Steve Miles Kiwi Diaries

Part 2

2006 promised to be very busy year for me here in Dunedin. Now we are over half way through and the time has just flown by...

Steve Miles

At the end of 2005 I sat with the organizing committee of the St Kilda band and thrashed out plans for the coming year.  The top bands in New Zealand (which St Kilda is one of) are not used to the constant pressure that the top UK bands are subjected to on a week in week out basis, nor do I think they would cope, or want to cope with the added commitment of weekly concerts.  Therefore it was obviously necessary for us to come up with some sort of compromise; enough engagements so that I didn't get bored and for the band to be pushed further than they felt comfortable in order to raise standards.  We agreed that to be put under the pressure of public performance (whether it be contest or concert) every 6 weeks would achieve this goal.

Similarly, plans needed to be put in place for the Southern Brass Academy's immediate future.  This was a little more difficult.  At the end of the 2005 Academic year (which in NZ is December) it was almost impossible to guess how many of the Academy's students (which had only been learning for just over a term/approximately 10 weeks) would return to us in 2006.  This of course would impact greatly on how many instruments the Academy would need at its' disposal.  Sadly quite a few pupils dropped out of our ‘In School Brass' programme at the start of the year which left another serious round of recruiting to be done to find enough pupils to satisfy the 50 instruments that I had secured.  This was extremely alarming for me as it appeared that my initial impact as Director of the Southern Brass Academy had been pretty poor and that there had so far been very little success from what I had done. 

It became clear to me that we had made an essential blunder in the initial recruitment process for the ‘In School Brass' programme.  Tuition for the first term was offered free of charge, the only cost to pupils/parents was a contribution towards the hire cost of their instrument.  Consequently this meant that for want of a better word, we had a number of ‘freeloaders' who were only really interested in getting something for nothing.  Nevertheless, I was still a little worried about how things would pan out.

After only a week of demonstration concerts in various schools numbers were quickly picking up and my available time fast disappearing - an encouraging prospect!  My encouragement was boosted significantly in the second week of term when after performing at Kavanagh College (a Catholic High School) I suddenly had 20 pupils wanting to sign up.  This was just what the Academy needed and I now had 50 pupils in schools and no available time left.

Otago/Southland Provincial Contest
The first engagement of the year for the St Kilda band was the Provincial contest which was to be held in Roxburgh (Central Otago).  The contest format (as last year) was a Hymn and Own Choice Test, with a separate entertainment contest the following day.  This contest was a warm up for the band as we had entered the Australian National Championships which were to be held two weeks later.  So our hymn selection was Philip Wilby's arrangement of ‘The Day Thou Gavest' and Peter Graham's ‘Montage' our chosen test.  At both the Provincial and Australian Contests I had agreed to play, making way for long standing Professional Conductor Peter Adams to direct the band. 

St Kilda at Otago/Southland Provincial Contest

The rehearsals for the contest started pretty slowly as the start of the year in this part of the world is just after lengthy Christmas holidays and St Kilda have many students in the band that don't return to Dunedin until well into February.  However, once the band was all back in Dunedin rehearsals really got going and monitored by a very efficient band manager Peter McHenry, almost every rehearsal was fully attended – what a luxury!  Another significant factor for the St Kilda band at the beginning of the year was the return of Principal Cornet player John Lewis from the UK.  John's reputation in New Zealand is second to none and his sheer presence forced the band to step up a gear right from the first rehearsal.

Peter Adams gave a very musical reading of both the Hymn and Own choice works at the contest which saw the band gain 1st place by a number of points impressing the events adjudicator Mark Oldershaw.  The band was certainly not faultless in their performance, but the new ‘full bodied' sound that St Kilda produced started to show some real class.  I was very impressed with the bands Principal Horn player Matt Taine at the contest who had a sudden Nose explosion during the Hymn and carried on playing despite the obvious dripping blood – now that's commitment!

