A local event has been left in ruins by a natural force. You would never think it be possible for something such as a musical competition, traditionally being a festival, to be declared a washout. Of course you would understand if the eisteddfod was held outdoors, which would never occur. With the heavy weather of wind and rain wreaking havoc on the mid-north and far-north coast it could even be possible to waterlog a venue or prevent access from entering the building. This did not happen. So how could a six session instrumental eisteddfod in Coffs Harbour be rendered a great disappointment?
Before I present my thoughts on the eisteddfod, I want to throw in quick congratulations to my students from Coffs that took part. There were tremendous achievements made with two seconds, one first in sections and the major award of the Julie Lindsay best woodwind player 13 years and under for one of my students. Beyond the trophies, and what I feel is a greater prize, were the teachers that came forth and recognised the potential that these students do have. This was said especially for the students that did not win anything (personally I felt they did at least deserve something). From a teaching perspective these students, and I think the same can be said for the many other students taking part, have taken a massive step delivering performances in front of a public audience and being taken outside of their comfort zone. A big thank you to Ajla Hajdic for being able to take the time to accompany and work with the students and to help encourage and support them in their performances.
There were a couple of issues that arose from the eisteddfod. The first thing that came to mind immediately from session one to session six was the adjudication, and the role of the adjudicator. I’m going to leave this point of discussion for another time, but needless to say I was not impressed by the adjudication and felt the adjudicator skimmed details of feedback both verbally and on paper. Students want ideas and opinions, as well as the encouragement, on how they could improve their performance, and you will never be able to provide that in writing one sentence in what appears to be size 24 Times New Kindergarten scrawl.
The other issue that came to mind were the entrants that took part. The only sessions that essentially ran as “complete” with sufficient competitors were the Thursday evening and Sunday morning time blocks.
The secondary schools day session was the first to be axed with the majority of entrants from Bellingen. Three out of ten high schools in the mid-north coast region providing entries, with two of those schools providing one entry each. The lack of participation from schools in this local event is something of concern, and has failed to be addressed for many years. I’m sure this decade would have seen the lowest amount of participation in the history of the eisteddfod. Music and the community in general miss out greatly. We have some tutors outside of school music programs, both primary and secondary, coming in and giving music tuition to students on either an individual and/or group basis but won’t provide any opportunities of performance or even making music with other young musicians. It is a terrific opportunity being squandered.
Friday evening was the second session to be axed completely from the program. The Saturday afternoon session I didn’t bother to attend, with many students and ensembles from Bellingen absent. Saturday evening was an absolute shambles to end the eisteddfod. Of the eight sections in this last session, three were cut with no entrants. Of the twenty-four entries in all of these sections, only six entries were completed. This included three entries out of a potential ten for the Junior and Open Championships combined, with one entrant forced to play without her accompanist due to him being trapped in Bellingen. It was a real disappointing way to end the eisteddfod with two championships offering potential as listed in the program. It was a massive fall from grace compared to the eisteddfod of last year, which delivered a high standard of performance from the entrants.
One massive positive I noticed from the junior sessions were peers, classmates and friends visiting each other after performances in amazement, delight, or simply to encourage. There were no boundaries or barriers set regardless of what school you went to or who your teacher was. All the children were supportive of one another. Even tutors present got in on the act congratulating other students and their teachers for the work they have put in.
With the instrumental eisteddfod left crippled this year due to the flooding situations, it has revealed a nasty truth that our music tuition programs inside and outside of schools in Coffs Harbour; we are not doing enough to provide music students with opportunities to perform and develop as musicians regardless of solo or ensemble playing. Even when the Bellingen students were taken out of the equation, the greater majority of students left were those from the tuition programs of Bishop Druitt. When parents and tutors from regional NSW enquire about which schools offer the best music programs on the Coffs Coast, I am forced to tell them they have the choice of two schools these days because they are the only ones with evidence of encouraging and producing proactive musicians.
