Matt and Yas invite you to join the band
Matt joined the band when he was 14 and Yas joined the band when she was 12.
In September 2011, the other members of the band elected them to be their representatives. They attend trustees' meetings and have a say about everything concerning the band.
Yas is our principal flugel horn player. Matt is our principal Eb bass player, but played Bb bass when he joined.
They both say the audition wasn't as scary as they thought it might be.
When she joined, Yas found the other members of the band very friendly and helpful. Matt has enjoyed the wide range of music he's played with some brilliant conductors and Yas says that playing in the band has given her enormous confidence as a performer. They really look forward to the Christmas and Easter courses.
So, come and join Matt and Yas. There's no minimum age requirement and, even if you're away at College or University, you can still come to the courses provided you are under 22.
Opportunities membership of the band offers you
- Working with the Country's foremost conductors every Christmas and Easter. Recent guest conductors have included Dr Robert Childs, Garry Cutt, Richard Evans and Philip Harper.
- Working with leading instrumentalists. Recent soloists have included Richard Marshall (cornet), Philip Cobb (trumpet), David Danforth (percussion), Owen Farr (horn), Michael Dodd (euphonium) and Les Neish (tuba).
- Performing a wide range of music chosen in consultation with the guest conductors to provide rewarding musical challenges as well as fun. Recent courses have featured the first public performance of important new works in the brass band repertoire, including Simon Dobson's Penlee and Daryl Barry's Three Cornish Legends, dedicated to Goff Richards.
- Having your own music performed. Benjamin Larham was 14 when the band, conducted by Dr Stephen Cobb, gave the first public performance of his evocative composition, Scenes of a Battlefield.
- The opportunity to make valued and lasting friendships within the brass band world, as many former members would testify.
- The commitment of trustees and tutors to bring you such wonderful musical opportunities course after course, year after year. A proven formula to enhance your progress as an instrumentalist and a musician.
‘Without the Cornwall Youth Brass Band I would not be the player I am today and would not have had the wonderful experiences that have come my way at this point in my life.’
So wrote Jacob Pritchard on leaving the band after attending 17 coursesHow the band works
The band's year gets off to a start in September with the first of three pre-course rehearsals leading to the Christmas course. This is repeated again in the New Year leading up to our Ea
ster course. The rehearsals and courses are held in Truro. At the first rehearsal for each course, you will be given a folder of the course music. This will include some of the guest conductor's own music, if he is a composer.
More about the rehearsals
The rehearsals are held at Truro College, where we also store our percussion instruments and our library of music. In the rehearsals you will work with our team of local tutors. There will be a mixture of full band and sectional rehearsals to help you get familiar with the music before the course. The day starts at 10.00 in the morning and finishes at 4.00 in the afternoon, with a break for lunch. You can either bring a packed lunch or visit one of the nearby take-aways.
More about courses
The Courses are held at Truro High School for Girls. The Christmas course runs from 27 to 30 December and the Easter course from Good Friday to Easter Monday. The courses follow a similar pattern, although the music, guest conductor and soloist, when we have one, will change from course to course.
On the first day, you arrive after lunch, settle in and get allocated to your bedroom (although you can participate as a non-resident if you prefer and must do so if you are under 10). As far as possible, we try to ensure that you can share a room with a friend. On the last day we pack up in Truro and after lunch travel to Newquay for a final short rehearsal, tea and the Evening Concert at St Michael's Church.
The days are filled with a mixture of full band rehearsals, taken by the guest conductor, and sectional rehearsals taken by our team of local tutors. There is usually also a talk or masterclass given by the guest conductor or soloist. Typically we finish playing at about 8.00 in the evening and start after breakfast at 9.30, with breaks for lunch, tea and refreshments from the tuck shop. Meals are taken in the school dining room and are prepared on the premises by a team of trustees and volunteers. Food always scores highly on our musicians' surveys!
Members of the Cornwall Council's welfare team are present throughout the course (including during the night). If you feel sick or need help or advice, a team member will assist you.
Enjoy a swim after rehearsals
If you have special dietary needs,
just let us knowCost
The cost of a course is presently around £95 (£65 approximately for non-residents). In addition there is a small annual membership fee (currently £10). The Radford Trust makes grants towards these costs in cases of hardship - the Secretary will supply details.
Trustees believe they can justifiably claim this is remarkable value for money: an opportunity right here in Cornwall that's too good to miss.
Applying for an audition
Before joining the band, you will be asked to undertake a short audition with one of our local tutors. Auditions are held in August. If you are successful, you will attend the rehearsals starting in September for the Christmas course. We will consider applications for auditions at other times but only in exceptional circumstances.
To apply for an audition, please print and complete an Application Form. There are different forms for Brass Instrumentalists and Percussion Instrumentalists.
Your Application Form should be sent to the Secretary as early as possible and ideally before 31 July. We will contact you to advise you of the time and place for your audition. We try to hold auditions in locations near where you live but cannot guarantee to be able to do this for everyone.
You will be told at the conclusion of the audition if you have been successful. If you are unsuccessful, you will be told what areas you should concentrate on to improve. Good luck!
About the audition (brass instrumentalists)
You should bring to the audition a slow piece which will demonstrate your ability to play expressively and another which demonstrates your ability to deal with technical problems (an air varie, a florid piece or a study would be suitable). Neither of these pieces needs to be unduly long and they could come from the same composition.
A study is available to download to give you an indication of the entry standard required. This may not be used as an audition piece.
You may also be asked to sight read a short passage.
About the audition (percussion instrumentalists)
If you are successful in your audition you will have the opportunity to play the full range of the band's percussion instruments (you do not have to provide instruments). The audition is, however, based on four disciplines: timpani, snare drum, tuned percussion and drum kit.
You will be asked to demonstrate your ability in a minimum of two of these disciplines by performing:
- technical work;
- a set piece;
- an own choice piece; and
- a sight reading exercise.
Your own choice piece and the set piece must be from different disciplines.
Use the following links to help make your choice of disciplines and see what is required.
Technical Work
Set Piece
Timpani
Snare drum
Tuned percussion
Drum Kit
Tell us about your interest in joining the band
If you think you are not yet ready to take an audition but are still interested in joining at a later date, please let us know. Simply print and complete an I'm interested form and send it to the Secretary. We will let you know about our Open Days – when you can hear the band rehearsing, meet tutors and see what a course is like – as well as put you on the mailing list for our Newsletters and remind you about future auditions.
Remember, we don't necessarily expect new members to be fantastic players. We will know if you have the potential to progress as a player and where you should be placed in the band to get off to a good start to enjoy your banding with us.
Thanks
Thanks to Harriet Teagle, a member of the band, for her drawings.