After some light celebrations (yeah right!) it was my turn at the helm and for the entertainment section of the contest I had chosen Peter Graham's ‘Windows of the World.'  Both the playing of the band and soloists, combined with some slick choreography again saw The Saints take 1st place by a clear margin and the star of the show Robert Craigie (Drum Kit) absolutely delighted the Roxburgh audience.

Australian National Contest
Only two weeks after the Provincials the band needed to step up a gear to be in contention for this title.  The rehearsals that followed were full of the shouting, screaming and tantrums that accompany the pursuit of perfection and although there were some moments of upset within the ranks, this pulled St Kilda closer than they had been for some time in achieving their goal of performance excellence.

The Australian Contest held in Brisbane has been a highlight of my time here so far and the combination of a very well run contest and a fantastically organized tour by St Kilda's Peter McHenry, made for a very memorable Easter Holiday.  The bands' accommodation in Brisbane was a little way out of the city and although this made it difficult to socialize with other bands, it was a real chance for the Saints to bond together as a team.  This was aided greatly by the many BBQ dinners around the outdoor swimming pool! 

Though the Saints were certainly on a high going in to the contest the band did not put down their best performances on any of the contest items.  This is usually the case with contests I know but I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed in the knowledge of what the band was capable of.  However, the performances were still of a very high quality just not quite reaching the levels of perfection that had been rehearsed.  The bands performances were enough to gain 2nd place behind a very tight Brisbane Excelsior under Howard Taylor who gave a master class on the very basics of contesting – playing together! 

There seems to be a tradition at St Kilda of playing without a clear sense of rhythm at times which tends to get a little frustrating to say the least!  This rhythmic problem has improved immensely over the past 12 months and although the problem has not completely gone away yet, we are striving closer and closer every week.  There is still some work to be done at a very basic level if the band is to seriously compete with its main rivals on a regular basis.

After the contest was finished most of the band made the 40 minute journey down to the Gold Coast to spend a week's holiday.  This was awesome!  Most of the band had taken their partners and family's to Australia with them so there were plenty of people to socialize and ride rollercoaster's with.

Steve discusses the Aussie contest results with the koalas!

Simone Rebello Concert
After only a day back in New Zealand rehearsals started for a concert at the Mayfair theatre featuring Simone Rebello.  This was a fantastic experience for the band as most of them had not had the chance to accompany such an accomplished musician before.  The Saints had the tough task of putting this concert together in only 3 rehearsals which was quite a daunting prospect given that there were a number of large works on the programme, not least ‘Along Those Lines' by Damien Harron.  This is a great piece that exploits the biggest weakness of the St Kilda band…rhythm!  I have to say though once again I was impressed by how quickly the band rose to the challenge when needed. 

Simone Rebello with St Kilda

I was quite anxious about the arrival of Simone Rebello to rehearsals as accompanying a world class soloist as a conductor is something that I had not done before.  I was a little worried about what Simone would be like to work with and I must admit I did expect Simone to be quite ‘Arty' and difficult in rehearsal.  I couldn't have been more wrong about this; Simone was a pleasure to work with and made things very easy for both myself and the band.  The only difficult part about Simone's visit was keeping up on the Tennis court!  The concert was fabulous and a packed out crowd were going wild by the end of the night. 
(See 4barsrest reviews http://www.4barsrest.com/reviews/concerts/con292.asp)

Celtic Brass Concert
The next concert to prepare for was an evening of Celtic music at the brand new Kings High School Performing Arts Auditorium.  This was a very special evening for me as it was the first time that I had shared the stage with my future wife Gina Todd (you remember the gorgeous one singing ‘A Lesbian Love Story.')  This concert was not without its problems though.  Only a couple of days before the performance I was informed that Gina would not be allowed to dance on the stage in Tap Shoes.  Well, bare feet don't quite have the same impact as Tap Shoes in music from Lord of the Dance so I quickly had to make other arrangements.  Thankfully a local pub had two portable dance floors that we borrowed to put on top of the new Kings High School stage to protect the surface.  I kept my fingers crossed throughout Gina's contribution that she didn't trip on the joins, or the boards come apart.  All went well though and Gina's dancing more than impressed the evening's audience that seems to get bigger and bigger every concert.  (See 4barsrest reviews http://www.4barsrest.com/reviews/concerts/con299.asp)

