These band programs are a key to nurturing and developing musical talent across the whole state. I encourage many students, and their parents, to be allowed the opportunity to be able to take part in one of these programs. Students would only see their teacher for thirty minutes on average, and maybe spend one hour in an ensemble rehearsal. For 90 minutes out of a week consisting of 10,080 minutes (or 168 hours) this isn’t necessarily substantial. A child may practice at home that does contribute to playing and putting their music into practice, but the one thing that lacks is guidance. At band camps, children absolutely live and thrive on the opportunity to be able to take part in playing and making music because they have the chance to make so much. Not only are they taking part, but they improve and feel valued as a contributing member of a music ensemble. And because they are consistently being involved with music over a period of five to six days, information that they are being taught is continually being reinforced. If you have the opportunity of attending a band camp in 2009, then please take the plunge. You will not regret it!
As per usual, there are four regional band camps held in NSW each year. This year was slightly different with two zones collapsing into one, and a new zone established. I had the privilege of attending two camps this year, and the opportunity to attend a third. Next year I have been invited to three out of four camps, and I sincerely hope the director of the fourth camp will consider inviting me to their region. Each zone is unique and experiences different growth and development patterns in music. I received insight into all four band camps for 2008 from students, tutors and teachers involved.
New England
The New England region became a single entity combining the North-West (central point, Tamworth) and New England (central point, Armidale) regions together. After previous successful years with separate programs and senior students moving on, this region was always going to be in a redevelopment stage. 2008 was the year this was to occur.
While a lot of senior students did move on after completing year twelve studies last year, not all the musical talent was lost. Older and younger students were prepared to take on new roles of leadership, especially when the advanced ensemble was established. The growth in some of the younger students we have worked with over the last few years is evident as their sound and musical skills increase. Balance and musical sensitivity will be a couple of targeted areas for 2009 as there is a very good chance the size of the ensemble will greatly increase, almost to the point of maybe having two concert bands.
North Coast
I was given the chance, along with fellow tutors that I studied with in Newcastle, to teach at this camp last year. For 2008 none of us were invited back, which left a bit of a sour taste for some of us. Still, when you reside and work with students in the region you will always have the opportunity to receive feedback on what is occurring.
The general response and feedback given to myself from students that I worked with last year, and have over the course of this year, was that what they did last year was more fulfilling than what they did this year. This was especially true from the senior students whose skills were a lot more advanced than the charts given to them. The camp was run to the same program as established last year, meaning stacks and stacks of music given to the students. The concert band is rehearsed, but students then take up one elective ensemble. With the amount of work applied to both rehearsals, and then sport and recreation activities at the site (Lake Ainsworth) tutors do not have a sufficient opportunity to develop (or in the case of this zone “establish”) musical skills or provide insight to performance. Year 11 and 12 students weren’t impressed with not being provided the opportunity to study or catch up schoolwork while at the camp.
If you attend a band camp, you would expect to be pushed and not make the staff pushovers. With the camp playing charts at primary school level, you would not expect much development to occur in any students taking part. Students at band camps should be playing charts of at least 2-star difficulty, pushing up to around about 3 ½-stars. Playing anything lower than 2-star is not acceptable when parents are paying good money for their children to gain some musical experience from supposed accredited and specialist tutors.
While the NSW diagram is misleading, the North Coast would have to be the largest zone in NSW since the sufficiently populated towns are all spread out along the coast from the Queensland border down to Taree. Hardly anyone south of Grafton is willing to travel up to Lennox Head for the North Coast camp. Perhaps we should have the region split into two yet still be recognised as North Coast as a whole. This will allow people from Taree to Coffs Harbour the musical opportunities instead of being left to fight on individually or as a “dead zone”.
Riverina
This year was the first time I received the opportunity to tutor in southern NSW. The cold was surprisingly pleasant and something I became accustomed with over the week. Other tutors had been lavishing praise on the students of this camp before the week even started. I wasn’t sure what to expect after working with a fantastic senior group in the North-West/New England zones for 2007. As the saying goes, “expect the unexpected”!
The balance of this ensemble was quite exceptional. As is normally the case this was an ensemble top-heavy with flutes, but the “soprano” sections did a very good job to keep their sound levels in check and not dominate. The clarinets that I took were very impressive not as individuals, but as a collective. There have been past North-West and New England clarinet sections that I have taken where individuals are outstanding and lead the way, but the way this Riverina section balanced out the skill across all parts and everyone really valued their part was outstanding. Not taking anything away from the students I worked with past and present (because they all have done a fantastic job), but this clarinet section just simply blew me away.
Like the New England camp, the Riverina camp formed two ensembles; the concert band and the advanced ensemble. The concert band took on repertoire that was almost on par with the advanced ensemble’s pieces including a Sousa march, Bugler’s Holiday by Leroy Anderson, and a Star Wars arrangement to name a few.
This ensemble has an enormous amount of potential with great opportunities for individuals and the whole group. Well done to the students, the parents, and the teachers in the area for investing in the musical talent and expanding upon it.
Western
A completely new region that was, at first, an unknown. Reports from the tutors by the end of the week were positive, saying that there is promise for this region and a good chance to expand upon the talent. Obviously the repertoire given was not quite as difficult as New England and Riverina, but it still challenged the students that took part. What would have been even more of a surprise was the fact that students from New England region were jumping the border to come to another band camp! That form of commitment from the students and parents is very pleasing to hear about. The tutors and director of the camp are really looking forward to working with this region again next year, and I will definitely be keen to see what this region produces.
Plans for 2009
As a tutor, I personally strive to find something new to teach or establish each year. Tutors and teachers in general should always be seeking some form of professional development whether it is through studying other teachers and methods, or researching and trialling new methods invented by ourselves. The first couple of years I began teaching from 2005-6 I had a focus on breathing and utilising air. 2007 was more of a case of ensemble skills and awareness. 2008 was a return to breathing but establishing an awareness of muscle use and lung capacity expansion.
2009, I would like to be able to focus a little more on creativity and cognition. If there is one thing that I do pride myself on in music teaching, it is the fact that I do like to make students think and conscious about what they doing and how they are going about it. I was quite surprised as to how many teachers and tutors don’t actually do this, essentially making the students auto-pilot and became cognitively lazy in what they do. The brain should be one of the most exercised muscles in our body. You will be quite amazed at how you feel after you have exercised the brain. If you want an alternative method of exercising the brain instead of using forms of literature and numbers, then music is your answer.
All the best for 2009!
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