We need our tutors to start putting heads together and coming up with ideas for establishment and development of music in the community. If we continue to function as single entities we will ultimately be doing nothing for the community as a whole. After this eisteddfod I have a feeling that some of the tutors present will be aiming to establish some quality music projects.
We need new and fresh ideas instead of trying to build or dwell on the failures of the past. Bellingen have taken that initiative and it is taking the results of the programs to different places and rewarding them with many opportunities. In the past Bishop Druitt established great music programs and are re-establishing those now. If you want to go back further, Toormina High School used to be the most feared and revered high school for their concert band and big band programs and this was for many years. Today I look back at their program and concerts given in awe since it was built on discipline, commitment, and enjoyment in music making. I would love to see another music program established similar to the one at Toormina High School from the ‘90s.
We need to feature music more prominently in our community and provide more adequate opportunities. We also need to show that playing music provides many windows of opportunity for a music-related career.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Coffs Instrumentals Commence
The instrumental sections of the Coffs Harbour Eisteddfod have arrived for this year. I am really looking forward to this year’s eisteddfod since it will be the first time I have students taking part. Students of mine from Coffs and Bellingen will be competing, and I am quite curious to see the results obtained.
Personally, I see this is a stepping stone and a great opportunity for students to perform in front of not only a panel similar to an AMEB examination, but an audience as well. Regardless of whether students win or not, the real crunch will occur in August when even more students I am teaching will sit their AMEB exams in clarinet and saxophone. In general the preparation has been really good, taking advantage of the full 12 months. The only exception has been with Bellingen students since I began teaching them Week 2 of Term 1 this year, but I will be looking at altering and modifying practice routines and programs previously set. The aim will be to bring a greater discipline, work ethic, and most importantly enjoyment out of the instrument and the music performed for as many students possible.
I have found that the new music year works similar to that of a financial year; everything ends and begins anew at the beginning of July. Being the mid-point of the year students are thought to be set in homework and study routines through their schooling education. Music examinations in the region occur around this time, and the start does feel very fresh for teachers and students as repertoire is organised and handed out immediately towards the end of Term 2, or at the beginning of Term 3. Something to do with organisation and already knowing what will occur. Ah yes, being prepared feels so good.
Getting back to the eisteddfod, I am very keen to see how my Coffs-based students do perform. Normally one would feel quite nervous, and I have a feeling the nerves will hit the students later today, but there is a supreme confidence going through these kids. They’re only in primary school, but they are not going to back down. If anything they are feeling relaxed because they know they can play the music, and regardless of whether they win or lose they know they are in for better things to come. It’s like the old saying of “you’ve got nothing to lose”, but in a more optimistic fashion. You trust in your own skills and abilities and let nothing else trouble you regardless of other people and their actions or abilities.
Saturday evening or during Sunday I’ll compile a list of results, and give a wrap of the instrumental eisteddfod. With all of the rain we are receiving, and what is forecast ahead, I sincerely hope this does not become a flooded out event.
Personally, I see this is a stepping stone and a great opportunity for students to perform in front of not only a panel similar to an AMEB examination, but an audience as well. Regardless of whether students win or not, the real crunch will occur in August when even more students I am teaching will sit their AMEB exams in clarinet and saxophone. In general the preparation has been really good, taking advantage of the full 12 months. The only exception has been with Bellingen students since I began teaching them Week 2 of Term 1 this year, but I will be looking at altering and modifying practice routines and programs previously set. The aim will be to bring a greater discipline, work ethic, and most importantly enjoyment out of the instrument and the music performed for as many students possible.
I have found that the new music year works similar to that of a financial year; everything ends and begins anew at the beginning of July. Being the mid-point of the year students are thought to be set in homework and study routines through their schooling education. Music examinations in the region occur around this time, and the start does feel very fresh for teachers and students as repertoire is organised and handed out immediately towards the end of Term 2, or at the beginning of Term 3. Something to do with organisation and already knowing what will occur. Ah yes, being prepared feels so good.
