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It barely seems 5 minutes since we were holding our breath every Sunday evening wondering what weather the far-from-great British summer had in store, yet somehow Christmas is already well and truly upon us.

“Summer” Ends

The summer continued in the grey and cloudy fashion that had come to characterise the 2008 season, but despite the notable lack of sunshine, we were fortunate enough that none of the 16 concerts had to be cancelled due to rain. However, any weather-related good fortune was seriously lacking come the day of the band’s biggest event of the year – its Last Night of the Proms concert. With memories of getting extremely wet in both 2006 and 2007 still very much in mind, we had everything crossed that the ‘third time lucky’ philosophy would stand us in good stead for 2008. Unfortunately our optimism was in vain, and once again both the band and audience had to battle with the elements in order to keep dry. Even the weather could not detract from the fantastic atmosphere however, and it was a thoroughly enjoyable and successful evening. They do say bad luck comes in threes, so 2009 looks set to become the year to break the mould!

Contest Time

With the summer season over, the band kicked off the ‘business end’ of the year by taking part in the SWBBA’s Exmouth Brass Band Festival, held on Saturday 6th September. This is always an enjoyable day out and, being an entertainment contest, provides the band with an opportunity to put together a programme that is not only challenging, but one that we know the audience (and hopefully the adjudicator!) will enjoy. Having done well in previous years, there was perhaps an element of disappointment in coming 8th out of 15, especially as the adjudicator’s comments were generally positive and therefore provided little in the way of constructive criticism. With Exmouth over for another year, it wasn’t long before it was time to step onto a contest stage once again – this time for the SWBBA Annual Championships held in Torquay. Despite spending weeks preparing Gareth Churcher’s test piece ‘Episodes for Brass’, it is perhaps fair to say that the band never quite reached full strength, and could have done with a little more time to ensure all the parts came together and to put some finishing touches to the piece. From playing off of the notoriously tricky number one draw, the band came in 6th place out of 7, with one of the eight bands in our section having withdrawn prior to the contest. Although we gave it our all on the day, this result instils even greater motivation to show the third section what we’re really made of at the all-important Areas next March!

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…

Back in the band room, the dusting off of carol books and the jingle of sleigh bells could only mean one thing – Christmas was on its way! The prospect of digging out Christmas music in November is welcomed with rather varying levels of enthusiasm, but with our first Christmas engagement fast approaching, we conjured some festive spirit and got stuck into practicing a selection of old and new pieces. On Sunday 7th December the band was delighted to join forces once again with the Exeter Police and Community Choir for their annual charity Christmas concert, with proceeds this year being split between the Chestnut Appeal and the RNLI Exmouth Lifeboat. Although the whole programme proved popular, a special mention must go to the band’s two soloists – Christopher Holland and Steve Belli – who, under their newly acquired alter egos of Noel Coward and Baloo (trust us, you need to see it to believe it!), both provided superb performances for a large and appreciative audience. The band’s next engagement is our own Christmas concert, which is being held on Friday 12th December. This is one of the band’s favourite concerts, as it not only provides us with the opportunity to end the year in style, but, in awarding the Presidents Cup and the Michael Parker Award for Most Improved Player, enables us to recognise the achievements of individuals. Another highlight of the concert will be an appearance by the Training Band, who have been working extremely hard throughout the year. Tickets have been selling like hotcakes (or should that mince pies?), and we are all looking forward to an evening of festive fun.

New Faces

Anybody who is a regular at our concerts may have noticed a few new faces in the band over the past few months. Unfortunately, at the end of the summer season we had to say goodbye to two members of the band – Holly Hill and Tom Cranch. Holly has moved away to Buckingham University, but with Mum Colette still in the band we are sure we’ll still see her when she comes home to visit! Tom has moved to Reading on a job placement for a year, but hopefully we won’t be without his sense of humour and weird and wonderful facts for long, as he is already planning his return to the band next summer! Luckily, we have managed to gain some new players too. You may have already spotted two faces from the Training Band – Lowell Pinn and John Moss – playing third cornet in the senior band. Both are progressing very well, and we hope they remain in the band for many years to come. We are also delighted to welcome two more cornet players into the band. Johnny Mason – on solo cornet – will be with us until April when he leaves to join the Navy, whilst newest recruit Gemma Jones – on repiano – is currently settling in as a fully-fledged, permanent member. They are both proving to be great assets to the band, and we hope they enjoy their time with us.

All that remains for 2008 is to say a huge thank you to everybody who has supported us throughout the year, and to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. We look forward to the challenges that next year will bring, and hope to make 2009 a very successful year for the band.

The band is now past the halfway mark of its season of concerts at Connaught Gardens, and despite the weather this summer being a bit of a mixed bag, luck seems to have been with us every Sunday evening! For the first time in years we have had a completely dry first half of the season, with no concerts having been cancelled. Let’s hope the trend continues until the end of the season!

Summer is always a busy time for the band, and you may see us playing in various locations around the town over coming weeks. On Saturday 2nd August we will be playing at the official opening ceremony of the Sidmouth Folk Festival, and on Sunday 3rd August at 6pm we will be providing music for the hymns at the Folk Week Songs of Praise service at Sidmouth’s Parish Church. We round folk week off in style on Friday 8th August with a concert (and perhaps a pint or two!) in the gardens of our favourite local, The Volunteer Inn.

The training band has also been busy, including its first Connaught Gardens concert of the year on the 6th July. Don’t forget to come and give your support and encouragement once again on Sunday 10th August, at 7pm.

