A Happy New Year from everyone at Yarnton Band.
There is a modern expression which says that his cup is always half-full or half-empty, depending on whether the individual has a positive or negative frame of mind. Whilst Guy James, our Musical Director, is always very pleased with everything, I would then have to admit that I fall into the second category, always concerned about the things that are not going as well as they might be. It was something of a surprise then, looking back over the last year, to see just what a good year it actually was.
The early part of the year was taken up with three full-scale concerts which just happened to come along. We were again asked to do a concert at Long Hanborough Methodist Church in aid of victims of the Chernobyl Disaster. These concerts are always a success, and this time was very special for us as Mike Willet, the Band's one-time solo cornet player, was able to make a guest appearance as he and his family were on a visit from Australia.
We also did a joint concert with the Brize Singers whose Musical Director, Peter Hunt, very kindly accompanies our soloists at the Oxford and District Brass Contest. The Band once again did well at this contest winning our share of the cups and medals.
The summer jobs all passed as successes, although we were grateful to local bands' people, Cliff Sadler and Lynne Whitley, for helping out and also to an Italian/American boy doing a summer course at St. Anne's College, who the girls on the front row found "annoying", or so they said.
George Tutte's 80th-birthday concert in November was a wonderful evening. The concert included four really good soloists including George's god-daughter Marilyn Elliot. The little ones in the Training Band rose to the occasion as they always seem to, and the Senior Band played a lttle trick on George. When he came up on stage to conduct a march, they came in with "Happy Birthday" instead.
George has always had a wonderful gift for motivating people, from the Beginners' Group to the officers on the committee. He was telling me how years ago he was put in charge of running a large raffle while he was with the City of Oxford Band. A book of tickets came to twleve shillings and sixpence, but when the children in the Band started to come back with the money George said: "Give us ten bob and we'll call it quits." Needless to say the raffle was an unprecedented success.
Happy Christmas once again!
Thank you to all those who have supported us throughout the year, also to Mr Leybourn and his team at the William Fletcher Primary School, where we rehearse, and especially to the caretakers, Carol and Yvonne, who are so accommodating.
On Sunday 10th December at 4.00 p.m. the Band will be playing in Yarnton Church for the Christmas Songs of Praise, so why not come along and have a good sing to get you in the mood for Christmas. The Band will also be doing some street carolling and playing at a well-known superstore near here - Kidlington.
The Band has had quite a settled routine at Christmas over the last few years, including a children’s Christmas service at North Leigh Methodist Chapel, which on that evening is full of little shepherds, angels and wise men, and there is a large buffet at the end.
Also, one evening when we were out street carolling, and the children were absolutely freezing, we saw that something was going on in the village hall, so we decided to go inside to warm up, telling whoever it was that we had come to play some carols for them. It turned out to be Yarnton Gardening Club, which has asked us back every year since.
Another fond farewell. Alison Howes, our principal cornet player, has decided it is time to move on. Alison has always been a very dedicated player, ever since she came to us as a little girl of six or seven years of age. This now means that Caitlin Dimond has stepped up to principal, something which she was always destined to do. Caitlin is also a very dedicated and talented player, and she is showing great maturity in her new position.
Guy has been working up the programme for the George Tutte 80th birthday concert which will be on Saturday 18th November at 7.30 p.m. The programme includes an arrangement of “The Sound of Music” and solos for Caitlin Dimond and Emma Sherratt, our solo euphonium player. We also have a guest soloist. You might recall I mentioned Marilyn Elliot, George’s goddaughter who currently plays for Kidlington Concert. Well, Marilyn said she would love to play for her “Uncle George” and has even passed up a professional engagement to do so.
This coming month of course includes Remembrance Day. The Band will be playing at Woodstock cenotaph on the morning of the 12th and in the afternoon we will be playing at the church in Yarnton at 3 p.m.
Oh how quickly the summer passes. With many away on holiday, the summer rehearsals take on a more informal atmosphere, but there are always one or two who benefit from the extra attention from the band trainers or have the chance to play a solo part while the soloist is away. Some take the opportunity to show what good players they have become, whilst others, without the usual distractions, find things clicking into place.