Getting back to the eisteddfod, I am very keen to see how my Coffs-based students do perform. Normally one would feel quite nervous, and I have a feeling the nerves will hit the students later today, but there is a supreme confidence going through these kids. They’re only in primary school, but they are not going to back down. If anything they are feeling relaxed because they know they can play the music, and regardless of whether they win or lose they know they are in for better things to come. It’s like the old saying of “you’ve got nothing to lose”, but in a more optimistic fashion. You trust in your own skills and abilities and let nothing else trouble you regardless of other people and their actions or abilities.
Saturday evening or during Sunday I’ll compile a list of results, and give a wrap of the instrumental eisteddfod. With all of the rain we are receiving, and what is forecast ahead, I sincerely hope this does not become a flooded out event.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Coffs Con Concert (CCC): An Afternoon of Song
On the afternoon of the 9th of May I went to the Coffs Art Gallery to see a concert, presented by the Coffs Harbour Regional Conservatorium, showcasing some of the upcoming talent in the area. This program comprised mainly of choral and vocal music, with a couple of piano works thrown into the mix.
I was slightly surprised at the choice of location, due to the nature of the gallery’s size. However, there was still quite a good response from the public with the amount of people present. The response was that good that I was asked to vacate my seat, one minute before the concert commenced, for an elderly needs person. Of course I have no arguments with such a cause, since we would accommodate for the same cause on public transport, and other public entertainment venues. At the same time I was quite disappointed because there were about thirty other people without a seat as well. It wasn’t until after the first bracket of choral performers that the children were asked to bring seats to the back of the audience area in between numbers of the next set (and even during the beginning of some of the songs). Even when the chairs were brought out, there were still five to ten of us left still standing. Hopefully this issue does not arise in the future.
The performances given were good. I wouldn’t have said there was anything overly exceptional since it was more of a showcase of the upcoming talent. The Sounds Fine! Youth Choir delivered some interesting numbers in their sets of music. A combination of traditional music of Middle Eastern and African countries, along with some past and current choral numbers. I had to raise my eyebrow at the ironic choice of Money, Money, Money by ABBA with the current financial situation of the conservatorium. But then again, there were some other selections where it felt like the palm of my hand would meet the front of my face.
Hearing popular tunes and modern musical numbers in an art gallery with artwork nudes on canvas and some obscure art pieces just didn’t settle with me. Even if the performances were delivered with finesse, confidence and thought, the environment of the performance area would do it justice like vegemite on ice cream; it looks like chocolate and it appears to sit right, but at the same time we just know that the experience of consuming it will be tremendously unsettling. I have never tried vegemite on ice cream, but I am sure there would be someone out there willing to give it a go.
Program notes were very scarce. One piece of folded cardboard with a single sheet of A4 paper folded on the inside, along with a 25 year celebration sticker, was given to everyone in attendance. Page one was the title, page two a message from the director, page three the program, and page four advertising two upcoming events along with the conservatorium board. BORING! Instead of having the people talk about their pieces, when they went to perform, why didn’t they write up their own program notes? Even when people discussed the pieces they were about to perform I wasn’t convinced they even knew what they were talking about, and some of these people are approaching their HSC! I look back at the program now and can’t remember much about each of the pieces or what they were meant to be about.
Time and time again I have found that if you deliver more professional standards, then you will deliver a more professional product. This isn’t just in music, but in a lot of other industries and lines of work too. The staff at the Coffs conservatorium should know all about this with some of their backgrounds.
Just to recap, I thought the performances delivered were of a satisfactory standard that I hope the tutors of students and ensembles will be looking at expanding upon. The lack of professionalism and organisation of these concerts is still something left to be somewhat desired and I sincerely hope will be improved upon greatly with the other concerts held throughout the rest of this year.
