http://corshamwindband.org/
January 2015 Newsletter
A very Happy New Year to you all. I hope you had a great Christmas holiday and are all relaxed and ready to make music.
Sonia Blandford, an Influential Person
Debrett’s 500 Most Influential people in Britain, announced in Sunday Times today.
Education: Professor Sonia Blandford
“This is a huge honour; it feels odd to see my name alongside people like David Beckham and Mary Berry. I hope, if nothing else, it shows that people from all walks of life can and should have the highest aspirations and that background should play no part in determining your future. My mum, who couldn’t read and my dad, a factory worker, would not have believed this!” – Sonia Blandford
As one of the products of Sonia’s work, I think the CWA can bask in some of her reflected glory.
Christmas Events and Concert
We had another successful Christmas season with the usual two busking sessions, with one at Asda in Melksham for a change. We didn’t raise as much money as we have in the past but the efforts of the performers were much appreciated by the shoppers. Timing seems to be critical with this as it is simply the numbers of people attending the shop that governs our income. We may tinker with the busking arrangements this year to take advantage of busier shopping days before Christmas.
The Concert itself was well-attended and the audience were entertained by a very high standard of music from all three bands and by an exuberant massed band performance of Christmas pieces. We are considering changing the format of our Christmas events for this year, see more below.
Events 2015
We are planning our events calendar for the coming year and have already got several concerts booked in. Please see the summary below for dates. We are hoping that the Schiltigheim Band will be joining us for the Summer Concert so the dates and arrangements are still to be sorted out. Several suggestions have been put forward for changes to our Christmas Concert arrangements as some people feel it has become too formal and should be a more relaxed and social occasion. We are also considering having the concert on a Sunday afternoon instead of the usual Saturday evening. We are looking at all options and would welcome any ideas from the membership.
In March we have the Mid-Somerset Festival and, as last year, families are invited to attend the final YCB rehearsal at the Pound on Friday 6th March at 6.30. There is to be a recording session of the YCB on Friday 20th February.
Emma Jones Concert and workshops:
Other events are the Colerne May Fair and Nick Mason’s Summer Garden Party at Middlewick House in June. I’ll try to keep you up-to-date with any new events that might be organised.
Membership
In order to keep the Association vibrant and progressive, we need to be recruiting new members all the time. There are loads of instruments in the cupboards, all waiting for new players to give them life. We are planning an Open Day and publicity splurge to all the local schools to encourage their pupils to come along and see what we do, try out an instrument and join the band. If you have a connection with a local school and feel you can help with this programme, please let me know.
Subscriptions
Subscriptions for the new term are now due.
It is now the possibility to pay your subs & instrument hire fees online. The banking information is:
Account Number: 41394088
Sort code: 40 18 13
Please could you give your child's full name as part of the reference, so that we can tally money received and it would useful if you could email David directly when you have made/initiated the payment so he can check it has cleared, giving the reference you have used, what you are paying for (term subs/annual subs/instrument hire, for example “this term’s subs and hire of a large instrument for Child A and subs for Child B”) and the total you have transferred.
Please also include the approximate date of transfer (to help locate the payment into the association’s bank account) as an extra help.
If you wish to pay by cheque then you can either post it to:
David Price, 2 Farthingale Cottages, Academy Drive, Corsham, SN13 0SD or hand it to somebody responsible at band (for example, Martin). Cash is not a preferred method of payment due to the lack of traceability.
Fees are:
£20 per term subscription
£5 large instrument hire per term
£25 small instrument hire per term
Any queries please let me know (for example if you are unsure exactly how much is owed).
David Price, 0781 841 8964 or
Coming Events – 2015
· Friday 13th March – Mid Somerset Festival. Details to be announced.
· Friday 6th March – YCB rehearsal for the Mid-Somerset Festival – Families invited to attend.
· Saturday 28th March – Emma Jones Concert. Details to be announced.
· Sunday 19th April – Corsham 10k run, Spectrum and YCB.
· Saturday May 9th – Colerne May Fair. 2.00 – 4.00 pm at Colerne Market Place, Spectrum and YCB.
· Saturday 16th May – AGM. All members welcome and indeed encouraged to attend. Details later.
· June – Concert at Middlewick House with Nick Mason – date to be confirmed
· Summer Concert – date and details to be confirmed.
Please make a note of these dates now so you don’t get caught out or double book something later. I will send out confirmation and logistical details of each event nearer the time so keep an eye on your emails.
We are still trying to boost the membership of each band. Training band in particular needs new recruits as this is the entrance point for many. Please encourage friends and relatives to join, beginners to experienced players. If you know anyone who already plays or is interested in taking up playing a wind instrument, bring him/her along to a rehearsal. There is a cupboard full of instruments waiting to be played and we need stronger bass sections, especially in Spectrum.
Remember, if you are moving up from Training to Spectrum Band or from Spectrum to YCB, we would expect you to overlap the transition by about a term. I know this means attending two rehearsals a week for a while but it ensures the move is smoother and it helps the two bands, especially the one you are leaving, to adjust. If you do move up you could consider taking up a second instrument in Training Band.
Don’t forget that we offer theory lessons at the Pound on Saturday mornings. If members wish to progress beyond ABRSM Grade 5 practical on their instruments, they must have passed the ABRSM Grade 5 TheoryExam. The times are above.
Rehearsal Dates 2014 - 2015
Band / First Rehearsal / Last RehearsalYCB / Fri 5th Sept 14 / Fri 17th Oct 14
TB/Spectrum / Sat 6th Sept 14 / Sat 18th Oct 14
YCB / Fri 7th Nov 14 / Fri 19th Dec 14
TB/Spectrum / Sat 8th Nov 14 / Sat 20th Dec 14
YCB / Fri 9th Jan 15 / Fri 13th Feb 15
TB/Spectrum / Sat 10th Jan 15 / Sat 14th Feb 15
YCB / Fri 27th Feb 15 / Fri 27th March 15
TB/Spectrum / Sat 28th Feb 15 / Sat 28th March 15
YCB / Fri 17th April 15 / Fri 22nd May 15
TB/Spectrum / Sat 18th April 15 / Sat 23rd May 15
YCB / Fri 5th June 15 / Fri 17th July 15
TB/Spectrum / Sat 6th June 15 / Sat 18th July 15
These dates are not always set in stone. If we decide to make a change, I will try to let you know in good time.
Rehearsal times:
Friday: 7:00 – 9:00pm – Youth Concert Band practice.
Saturday: 9:15 – 10:15am – YCB and Spectrum Band theory lessons.
10:15 – 10:45am – Training Band theory lessons.
9:15 – 10:15am – Training Band practice.
10:15 – 12:15am – Spectrum Band practice.