After being away for ten days, and travelling 3063.8 kilometres, I finally have the chance to sit down and put in yet another late update. Term three was ending as I toured with a select group of 41 students from the Riverina region as part of the combined schools regional touring group for 2009. The last time I was part of a touring group was four years ago as part of the University of Newcastle Wind Orchestra program.
Before I go into detail about the tour, my own journey has been amazing travelling through four DET regions, completing over 3000 kms in one event alone (I've lost track of how many kms I've completed this year for the camps, but it would be close to 5,500 kms), being in two states, and visiting many regional towns and areas people would not normally encounter. This year alone I have been to Lake Keepit, Borambola, and Burrendong as part of the regional camps for New England, Riverina and Western regions and now tour. The only region missing is North Coast. Until some of their tutors visit these other camps, or even bring tutors from these other camps on board, the region will still be dwindling. After having three students selected to represent the region that did not attend the regional camp, and the camp's nominations of students were denied, perhaps a change of mindset and approach could be in order. They're my thoughts anyway.
Back to the tour!
The Riverina students were selected after the regional camp was held earlier this year. From the clarinet section, all students were invited with only one student being unable to attend. The selection of students enabled us to assemble a strong ensemble performing charts of up to 4.5 stars.
The first three days were spent on repertoire previously played at the camp, combined with a few new pieces including an arrangement from "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory", and a medley of Australian folk tunes entitled "Down Under". The funny thing about "Down Under" is that the piece was first introduced to the conductor, Di Hall, by a German wind band that visited earlier this year. The pieces, ensemble, and even individual technique was refined in the first three days at the Lake Hume Resort in Albury. And there was even time to spare for the male tutors to duck away after a rehearsal to briefly visit the other side of the fence (for about 5 minutes) before complaining about how cold Victoria was and returning to New South Wales.
After the three days were up, it was time to take the tour on the road playing Albury, Wagga Wagga, Collingullie, Narrandera, Leeton, Griffith, Ardlethan, Young, Cootamundra, then a final concert in Wagga Wagga again. Performances varied from one location to the next, but probably not to the same degree of quality as the accommodation. From the plasma widescreens and surround sound systems of Wagga Wagga to the doors that wouldn't lock in Young, there was many an experience for students to enjoy and perhaps even cherish less.
The school performances enticed appreciation from both primary and secondary students. Primary students had the delight of seeing and hearing instruments they wouldn't normally know about, as well as hearing some popular tunes including those from "High School Musical 2" and "You Can't Stop the Beat" from Hairspray. Secondary students on the other hand were able to listen to and appreciate the arrangements and compositions of pieces that caused them to think about the music and even paint a picture in their heads. Selections from "Pictures at an Exhibition", "Fantasia", and wind band composition "Flashpoint" were the best examples of drawing audiences young and old into the concert band world of music.
I don't think I could have asked for a more enjoyable group of students and teachers to join for this experience. There were the shades from "Top Gun", with some singing to Smash Mouth, Queen, and Art vs. Science, plus the tour chant (which sounds remarkably similarly to the "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie" chant... hmm...), plus the mini-wars between students and tutors whether it was through tennis, or glad-wrapping each other's doors.
The next challenge is to start finding more music to work on for this group.
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