I was slightly surprised at the choice of location, due to the nature of the gallery’s size. However, there was still quite a good response from the public with the amount of people present. The response was that good that I was asked to vacate my seat, one minute before the concert commenced, for an elderly needs person. Of course I have no arguments with such a cause, since we would accommodate for the same cause on public transport, and other public entertainment venues. At the same time I was quite disappointed because there were about thirty other people without a seat as well. It wasn’t until after the first bracket of choral performers that the children were asked to bring seats to the back of the audience area in between numbers of the next set (and even during the beginning of some of the songs). Even when the chairs were brought out, there were still five to ten of us left still standing. Hopefully this issue does not arise in the future.
The performances given were good. I wouldn’t have said there was anything overly exceptional since it was more of a showcase of the upcoming talent. The Sounds Fine! Youth Choir delivered some interesting numbers in their sets of music. A combination of traditional music of Middle Eastern and African countries, along with some past and current choral numbers. I had to raise my eyebrow at the ironic choice of Money, Money, Money by ABBA with the current financial situation of the conservatorium. But then again, there were some other selections where it felt like the palm of my hand would meet the front of my face.
Hearing popular tunes and modern musical numbers in an art gallery with artwork nudes on canvas and some obscure art pieces just didn’t settle with me. Even if the performances were delivered with finesse, confidence and thought, the environment of the performance area would do it justice like vegemite on ice cream; it looks like chocolate and it appears to sit right, but at the same time we just know that the experience of consuming it will be tremendously unsettling. I have never tried vegemite on ice cream, but I am sure there would be someone out there willing to give it a go.
Program notes were very scarce. One piece of folded cardboard with a single sheet of A4 paper folded on the inside, along with a 25 year celebration sticker, was given to everyone in attendance. Page one was the title, page two a message from the director, page three the program, and page four advertising two upcoming events along with the conservatorium board. BORING! Instead of having the people talk about their pieces, when they went to perform, why didn’t they write up their own program notes? Even when people discussed the pieces they were about to perform I wasn’t convinced they even knew what they were talking about, and some of these people are approaching their HSC! I look back at the program now and can’t remember much about each of the pieces or what they were meant to be about.
Time and time again I have found that if you deliver more professional standards, then you will deliver a more professional product. This isn’t just in music, but in a lot of other industries and lines of work too. The staff at the Coffs conservatorium should know all about this with some of their backgrounds.
Just to recap, I thought the performances delivered were of a satisfactory standard that I hope the tutors of students and ensembles will be looking at expanding upon. The lack of professionalism and organisation of these concerts is still something left to be somewhat desired and I sincerely hope will be improved upon greatly with the other concerts held throughout the rest of this year.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Riverina Band Camp (Part Two): The camp itself
The first part was typed from the futon in my lounge room, but this second part will be typed from the bedroom today as I am sitting in bed sick. There was a flu flying around to staff from the Riverina camp and it looks like it has caught me. No, it's not swine flu so I should be alright. The weather wasn't the best with it being cold and wet, but this did not dampen anyone's spirits.
With 55 students in attendance, slightly down on numbers, and some of the senior students absent, the general thoughts from all of the staff was that this was a very successful camp. And if you don't believe the staff, then perhaps you could ask the parents of the students that attended the rehearsal given or even the regional director who was noticeably pleased and full of praise for the program.
Essentially the same repertoire was brought from New England to Riverina, although a couple of other charts were taken out and replace by others. An advanced ensemble was formed with several representatives for the state wind bands next month. There was a mentioning from the director that in the 65 person senior ensemble, there were 13 representatives from Riverina. This is a fantastic achievement.
I don't think you could have asked for a better group of students than what we had. I was very impressed with the students we had last year, but this year everyone took their discipline, ensemble skills, and performance skills to a new level. The staff didn't even have to patrol the rooms in the freezing cold past midnight to make sure everyone was going to sleep.
