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.
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