Elsewhere, thanks to Francis Buller for the Band's entry for the church flower festival, and what a wonderful festival it was and don't forget George Tutte's eightieth birthday concert in the village hall on Saturday 18th November at 7.30 p.m.
Despite picking the only day in July when it rained (the tropical storm), the massed band concert at Blenheim Palace was a great success and a very enjoyable afternoon. Various bands from in and around the county had played at Blenheim throughout the day, mainly under the arches, and the event culminated with a massed band concert in which some of our players took part.
Kidlington Concert Brass, the Association’s premier band, with their conductor, Catherine Greenwood, had organised everything. They had chosen a programme which they presumably thought was straight forward and there would be two rehearsals. I had to smile when two of our young solo cornet players plonked themselves on the front row at 3rd and 4th man down respectively with support stars to the right and left and very decent players behind. But why not? What an experience for them, and an insight into the sort of standard they might like to play at one day.
Kidlington has some cracking players who are also very nice people, such as Marilyn Elliott, who is George Tutte’s goddaughter. Marilyn played a lovely solo at George’s wife Doreen’s memorial concert.
Our trombone player, Mark Greenwood, really enjoyed the massed band concert, and now he will be going back to Brazil with his wife, Suzana, and children, Edward and Ana, where he will continue with his Baptist Ministry. Edward and Ana have been learning to play in the Beginners’ Group and Training Band, and we will be sorry to see them go. Another fond farewell.
It would be fair to say that the A.G.M. was reasonably well attended, but we were flattered that an old friend Tony Floyd turned up, especially as his current address is in Australia. He was in fact here visiting family and had come along to play the second cornet part with his niece Lauren. Isn’t that nice? Or would have been. It was Lauren’s grandma who owned up to forgetting about the A.G.M. I don’t know.
As one grows older one comes to appreciate more and more the pleasant afternoon that is the country fete, or any other fete for that matter. So, if you are running a fete and need a band, do not hesitate to contact us. We are very reasonable (price that is) and come complete with our own gazebo. We have played at some very nice venues already this summer, including Kingston Bagpuize House and of course at the William Fletcher School in Yarnton.
Some of the band members are representing the Oxford Brass Band Association at a massed band concert at Blenheim Palace on 22nd July, another excellent venue. Looking ahead there are more fetes, and it is worth noting now that on Saturday 18th November the band will be putting on a concert in Yarnton Village Hall to coincide with George Tutte’s eightieth birthday celebrations.
The band enjoyed another wonderful day at the Oxford Brass Band Association Contest for solos, duets and ensemble playing, held at Sandhills School. The Association has an excellent venue at Sandhills where the caretaker is very supportive. The officials on the day ran both the auditoriums and the canteen efficiently and tactfully. Maybe it is because the same three or four bands come every year and we have got to know each other, but there was a genuinely friendly atmosphere with players especially receiving lots of encouragement from everybody.
Yarnton Band again enjoyed successes with David Chesterman (the footballer) winning first prize in the under nines on his tenor horn. In the same section Rowan Lake came third and won the prize for the youngest player. Erica James and Alison Howes won with their duet; Guy James with a solo and our under nineteen quartet also came first. Briony Leach won the prize for the most successful girl under fifteen.
The Band won both the Senior and Junior ensembles and picked up the prize for the most players under nineteen. The Band also picked up a number of very creditable second, third and fourth prizes. In fact, Yarnton was in the frame in almost every class. When you listen to these classes all the players are very good. It really is an achievement to be part of it.
The adjudicators also did well. Obviously they cannot please everybody, but again they were very tactful and constructive.
Yarnton Band have been preparing for the Oxford and District Brass Contest for Solos, Duets and ensembles for players of all ages. It is a contest which is ideal for bands with a lot of young players, and in the last few years has been patronised by ourselves and two or three other bands of similar membership and outlook.
Helen James, wife of our Musical Director Guy andour contest secretary, has commented that nearly all the players who represented the training band at last year's contest are now in the senior band, and how pleasing it was that they are coming through. Guy also, at a recent committee meeting, stated that whilst we've lost some of the better players to uni. etc, this has been offset to a degree by the progress of the younger players and has rewarded two or three of them in the cornet ranks with promotion.