The clarinet section I was given was well balanced and supportive of each other. We had students ranging from year four through to eleven with different levels of ability. Normally there is a saying that your group/team is as strong as its weakest participant; the weakest link effect. However, ability was no boundary to the students that took part as it became more about a question of commitment and effort over effort. We had some little clarinets in the third row, but they kept giving their parts a real good go and achieved a lot of aspects about their playing by the end of the week. Who would've thought that the third row of young ones would be playing 3-5 star charts with the rest of the band by the end of the week?! Two bass clarinets went from sounding like one thin instrument to a section of four by the end of the week. The only disappointment I had was that I didn't really get to work with the first clarinets as much as I would have liked to. With that said, the first clarinets did take on some responsibility of their own learning about leadership within a section and overseeing a whole ensemble (i.e. the concert band). If we can get more clarinets next year then I would be all for a second clarinet tutor to come along in attendance.
Another great selection of staff. Everyone worked really with their sections, and even unearthed some new talents and abilities of their own. No, I'm not referring to the students within sections. The Riverina camp would have to have the best table tennis players you have ever come across. Two of the DET staff emerged victorious over two of the travelling tutorial staff in high level competition using budget paddles and a stiff wooden net. Over twenty games were played with the DET staff winning by 2-3 games. There are currently discussions about hosting a table tennis camp next year with concert band for sport and rec.
The Riverina touring ensemble has been selected, and the state nominations will be made based on the students attending the tour. Good luck to all the students that will be taking part in the tour later this year.
As the Riverina camp came to a close, the North Coast camp started two days later on the 3rd of May. With students attending from the Clarence Valley, I will be very interested to hear what they have achieved and what the current program is like. They will be holding their recital tonight at Lake Ainsworth giving a concert to the parents. Last year was an incredibly low point in the North Coast program, so hopefully there will be some improvement.
With 55 students in attendance, slightly down on numbers, and some of the senior students absent, the general thoughts from all of the staff was that this was a very successful camp. And if you don't believe the staff, then perhaps you could ask the parents of the students that attended the rehearsal given or even the regional director who was noticeably pleased and full of praise for the program.
Essentially the same repertoire was brought from New England to Riverina, although a couple of other charts were taken out and replace by others. An advanced ensemble was formed with several representatives for the state wind bands next month. There was a mentioning from the director that in the 65 person senior ensemble, there were 13 representatives from Riverina. This is a fantastic achievement.
I don't think you could have asked for a better group of students than what we had. I was very impressed with the students we had last year, but this year everyone took their discipline, ensemble skills, and performance skills to a new level. The staff didn't even have to patrol the rooms in the freezing cold past midnight to make sure everyone was going to sleep.
The clarinet section I was given was well balanced and supportive of each other. We had students ranging from year four through to eleven with different levels of ability. Normally there is a saying that your group/team is as strong as its weakest participant; the weakest link effect. However, ability was no boundary to the students that took part as it became more about a question of commitment and effort over effort. We had some little clarinets in the third row, but they kept giving their parts a real good go and achieved a lot of aspects about their playing by the end of the week. Who would've thought that the third row of young ones would be playing 3-5 star charts with the rest of the band by the end of the week?! Two bass clarinets went from sounding like one thin instrument to a section of four by the end of the week. The only disappointment I had was that I didn't really get to work with the first clarinets as much as I would have liked to. With that said, the first clarinets did take on some responsibility of their own learning about leadership within a section and overseeing a whole ensemble (i.e. the concert band). If we can get more clarinets next year then I would be all for a second clarinet tutor to come along in attendance.
Another great selection of staff. Everyone worked really with their sections, and even unearthed some new talents and abilities of their own. No, I'm not referring to the students within sections. The Riverina camp would have to have the best table tennis players you have ever come across. Two of the DET staff emerged victorious over two of the travelling tutorial staff in high level competition using budget paddles and a stiff wooden net. Over twenty games were played with the DET staff winning by 2-3 games. There are currently discussions about hosting a table tennis camp next year with concert band for sport and rec.
The Riverina touring ensemble has been selected, and the state nominations will be made based on the students attending the tour. Good luck to all the students that will be taking part in the tour later this year.
