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Happy New Year from Aldbourne Band.

The winter months are as busy as any for Aldbourne Band. You may have been fortunate enough to find us playing at your local high-street or supermarket. Further to this we played 3 Christmas concerts and plenty of parties to keep ourselves busy between turkey sandwiches and mince. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for the donations around the village, at supermarkets and at concerts.

Looking into 2003 we have a number of high-profile contests, detailed later in this newsletter, and a couple of new concert formats:

This is the first year that we have staged the Subscription Concert, initially as a thank-you to the Friends of Aldbourne Band. This will also be an opportunity to request musical pieces from our repertoire, and also hear some of the music included on our CD.

We will be presenting a summer Proms Concert in the gardens of the Manor House (in the centre of Aldbourne Village) on Saturday 21st June. Full catering will be provided, and hopefully a bar to make the evening go with a swing.

After months of hard work the CD is nearly ready for release (due 7th of February). Appologies for the delayed release date, but we needed to ensure that everything was absolutely right before releasing this.

The CD incorporates 2 new compositions from internationally renowned composer, conductor and producer David Fanshawe. Fanfare to Planet Earth and Millennium March were originally premiered by the Prague Symphony Orchestra. Peter Graham, one of the prominent brass band arrangers, has transcribed these two pieces for brass band. During the making of the CD we were fortunate enough to have David Fanshawe (a local Aldbourne resident) to produce not only his two pieces, but the entire CD alongside Ian Holmes and Liz Lane.

During the last few months of 2002 we were pleased to be joined by Barry Scott, a trombone player with great experience of top class banding. Barry (Bazza), originally from the North East of England, has filled the Bass Trombone seat. This has enabled Phil Ockwell to fulfil his life-time ambition to play a Tuba, bringing the Bass Section back to full strength – luckily for Phil, he is able to practice at home, as he now lives in a detached house with the nearest neighbour roughly 100 yards away!

2003 has also seen the welcome return to the Band of Tim Dixon, who played with the Band for over 15 years. Tim has returned to play Solo Euphonium.

We have also been continually amazed at the progress of Rick Bendle. Having died 5 times during January 2002 with successive heart attacks, and related problems, Rick seems to be going from strength to strength. He was able to join the Band for the CD recording playing some of the percussion parts! In December he held down a 15 minute slot to the delight of the audience at Haydon Wick concert, and he played and sang at the Blue Boar New Year’s Eve Party for many hours. Well done Rick and keep up the effort.

The New Years Eve party went with a real swing, hosted by Chris and Claudia, a great time was had by all, although rumour has it there will be one or two people withdrawing from next year’s Tequila Slammer contest . . . .

How to make a CD

The Making of a CD
On Friday 29th November, like a well organised military manoeuvre, Aldbourne Band and Wax Digital Recording Ltd took residency at Hungerford Primary School. Musical instruments, sound recording equipment, tables, chairs, music stands, and more percussion than you could shake a stick at, took over the school to transform it beyond the imagination of the usual residents.

Our ‘studio’, the Gymnasium, had been completely transformed from ropes, climbing frames, gymnastic mats and ‘horses’ into a great acoustic room which seated the 28 players, and provided enough room to host the battery of percussion instruments required for the task. Approximately 16 microphones required placement and sound-test, and mats provided essential sound-proofing for feet and brass instrument mutes.

Our able producers, Ian Holmes, Liz Lane and David Fanshawe, accompanied Wax Digital in the ‘Sound Mixing Room’ – formerly know as Reception to the regular occupants of the School. Sound recording, mixing, playback and appraisal were all carried out here.

The task was then to record 17 pieces of music over the two and a half days. “Quite a simple task?”, one may think, after all surely Aldbourne Band plays 15 pieces in each concert during a 2 hour period. Alas, not as easy as you may think.

Playing and recording brought a whole new discipline for all of the players. From the moment the red recording light, placed at the front of the band, comes on through to the 3 or 5 second silent pause once the piece is finished, absolute concentration and silence are demanded. The smallest of errors, a dropped mute or drum-stick, or noise during the recording or at the end of a piece, can completely ruin a take. This was evidenced by the number of stern looks at the percussion team when a cymbal was left to inadvertently ring at the end of a piece. All unused percussion had to be draped in towels and sheets to prevent reverberation from the music being played in the room.