Last Night of the Proms

The senior band is currently busy preparing for its third Last Night of the Proms concert, which is to be held on Saturday 16th August at Connaught Gardens. Following two successful and thoroughly enjoyable evenings in previous years, 2008’s concert is set to be the biggest and best yet! We are thrilled to be joined once again by guest singer Val Howels, who continues to wow us with her stunning voice and equally stunning outfits! Compère for the evening will be BBC Radio Devon Personality Douglas Mounce, who we are sure will do a fine job in keeping proceedings running smoothly.

Of course, no Last Night of the Proms concert would be complete without the patriotic classics, and so we will need your voices to be in fine form and your flag waving arms to be at the ready for joining in with favourites such as Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory. In addition to the classics, the concert will feature an entertaining and varied programme of music, none of which you will have heard during the season so far. There are some new pieces to the band, including ‘The Prayer’, superbly arranged specially for this event by the band’s own young bass trombonist Joel Stephano. You will also be in for a couple of surprises this year, including seeing one member of the band as you will have never seen him before! We don’t want to ruin the surprise too much, but this is certainly one concert not be missed!

Tickets for concert – priced at just £5 – have already gone on sale, and are available from Sidmouth’s Tourist Information Centre (01395 516441), or from any band member. There will be a raffle on the night with a selection of great prizes, so make sure you get there early enough to buy your tickets to be in with a chance of taking one home. The Gardens will be open from 6:30pm, with the concert commencing at 7:30pm.

For those of you who are still drying out your picnic blankets and union jacks from 2006 and 2007, we believe this year will definitely be third time lucky with the weather! Bring a picnic, a bottle (or two!), a blanket, or even table and chairs complete with your very own candelabra! But most importantly, bring yourselves, some friends, and an enthusiastic singing voice, and help us to celebrate in true style. Given the beautiful surroundings, glorious sunshine (yes, we are that confident!), and the usual amazing atmosphere, this promises to be a very special evening.

Summer’s Here!

Four weeks ago the band started its summer season at the Connaught Gardens, and the weather has certainly been kinder to us than last year! 4 dry concerts so far, and with fantastic audiences at each of them - the summer really has begun in style. New music includes “The James Bond Collection”, “Ave Verum Corpus”, “Don’t Stop Me Now”, “Aspects of Andrew Lloyd Webber”, the theme from Rocky, “Be Still My Soul” and “Tonight”. It’s fair to say the music we play is varied, so there should be something for everyone to enjoy! If you haven’t heard us before, come along to the Connaught Gardens in Sidmouth at 8pm every Sunday - a lovely way to end your weekend!

Unfortunately, the steps to the bandroom have been declared unsafe, so we are currently unable to rehearse there. EDDC have very kindly allowed us to use the Knowle council chambers when it is available, so if you are thinking of coming along for a blow in the next few weeks, contact us first so you know where to find us.

News about the Proms will be available soon. It will be on the 16th August this year, and Val Howels will once again be blessing us with her stunning voice. We are currently working on the programme for the evening, but needless to say the usual flag-waving songs will be in there, as well a few surprises. Look at the website over the next month to find out more.

The band have recently competed at the West of England Regional Finals in Torquay. Having just been promoted to the Third Section, we were not expecting to do well at the contest, but we were absolutely delighted with our performance. It’s probably the best the band has ever played on stage, especially off the dreaded number one draw. Unfortunately the adjudicators weren’t as impressed (!) and we came 12th, but it was certainly a great debut in the third section and we will be aiming for the top 10 next year. Particular thanks go to Peter Mansfield, who stepped in to help us on bass, and Martin Cordy, who - after recovering from shoulder surgery - switched from trombone to baritone, and worked incredibly hard to cope with this change. Adrian was very proud of the band’s performance, and we look forward to the next test piece!

Adjudicator’s comments:

Peter Roberts:

Atmosphere created but minor intonation problems. Needs more structured dynamic levels (sop mf). Good strong presto. Again layered dynamics. Watch diminuendo into D. Cornet plays well but with slips. Good rhythmic playing. Back to presto. Fine. Cornet cadenza handled very well. Just minor intonation problems at O and beyond. P goes well but with slips. S is forte and needs more dynamic contrast. U again layered dynamics. W well handled rhythmically. Good at BB. Miss the effects at CC but a fine ending.

Overall a fair attempt at this work. It needed more structured and layered dynamic levels to make all the effects work.

Rob Wiffin:

Troms sharp at A, dynamic layers need a bit more attention. E Solo cornet a bit sticky to start. F good. G not quite together. H good. I accents need more articulation through the texture. J too fast to articulate properly. K mf notes need to be more prominent. M good. N nicely done cornet. O 2nd cornet too prominent but generally well controlled here. P flugel good. Solo horn good. R good. S you back a long way for , euph not quite on top C. T intonation not quite there. V troms a little out of tune. Well done towards V. good. X nicely controlled. Z okay. Could use more breadth of sound. AA nice layering. CC good. Molto rall a little scrappy.

Overall not a bad effort - not all layers successfully balanced, but an accurate and fluent performance, relatively error free. The presto tempo was appropriate but sometimes lacked space for articulation and accent. Perhaps the atmosphere could have been captured more effectively.

Sadly, Graham Pollard is unable to play with the band due to work and family commitments, so we do have a vacancy for a Bb Bass player (or two). Graham will be very much missed, as much for his personality as his playing, and we hope he’ll be able to help us out in the future. If anyone can help fill this vacancy, either permanently or for some summer engagements, please contact us. We would also like a back row and front row cornet player to complete the ranks. We practice on Tuesdays and Fridays throughout the year. New players are always welcome.

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