Beauty & the Beast
The Dunedin Operatic Society, who as you know I have been very impressed with here, was putting on Disney's ‘Beauty & the Beast' at the Regent Theatre – one of Dunedin's largest concert venues (June).  This was a massive project that involved a budget of $480,000 for outrageous pyrotechnics, scenery and costumes (designed by the people who did Lord of the Rings).  Though not directly involved in the Operatic I was thrilled to be asked to rehearse the Orchestra in preparation for the show.  This was again a new experience for me as I had never directed an ensemble with Strings and Woodwind.  I must admit I didn't know the score very well after only receiving it the day before rehearsals started but things went pretty smoothly with the help of Keyboardist Julia Horsnell who had been accompanying the Singing rehearsals and new the Tempos!  I expected a little tension at this rehearsal as there were many itinerant (peripatetic) music teachers in the Orchestra that see me and the Southern Brass Academy as a threat.  However the atmosphere was never tense and the players were very professional throughout.  The show was a huge success and again it was hard to believe that the production was by an amateur organization.

Steve....oops....no it isn't - it's The Beast

The Broken Knuckle!
Having a little more time on my hands I have been able to persue other interests such as boxing and going to the gym.  This has been great but I really wanted to get competitive so I started playing Hockey again.  I joined a new team called Albany and thought it was best to start in the Social Grade – rather than throwing myself in at the deep end – and then work my way up.  Well Social Grade here obviously means win at all costs because the standard is amazing and the games are fiercely competitive!  I've seen many full on punch ups on a Rugby pitch but never thought I'd see one on the Hockey Field! 

Unfortunately two weeks before the New Zealand Brass Band Championships I took a pretty big knock in the hand with an opponent's Hockey stick which fractured the Knuckle on my right index finger…yes the 1st valve finger.  I don't know what was worse, trying to push down a Euphonium valve or hold on to a Baton - The next few weeks were extremely challenging to say the least!

New Zealand National Contest
The NZ Contest provided some of the best and worst moments of my time here so far.  The bands build up to this contest was somewhat slower than the build towards the Australian Contest but nevertheless by the time the Contest day came the band was ready.  Once again there were moments of concern in the performances of ‘Between the Moon and Mexico,' (set test) and ‘Blitz' (own choice), but these performances were still of a very high standard.  I don't like to bitch about contests because every sane person knows that you are going to lose more than you win.  However, no matter how many times I listen to the bands performances, listen to and read the adjudicators remarks, I can not for the life of me work out how the band ended up coming 9th.  Anyone who knows me well will testify to the fact that I am hugely competitive at everything I do, but in terms of contesting I resigned myself many years ago to the thinking that as long as your performance is rated in the same ball park as the other top performances of the day, then a good day has been had by all.  The adjudicators' final remarks on the hymn selection say ‘Great performance – well done' – for which he awarded the band last place.  Similar remarks were used in describing both the set test and own choice performances and again similar points resulting in similar placing.  Life goes on however and though I may sound a little bitter I am more confused as to how 1+1 doesn't equal 2.  Back to the positive that came out of the contest though, I was extremely proud to be stood in the middle of an excellent performance of ‘Blitz' by the band, which will always hold good memories for me despite falling on seemingly deaf ears.