Emma Sherratt, as well as taking the beginners group, is currently running a special course for some new members who have done grade work at school but no Ensemble playing. The training band meanwhile are continuing to learn both individual and ensemble playing along with their solos.
We were both honoured and delighted to take part in the William Fletcher School Music Festival. It was a perfect opportunity to put out the Training Band, half of which attends the school. I am sure that the school considered the evening a great success as they certainly have some talented children on a number of different instruments. It was also noticeable how much they had progressed since last year’s concert. There were many pleasing aspects about our own spot: I expected them to play well, but in addition they organised themselves particularly well and were always ready with the next piece already on the stand.
You may remember what I wrote in the Christmas edition. I suggested that boys who had a healthy interest in sport and football could still join the Band and learn music as well. I recalled a school friend’s brother who played the cornet for Stonesfield Band and football for England schoolboys. Well it seemsthat very same person, Nick Merry, is now the Chairman of Oxford United.
There is another nice angle here. Dorothy Calcut, who for many years taught at Woodstock Primary School and in her retirement wrote some lovely autobiographical books about her life in the Oxfordshire countryside, took the Training Band at Stonesfield for many years and was also a very keen Oxford United fan. So it is nice that a young lad whom she taught both at school and at Band is now the Chairman of her beloved football club. At the Band we have a promising tenor horn player who has had trials for Reading F.C. under nines.
Of course football does not really get in the way of Band activities, but there might be a feeling that the Band is not really “cool” by comparison. Well you might not be the next David Beckam, but you can still enjoy a game of football and you might also make a good trombone player, and that could get you in a lot more places than you might think.
Into April and Yarnton Band has already played in three big concerts. Our second joint concert with the Brize Singers at the High Street Methodist Church in Witney was again a full house, two hundred and fifty people, a decent audience by any standards, and again we had some very positive feedback. People who do not know the Band are always a little taken aback at how well the younger players play and conduct themselves.
Then there was my favourite venue: Yarnton Village Hall, well anywhere in Yarnton really, in front of your own family and friends. Talking of people not quite so well acquainted with the Band, the parents of the newly recruited Training Band having listened to the Senior Band's first-half performance always look very nervous when their little ones take the stage, which are unfounded fears, of course.
The very same Training Band is currently working very hard on ensemble and unison playing as well as scales. The Senior Band's Principal Cornet Player, Alison Howes, who was eighteen a few weeks back, has very kindly transposed some tunes so that they can all play the top line for a change.
Finally, Audrey Willett's son Mike is currently over from Australia with his wife Amanda and family. Mike played with us in the concert in Long Hanborough which we did for our friends in the West Oxfordshire Vetka Association. It is great to see Mike and his family again!
Yarnton Band will be putting on a concert in the Village Hall on Saturday 11th March at 7.30 p.m. This will include some excellent arrangements and also some stand-up solos around the Band. We have been very lucky to have trombonist Mark Greenwood living here in the village whilst on a year's sabbatical work from his missionary work in Brazil. He has been coming along to our rehearsals with his children and there is talk of a trombone solo.
Our exciting young Training Band, many of whom have only been playing for a short time, will also feature, thus providing a chance to hear some of the tunes from the Preliminary Band Book again! We will have to mix it up a bit, though, and work in a drum feature as this group boasts a battalion of drummers, well three, with others threatening to join.
Looking ahead, the Oxford and District Association Solo, Duet and Ensemble Contest is on May 21st. There is an awful lot of work included here with all the youngsters needing a high level of support. The type of piece they will be able to play by then is something to start thinking about, so that they are happy they can make good account of themselves on the day.
On February 3rd the Band will perform at a joint concert with the Brize Singers in the Witney High Street Methodist Church on behalf of the Freeland Methodist Church. We did a similar concert with the Brize Singers last year which was a great success. We are also putting on a concert here in Yarnton next month at the Village Hall, and with a further concert in Long Hanborough towards the end of March this will be a busy first part of the year.
The Training Band, many of whom have only been with us for a matter of months and have already performed twice over Christmas, will also have a spot at the Yarnton Concert. Their lead cornet player has been promoted to the Senior Band, so that means that one or two will be changing parts within the Training Band.
There is a lot to look forward to for everybody.
News Archive from 2005