As the Riverina camp came to a close, the North Coast camp started two days later on the 3rd of May. With students attending from the Clarence Valley, I will be very interested to hear what they have achieved and what the current program is like. They will be holding their recital tonight at Lake Ainsworth giving a concert to the parents. Last year was an incredibly low point in the North Coast program, so hopefully there will be some improvement.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Riverina Band Camp (Part One): NSW State Bands Selected
I am currently sitting on the futon at home typing up this entry on Emelia's, my wife, laptop. After approximately 1300 kilometres of driving, the commencement of rep indoor cricket for 2009, and recovering on sleep, I am feeling a little spaced out and sore.
Last Saturday afternoon I departed from Coffs in the big red car (also known as the "little red banger", the Daihatsu Mira) and made my way across to Tamworth. Unfortunately I forgot to pack my camera in, so I wouldn't be able to take any photos when we travelled from Tamworth, through regional NSW, to Borambola (south of Wagga Wagga). On the Saturday night a few of us stayed together in Tamworth so then we could all leave together Sunday morning at 6AM. We had a few drinks together, had some dinner, watched some cooking on TV, and I was even shown the band lists for Junior and Senior NSW Public Schools ensembles.
NSW Public Schools Wind Ensembles
The repertoire for the NSW Senior (years 9-12) wind ensemble is going to be quite challenging. For the students that have received their music, I hope they have started practicing and grinding away at the music. Rhythmic, technical, and fast are three basic words I would use to describe the music after seeing it and working on some parts with students at the Riverina camp. If these pieces are pulled off by the senior wind ensemble it is going to be a fantastic achievement. All the best to Steve Williams and the ensemble for these works.
Selections and ensemble formation was interesting, but the balance should be exceptional. In ensembles, we use what is called a "pyramid" of sound. The higher/treble/soprano instruments are at the top of the pyramid running down to bass instruments that have a lot more sound to fill with. Not only does this occur within the whole ensemble, but throughout sections as well. The clarinets and saxophones are perfect examples of this since both sections cover a wide range of pitch. Being a clarinet tutor for several regional band camps now, I was very pleased with the selection of clarinettists and the formation with four 1st clarinets, six 2nd clarinets, eight 3rd clarinets, and if I remember correctly 3-4 bass clarinets. Normally I don't think this amount of clarinets would be selected for the ensemble, but this should be an exceptional section for 2009 and hopefully for years to come.
So how do my ravings about sound balance and clarinet selections have anything to do with my home region? Every region in NSW, as listed by the DET, have at least 5 nominations accepted to take part in the state wind ensemble. For the last few years the comment has been made that submissions made by the North Coast have not been up to scratch or matching the sufficient standard required. This time around the evidence was set out plain in front of me, and it is quite concerning.
From the North Coast band camp held at Lake Ainsworth only four people submitted nomination forms. Two were accepted, with one nomination only just fulfilling the accepted standard required. From Bellingen alone, three people submitted nominations and everyone was accepted. None of those people attended the band camp, yet they easily fulfilled the required standard to be involved. Again, I refer to the "Broken Catch 22" scenario listed in my previous entry.
We've had people invited to help and assist with the concert band (including myself), but politics were involved resulting in rejection of what was successful assistance to improve and educate students. For this year and last year I have had students ask me if myself or any of the tutors involved with the 2007 North Coast band camp were going to be back to tutor. Last year students were telling me, face to face, that even though the 2008 camp was "good" it was not as great as the 2007 program. A lot of questions should, and hopefully will, arise from the data of nominations and participants involved from the assorted regions in relation to the state wind ensemble and the feedback given by students involved with the regional program.
It really cuts me up inside that not much is being done to improve the concert band camp program in the North Coast region. I can be incredibly passionate about the musical development of students and tutorial development of instrumental teachers, and hopefully it does show through what I have posted. The truth is the North Coast concert band has fallen way behind that of its regional counterparts and all other regions of NSW. It may not be the "be all and end all" of music education on the North Coast, but it is part of a program providing students with so many performance opportunities for education and experience. We need to start putting more heads together to look at modifying the current, or producing a more successful, program in order to better equip and set up students for greater opportunities.
