A Day To Remember!

Wantage Youth Brass was delighted to have taken part in the National Music for Youth Festival on Saturday 12th July at Symphony Hall, Birmingham.

We were playing later in the day, so met at the band hall at 1:30pm to have a very valuable final rehearsal to tidy up the pieces and rehearse the choreography. It was baking hot in The Sykes Hall but this did not diminish the enthusiasm or commitment of the children and we knew it was going to be a good day for us. Before getting on the (thankfully, air-conditioned) coach, Isla’s mum very kindly provided some much needed ice creams to cool us all down.

We arrived in Birmingham in good time to enjoy a leisurely picnic and our supporters’ ranks were swelled by a few grandparents joining us from various parts of the country.

Our section, Fanfares and Flourishes, started at 6:30pm. As we were playing third, we missed the opening two groups and were shown down to our dressing room. Our one concern was that Holly, on second cornet, would make it in time. A talented trampolinist, she had been selected to take part in a national competition that day, also in Birmingham. Thanks to a bit of luck, she ran to Symphony Hall and we managed to get her back stage just before we went on!

Despite playing in such a magnificent venue, the band were not overawed or even particularly nervous. Everyone knew what they had to do and entered the stage with a positive and professional attitude. The band looked great in their black polo shirts and were excited to be part of the event.

Our first piece was ‘Thunder of Wantage’, especially commissioned for the band, by Esme Harper. Esme plays bass in Wantage Band and is student of Music at Oxford University. She was asked to write an opening piece and got it just right - driving rhythms, bold dynamics and great melodies. The whole band had something interesting to do and it provided us with a great challenge. The band loved the piece and this came across in our performance.

We followed this with ‘Water of Tyne’. For a band of young, inexperienced players, this provided a huge challenge. We had worked incredibly hard on our slow, controlled playing and learning to keep our instruments in tune at the softest (and loudest) dynamics. The ensemble playing really came together on the day and our soloists, Josh on euph, Holly on cornet and Anna on flugel, all did a great job playing beautifully and all from memory.

Our final piece was Thrift Shop by the rapper Macklemore. This is a great piece which featured soloists, audience participation, singing and lots of movement. We were particularly impressed by Josh, Rosie, Ellie and Imogen, who all came to the front to play improvised solos. The piece finished with the whole band at the front of the stage with their instruments held high in triumph.

At the end of our section, the mentors gave brief feedback. This was followed by more detailed comments a few days later. Here are just a few of the comments we received:

Beautifully disciplined band – you gave us a confident air even before you started playing

(Water of Tyne) Wow - that moment when you all crescendo'd was magical.

(Thrift Shop) This felt really relaxed, you got the vibe and went with it. This really suits you – and you played the life out it!

Overall, it was a great challenge and wonderful experience for the band. We all worked really hard to achieve a magnificent end result and the band and whole organisation should be very proud. The skills learnt will not only help the children become better musicians but will be an experience that remains with them for life.

Thank you to our ‘ Sponsor a Seat’ supporters, all our helpers, and our parents and grandparents who came along on the day.