The anticipation, the need for precision, the stature of the event, the recognition that an error would mean a re-take and the risk of letting down the rest of the team all raised a sense of focus which certainly kept the players on the edges of their seats for the duration of the weekend. And once completed this CD would be the first recording from Aldbourne Band since the late eighties, and hopefully would demonstrate the calibre of the Band, and a natural development in the playing quality over the last 15, or so, years.

The CD was also to be advertised (and sold) nationally, and reviewed against releases from other Bands. From all sides, the need for perfection was paramount.

As the recording took place the editors were listening for errors and reading the musical score to quality in the finished recording - very note was scrutinised, each bar checked and each chord reviewed. Once a ‘take’ was completed Bandsmen would scurry down the corridor to the ‘Sound Mixing Room’ to hear the playback, listen for errors and do that perennial task of self-appraisal (and dare I even say peer-appraisal!). A number of takes for each piece are then recorded, enabling mixing and editing to polish the best takes of each musical piece. Even though at the pre-edit stage, the Band are impressed, and spirited, listening to the playbacks and all the effort seems to be producing a quality result.

The relative ease of recording and quality of playing throughout reflected upon 2 months hard work by the Band and Musical Director to select, rehearse and prepare the musical programme. Recording the tracks concluded by 6pm on the Sunday with the last few takes being completed with ease, with tracks cut onto different CDs and catalogued. Then everyone set to work to return the school to its former state, ready for class to start on Monday morning.

Job done then! - Well not quite. It could be compared to the Ice-Berg effect – where only 10% is visible form the surface.

A large amount of hard work, in the months preceding and following the recording weekend, has been put in by the Band, conductor and producers, and many other people that helped in the making of the CD whom we would like to wholeheartedly thank:

Preparation and selection of music, editing and mixing copies and final production was expertly conducted by Ian Holmes, Liz Lane and David Fanshawe. The final release edition of the CD was cut on 23rd of January (nearly two months after the recording). They have each invested a great amount of time since the recording to finalise the release, a great Thank You on behalf of the Band.

Rob Williams and Richard Hughes produced all the artwork and the accompanying booklet insert that comes with the CD and many of the Band were involved with proof reading material. Accompanying photos came from Alan Watson, The Crown Hotel and the Aldbourne Village Web-site www.aldbourne.org.uk

Advertising and sales undertaken by the Alan Watson and Rob Williams with the help of Aldbourne Post Office as our outlet.

Hungerford School allowed us to use their excellent facilities that were thoroughly suited to the task, if not specifically by design.

Percussion instruments were loaned from Swindon Young Musicians, Marlborough College and Collegiate School – Bristol. Transport was organised by Barnes Coaches.

Refreshment and lunches throughout the weekend was provided by a combination of Sue Jones, Alan Watson and Val Watson, who did a super job of keeping the 35 troops fed and watered, which is no mean feat. Great tea and the sausage rolls were in high demand once word had spread.

Thanks also go to Penny Morgan who made the recording of the CD possible by sponsoring its production.

So if anyone would like to know how to record and publish a CD, we have become old-hands at the task, but be prepared to set-aside many months of your schedule to achieve a quality product.

The only remaining job rests with you, our audience, and excellent value it is too at £10!

For further information, or to purchase, please contact Alan Watson (01672 540580).

Fanfare to Planet Earth Millennium March The Shepherd’s Song Overture to Mack and Mabel Festmusik Der Stadt Wien The President Softly Awakes My Heart Pastime With Good Company Batman – The Movie

Autumn Leaves Born Free Satchmo Sandon The Best of Bond Demelza Hello Dolly In Perfect Peace

Contests
The last couple of months have been very quiet on the contesting front as we have been concentrating on recording the CD and our busy Christmas schedule. Moving into 2003 we have 2 contests lined-up in the first 5 months. Much of our efforts over the first part of the year will be spent in preparation for these contests.

