2007 Australian National Band Championships

Retrospective: Junior Grades

A look back at how we saw the Junior Grades.

Junior A grade
Adjudicator: Mark Ford
Test: Three Places in Italy, Brenton Broadstock

Gunnedah Shire conducted by Bruce Myers were the overall winners in this section, and consistently played well throughout the competition.  They were clear winners in each section and were obvious winners on the day - an amazing 14 points ahead of second placegetters, Willoughby Band from Sydney.

Gunnedah Shire celebrate another win

This is how our reporters heard the bands:

City of Wollongong, conducted by Tara Grimm, put on a strong performance, with a strong sound and consistent ensemble playing throughout.  During the test piece, the band played consistently in time, and were able to make the changes in dynamics. Perhaps the band would be able to show off their musicality with more attention to their phrasing, intonation, and the variety of attacks neededed throughout the test.

Alysa-Jayne Mackillop, Kristan McLeish, Imogen Gorden and Emily Nightingale from Wollongong

During the hymn, I Know Thou Art Mine by Leonard Ballantyne, intonation suffered.  The band did display some nice dynamics - in particular the crescendo into the last strain of the hymn.

In the Own Choice, Partita by Philip Wilby,the band made a strong start, but was perhaps a little lacking in clarity due to the subservient parts being a little prominent. The band had a nice rollicking beginning to the second movement, but was still far too heavy in the accompanying figures to let us hear the nice melodic work going on around the band. There was a promising start to the third movement, with some nice colours being produced by the percussion, but the clarity of the ensemble playing here was just being marred by the group's need to play in tune with each other. We felt perhaps the seating format of the band, with the euphoniums setup in a row between the basses and the horns in the middle of the band, may have contributed to this in some way. The last movement of this work provided the band with some exciting tutti moments, which they appeared to have played with relish.

The March, Entry of the Gladiators, started with some suspect tuning in the octave unisons. The band had a big sound, but needed to stay more in time and in tune. There were some issues of balance generally in the band's playing, and focussing on this will provide the band with the opportunity to heighten the excitement that they contain within themselves, and to bring it even further into their playing.

Gunnedah Shire Band conducted by Bruce Myers played a great performance, with plenty of contrast and musical interest. We found ourselves setting the criteria for an open band whist listening to this group.

There was  lovely warm start to the hymn, In Perfect Peace with some strong playing from all sections. Just only a few times did we hear an attack that was a little too harsh to be in context, but this barely took anything away from their very satisfying performance.

The test had an excellent start to the first movement, backed up with some great contrast between sections, and interplay between the musical, and instrumental, sections. The secton movement, although not as reasured as the first movement, the band played very well, and they provided us with a very well prepared and sustained climax in this movement.  The final chord, although not quite as settled as we would have liked, still provided an end to a well thought-out performance. This piece was finished with a performance of the last movement which could only be described as 'punchy'! Gunnedah made a great start to this movement, and maintained the pulse and drive of the work almost to its end. Only at the end did they start to show any signs of fatigue, as the attack of the band started to get a little heavier towards the end. That aside, this was an excellent performance given by the band and their conductor, Bruce Myers.

The Own Choice, Dimensions by Peter Graham had rhythmically tight start, good bell tones, was just a little unsettled but had good dynamics, and articulation.The slow section had a nice tempo kept throughout. There was a good blend amongst the euphoniums, basses, and horns during their respective solo passages, and a nice change back to faster dynamic and a good pulse amongst syncopated lower figures. Almost lost it amongst the cornets towards the end, but overall this was an impressive and polished performance.

The March, Washington Grays got away to a great start! There were well articulated semiquavers, and good control of dynamics. Some of the more scalic passages were a little bit lost within the longer note values, and some clipping amongst those passages was noticed. Although not as accurate a performance as their earlier one today, the band showed that they are are capable of performing to an exceptionally high standard.

Willoughby Band, conducted by Brian McGuiness provided us with an enjoyable performance, which was full of musicality and rhythmic interest.

The band provided us with a strong, full sound in the lovely hymn, Ellacombe. We did feel, however, that the tempo seemed to be a little unsteady, and that this hindered the band from being able to progress together throughout the piece. Still, they provided us with a big sound, and a strong performance.

During the test, Willoughby gave a tight and well paced start to the first movement, but started to get a little heavy as they progressed. The band made up for this with plenty of contrast and musical interest. The second movement started well, with some good solos playing from both top solo cornets.  The climax of this movement was lost a little through some note attacks that weren't quite as assured as they could be and some slight intonation problems. This intonation problem started to become a little more marked during the last movement, and we felt that the last movement didn't quite get its
momentum underway early. Despite this, we still enjoyed Willoughby's performance today, and they gave us plenty to listen to in terms of colour, variety, and musicality.

The Cossack got away to a strong start, with just a little intonation trouble. The Soprano cornet was possibly missing (?) and there was some mis-pitching in the solo cornets. A good strong bass tutti was pleasing to hear.  The Trio had a nice blend from middle register with their opening melody here. However, it was still just a little bit untidy in the cornets throughout, perhaps this choice of march might have been a little bit ambitious.

