concert with the Imperial Male Voice Choir complete with barbershop!

            The players really enjoy meeting on a Saturday morning, and the many and varied social activities that Roger and the team organise. They have exciting ideas for 2011 including a ‘Chill Out’ for four days away, which has attracted considerable sponsorship. The playing is of high standard, and I would like to encourage more Youth Brass players to attend Concert Brass in addition to the Saturday morning, so that they can gain further experience and play a fuller part in the whole Wantage Band organisation.

The Adult Beginners

This group is such fun, meeting every Saturday morning and playing for enjoyment above all. The numbers have risen over the past year and it is good to see players from higher bands coming along to help and pass on their expertise and give encouragement.

Brian’s Training Band

Many thanks to Brian for his dedication, commitment, and his first-class teaching. The Band is growing in stature – the standard is high for a Training band and the music, much of it specially arranged by Brian, is challenging and entertaining. By taking on a few bookings throughout the year the members gain valuable insight into the life of the Band as a whole.

            A few experienced players occasionally sit in on Training Band sessions and we would like to encourage more to do this- it is a great help to Brian and the new recruits to Training band. 

Beginners   

    have had a good year. 12 new beginners have started since September 2010. A recent innovation is that Steve Sizeland has kindly agreed to take the more advanced players separately, in order to raise the standard and bridge the gap to Training Band. I would like to thank him for his help. We need to encourage more ‘A’ band players to get involved with the teaching especially on Saturday mornings – it is great to see Adam and Joe coming along when they can. 

Mixed Bands

We have had quite a few over the past year, including Lambourne Fete, Shrivenham Defence Academy March, Aldbourne Carnival, Stanton Harcourt Parade and fete, not to mention Saddleworth! These have proved very enjoyable and it is great fun to mix together- especially important as we have no common home until the Band hall arrives. I would stress how important these mixed jobs are, and encourage ALL the bands to support them. 

Players Committee Meetings

            This is an essential part of the running of the Band, and meets each month to arrange the detailed organisation of all playing events. It is well supported, and in 2011 will play an increasingly important role to enable the main Board meetings to focus on getting the Band Hall built, and all that that involves. Many thanks to all Marshals and Reps who give up their time to make it function. 

Into the Schools

             We are now finally moving in the right direction with this, having had a lean spell following the departure of Denise, the closure of St Andrews and a false start with Miles.

            Joe Chadwick is already established giving tuition in the C of E School and Steve Sizeland, Roger and Brian have given a demonstration at Charlton School which has aroused great interest, with lessons starting after Easter; and there is the possibility of a similar approach to Stockham. There seems to be a lot of interest in this initiative and I believe it is the way forward for the future. 

Acknowledgements

            Many thanks to the many people who help in a small or large way. Our organisation is enormous and although very successful it does need players to take on a bigger part. Some work tirelessly behind the scenes, in particular Ann Chadwick, Lucy, Gary, Carolyn, Colin, Eleanor and all Coulsons…these are only a few of the names but if we all work together the burden of work can be shared more evenly. We all need to take pride in our Band and be proud to be a member of it. We all have different skills and these will all be needed in the years to come - please support our campaign for a New Band Hall and help make it a reality! 

Eileen Sykes March 2011