Stacey Ward receives advise from Brett Baker

Cathedral Brass
The last month or so since the NZ contest has been a particularly difficult time for the St Kilda band.  There are a great many students in the band who are coming up to final assessment and exams, not to mention those on placement elsewhere in the country as part of their training.  Hence the rehearsals and build up to our recent concert with Brett Baker were incredibly frustrating and at times soul destroying.  This is something that I have just had to accept and given that I have had nothing but 100% commitment so far this year, I suppose I must be a little tolerant of the situation.  We did get there in the end though despite another fairly tough concert programme and Brett's contribution was fantastic.  Once again accompanying a world class soloist which could be a daunting task was made exceptionally easy by Brett's amicable nature and sheer outstanding playing. 
(See 4barsrest reviews http://www.4barsrest.com/reviews/concerts/con319.asp)

St Kilda - Cathedral Brass

Southern Brass Academy

Of the 50 pupils that started the Academic year, 40 remain in the ‘In School Brass' programme and are looking very promising indeed.  Some pupils have picked things up exceptionally quickly and have quite honestly been a joy to teach.  Further good news for the Southern Brass Academy is that due to the good work that has been done by the board of trustees and myself, funding has been made available to secure the Academy's immediate future. 

So then, where does the Academy go from here? 

I have been very lucky with the Southern Brass Academy in that the board of trustees leaves me to run things my way.  At the same time though I am never left in the dark and support from the various board members with their wide range of career expertise is only ever a phone call away.  I am particularly grateful to Trevor Kempton (Chairman) and Peter McHenry for their input which often has a more business like approach than my own thinking. 

I have heard many brass teachers in the past state that to get 1 good pupil, you have to start 10.  This is an interesting point and one that must be thought carefully about.  One of the objectives of the Southern Brass Academy is to put in place a system that will result in enough high quality brass players to sustain the necessary musical organizations in the area.  I think the 1 in 10 point is along the right lines but maybe a little pessimistic.  Realistically I believe that the dropout rate in our Academy each year is likely to be approximately 20-30%.  Which means over a period of 4-5 years (roughly the length of time each pupil would be in the ‘In School Brass' programme) 50 pupils would reduce to roughly 17 (at 20% dropout) or 8 (at 30%).

Obviously there needs to be a steady flow of players coming through the system each year for the success to be constant.  There is little use in producing 10 good players in 5 years time with none following.  Therefore, working on these rough figures it will be necessary for the Academy to start 40-50 new pupils each year as well as continuing to work with the previous years pupils, in order to sustain the musical organizations in the area.  This is what I hope will eventuate but it will obviously require more teaching power than we currently have available. 
You never know there may be a job with your name on it at some point in the future, either way it is always good to hear from people that are interested in coming across to New Zealand to live even if it's only for a year or two.  Please feel free to send me an email; I can always put you in touch with someone else in NZ if there is nothing on offer for you in Dunedin – steve.miles@clear.net.nz

So that is the plan as far as ‘In School Brass' tuition goes but there is still more to be done.  Since I have been here I have only organized a handful of adult workshops (which have been very successful) and I wish to extend this work on a more regular basis.  These workshops have been conducted by myself and visiting tutors, such as Principals from the NZSO and Brett Baker.  An increase in these adult workshops and master classes has the next priority on my thinking time and any ideas or requests are more than welcome – steve.miles@clear.net.nz 

Meanwhile, I look forward to watching the seeds that I have planted grow here and though it may be a while before the younger talent really blossoms I have no doubt that Dunedin will be the soil from which many of tomorrow's brass stars will grow. 

Despite the apparent set back at the beginning of the year the Southern Brass Academy has well and truly established itself as a successful and forward thinking organization and the St Kilda band has come on leaps and bounds over the last 12 months.  I am looking forward immensely to planning next year's schedule for both the St Kilda Band and the Southern Brass Academy not to mention my own wedding on the 9th December this year which will be followed by an awesome trip (hopefully!) to Hawaii, UK, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Mexico. 

New Zealand in my eyes is still the place to be at the moment and I can not recommend the lifestyle highly enough.  Snow boarding is next on my ‘to do list' and the snow currently on the ground, which has kept all of Dunedin's schools closed today, is really starting to tempt me!

I look forward to sharing future experiences with you.

Steve Miles