Part Two will be coming soon with the review of the Riverina Regional Band Camp for 2009.
Last Saturday afternoon I departed from Coffs in the big red car (also known as the "little red banger", the Daihatsu Mira) and made my way across to Tamworth. Unfortunately I forgot to pack my camera in, so I wouldn't be able to take any photos when we travelled from Tamworth, through regional NSW, to Borambola (south of Wagga Wagga). On the Saturday night a few of us stayed together in Tamworth so then we could all leave together Sunday morning at 6AM. We had a few drinks together, had some dinner, watched some cooking on TV, and I was even shown the band lists for Junior and Senior NSW Public Schools ensembles.
NSW Public Schools Wind Ensembles
The repertoire for the NSW Senior (years 9-12) wind ensemble is going to be quite challenging. For the students that have received their music, I hope they have started practicing and grinding away at the music. Rhythmic, technical, and fast are three basic words I would use to describe the music after seeing it and working on some parts with students at the Riverina camp. If these pieces are pulled off by the senior wind ensemble it is going to be a fantastic achievement. All the best to Steve Williams and the ensemble for these works.
Selections and ensemble formation was interesting, but the balance should be exceptional. In ensembles, we use what is called a "pyramid" of sound. The higher/treble/soprano instruments are at the top of the pyramid running down to bass instruments that have a lot more sound to fill with. Not only does this occur within the whole ensemble, but throughout sections as well. The clarinets and saxophones are perfect examples of this since both sections cover a wide range of pitch. Being a clarinet tutor for several regional band camps now, I was very pleased with the selection of clarinettists and the formation with four 1st clarinets, six 2nd clarinets, eight 3rd clarinets, and if I remember correctly 3-4 bass clarinets. Normally I don't think this amount of clarinets would be selected for the ensemble, but this should be an exceptional section for 2009 and hopefully for years to come.
So how do my ravings about sound balance and clarinet selections have anything to do with my home region? Every region in NSW, as listed by the DET, have at least 5 nominations accepted to take part in the state wind ensemble. For the last few years the comment has been made that submissions made by the North Coast have not been up to scratch or matching the sufficient standard required. This time around the evidence was set out plain in front of me, and it is quite concerning.
From the North Coast band camp held at Lake Ainsworth only four people submitted nomination forms. Two were accepted, with one nomination only just fulfilling the accepted standard required. From Bellingen alone, three people submitted nominations and everyone was accepted. None of those people attended the band camp, yet they easily fulfilled the required standard to be involved. Again, I refer to the "Broken Catch 22" scenario listed in my previous entry.
We've had people invited to help and assist with the concert band (including myself), but politics were involved resulting in rejection of what was successful assistance to improve and educate students. For this year and last year I have had students ask me if myself or any of the tutors involved with the 2007 North Coast band camp were going to be back to tutor. Last year students were telling me, face to face, that even though the 2008 camp was "good" it was not as great as the 2007 program. A lot of questions should, and hopefully will, arise from the data of nominations and participants involved from the assorted regions in relation to the state wind ensemble and the feedback given by students involved with the regional program.
It really cuts me up inside that not much is being done to improve the concert band camp program in the North Coast region. I can be incredibly passionate about the musical development of students and tutorial development of instrumental teachers, and hopefully it does show through what I have posted. The truth is the North Coast concert band has fallen way behind that of its regional counterparts and all other regions of NSW. It may not be the "be all and end all" of music education on the North Coast, but it is part of a program providing students with so many performance opportunities for education and experience. We need to start putting more heads together to look at modifying the current, or producing a more successful, program in order to better equip and set up students for greater opportunities.
Part Two will be coming soon with the review of the Riverina Regional Band Camp for 2009.
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