West of England Championships – Torquay, 5th April
Each year we compete in the championships that have traditionally been held at the Coltson Hall in Bristol, however, this year we travel to the Torquay Riviera Centre. We will compete against bands from across the West of England, and the first two placed bands will qualify for the National Championships. We will play in a section of 16 Bands, and each band will play the same piece of music – “Passacaglia on a Theme of Brahms”. An adjudicator sits in an enclosed box (not to be prejudiced by seeing which Band is playing), listens to each Band, and assigns marks out of 200 points. Once all band have played all points are placing are announced. This is the single contest in any year that contributes to our National grading, and is of absolute importance.

Senior Cup - Blackpool, 3rd May
The Senior Cup is part of the Spring Brass Band Festival, held at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool. This competition is known as the qualifying round for British Open, in which the top 20 bands in the country compete. The Spring Brass Band Festival comprises 3 separate sections:

The Grand Shield The Senior Cup The Senior Trophy

Bands rated 21 – 40 Bands rated 41- 60 Bands rated 61 – 80

Last year we competed in the Senior Trophy and qualified to be promoted to the Senior Cup. If we are placed in the top 6 we get promoted to next year’s Grand Shield. This year we play a piece of music entitled ‘Pagannini Variations’. This piece, composed by Phillip Wilby, is an extremely musical composition, but one that severely tests the bands. We will also spend the weekend in Blackpool which gives the Band an opportunity to enjoy a social trip as well as the serious business of contests.

Players	Answers
A HE SLIM NO CHARM LIST CHAIR HE’D SHRUG BLIND CREEK SWIM ON SON A GIRL IS OK WYNN LESBIAN LOREN CAMEL SHIRT TART CROSBY DIM TOXIN
Instruments	Answers
ROBOT MEN SPECKLE LINGO LEGHORN FLU PITMAN I A RIB NOTE A TUBE MINOR MARS UNDER BRASS MUD NEAT GIRL HERON TORN
Last few good ones	Answers
DAMN! A NUDE BLOB MOST ACIDIC RULER TORN PAPER CLINIC ONE-MOTOR SLOB

Answers to Septembers Wordsearch:
Coop Crewe
Riddings
Pennine Brass
Tradeagar Town
Newstead Welfare
Hyde
Flowers
Yeovil Town
Haydock Ogden Travel
SWT Woodfalls
Riddings
Bodmin Town
Cottingham
British Telecom
Thornbury
Pemberton Old Wigan
Cinderford
Redbridge
Cambourne

Player Profiles
Full Name	Clare Smith (nee Pryor)	Simon Snow
Instrument	Tenor Horn	Tenor Horn
Place of Birth	Swindon	Southampton
Joined Aldbourne Band	Feb 1990	May 2002
Former Bands	Swindon Youth Band Swindon Concert Brass	Hampshire Youth Band SWT Woodfalls
Favourite Brass Band	Grimethorpe Colliery	Yorkshire Building Society
Favourite 3 Pieces of music	Fantasy for Brass Band (Arnold) New Jerusalem (Wilby) That's All (Genesis)	Year of the Dragon (Sparke) Pagannini Variations (Wilby)
Favourite Composer	Sibelius	John Williams
Favourite Venue Performed	Royal Albert Hall	Royal Albert Hall
Most Memorable Musical Moment	Playing in a concert with Roy Castle as the guest performer, meeting him afterwards and having a photo with him!	Playing Nimrod for the Enigma Variations as my last piece in my last concert with the Hampshire County Youth Brass Band, outside the Vienna Opera House in front of several thousand people. I don't think I've ever cried so much before or since.
Musical Ambition	To play at the Royal Albert Hall in the National Championships	To play in the Championship Section Final in the RAH.
Occupation	Primary School Teacher	Computer Systems Analyst
Favourite Film	The Mask of Zorro	Star Wars
Who would you most like to meet	Steve Davies (Snooker)	George Lucas
Who would you least like to be stranded on a desert island with	David Brent (the boss from 'The Office')	Anne Robinson
Most embarrasing moment	After a very sociable band contest getting back to the Crown, attempting to sit down on a chair and missing, landing flat on my back with the rest of the band members standing watching!	Whilst appearing on Blue Peter being caught discussing one of the female presenters attributes by the said person (she laughed thankfully!!)