The Own Choice, Music for a Festival by Philip Sparke got away to a lively start, with plenty of pulse and excitement. There was some strong playing from the trombones and the euphoniums. The cornets continued to have an issue with intonation, which felt its way into the rest of the band in the slow section. A more delicate touch through some of these softer and gentler sections would have warmed the sound up further here. This strong attack did help, however, to help the smaller ensemble playing throughout this section to remain in time. The faster, last section started to loose some of its drive, which tended to make the band play a little heavier than they had in the opening fast section, probably due to fatigue, which also affected the accuracy of their more intricate playing, and the overall intonation of the band. Despite this, the band were still capable of keeping their enthusiasm in their playing to the very end, and the band provided an enjoyable
performance to the audience present.

Junior B grade
Adjudicator: Ray Farr
Test: Comber Suite- Darrol Barry

This was a very closely contested grade with Whitehorse Brass conducted by Alwaynne Stentz just sneaking in front of Booroondara Youth Brass conducted by Danny van Bergen.

From our perspective, we were of the opinion that Boroondara Brass had its nose just in front of Whitehorse Brass.

Here is what we heard:

Whitehorse Brass

An exciting and well planned performance by the Whitehorse here, with some excellent and technically assured moments from several sections of the band- in particular the front row
cornets.

Whitehorse Brass have plenty to cheer about

Test: The band produced a lovely warm sound, that was well articulated. There were some tuning issues, one spot with the horns in particular, and the band kept the pulse going but they should be careful about not getting slower as the note values become longer.  The percussion section interacted well throughout the work, and the band poessessed a very free and full forte sound that was a joy to listen to. Some good marcato playing was present, and a brilliant end to the first movement.  The second movement possessed a gentle and well controlled pulse, but needed more interaction between the horn and cornet soloists. The third movement maintained a nice rollicking feel, with good interaction amongst the
bands sections. The tempo just started to lose its momentum as other sections entered, but despite this the band was able to engage the audience to the very end, displaying some excellent dynamic contrast and rhythmic tightness throughout their performance.

Hymn: Eternal Father Strong to Save arr Jacob de Haan. 
There are some excellent contrasts throughout this work, and a little more sound from the basses, and in particularthe middle of the band, would have helped to achieve an even richer, warmer sound during this work. We both felt that the band shouldn't be afraid to attack a little harder in some places- particularly
 where the work builds in dynamics.

Own Choice: Pacific Dreams by Jacob de Haan
This had a good start but was just a little unsteady. The new tempo change was nice and solid.

March: The Champions.  Intonation and balance in cornets was a problem at times.  In the trio, the bass drum was just a little too loud. Generally, the band was just a little untidy rhythmically. The Tenor countermelody at the end of trio
was out of tune and needing stronger accents.

Whitehorse appeared to be a little less attentive than their first performance today, and despite paying attention to the salient aspects of each piece they seemed to not 'lock in'as an ensemble.  Although there were various moments of solid playing, we felt that the band didn't quite have the same levels of concentration as they had earlier, with unsteady tempi, and some less assurred intonation throughout.  Their march, 'The Champions', definately showed signs of fatigue - particularly in the trombones.

Boroondara Youth Brass

Boroondara gave us an enjoyable performance, with plenty of contrast and musicality to keep us interested.

Hymn: Lloyd
The band provided us with a nice blend throughout, which was only occasionally interrupted by the odd incidence of poor intonation, and the lack of a consistent approach with attack.  During the initial statement of the hymn, we heard several attacks being used, some legato some a bit stronger, and this interrupted the flow of the melody.  On another note, we were particulalry jimpressed with the blend between the horns, baritones, and euphoniums. Boroondara displayed some good dynamics, and some lovely forte tutti moments throughout this hymn. There were some liberties taken with the amount of time to be taken between the phrases of the hymn, but overall a good and convincing performance.

Test:
The first movement was a little unsteady at first, but contained much excitement and strength nevertheless. This could have been lifted even more by some stronger attack,and a little more care with regards to intonation- particularly from the middle sections of the band. We particularly enjoyed the principal cornet's solo, and their interaction during the cornet duo and euphonium later on in the second movement.  Again, the band let themselves down with tuning in some areas,  and a little more support from the basses would have helped the band in this area. After an unsteady start, the third movement started to tighten up, and there was a nice transition into the last tempo change. Generally, the band had some trouble beginning a piece, but once they got past this they started to get on with realising what was on the page.

Own Choice: Ross Roy by Jacob de Haan
This selection had a good tight start and lead into the opening theme well. There was some nice flow from the principal cornet during their slow solo with a good build to the climax of this slow section. The playing had
excellent contrasts during the fast, final passages, and was rhythmically tight throughout. Perhaps the band did get a little bit too carried away with their own sound towards the end, but otherwise this was a highly entertaining performance.

March: Kirky Lonsdale
The band just lost a little accuracy in the softer second strain of the march, and was not quite catching some of the more quicker dynamic changes. A much sharper tongue on the bass tutti material was needed. The intonation was just getting away on them. Of particular note throughout both works was the great consistency of the soprano cornet. The band probably got a little too excited during the own choice, and the enthusiasm got the better of them, with some of their good work on tuning and ensemble getting away on them. We now know that they have a bass drum!

Junior C grade
Adjudicator: Mark Ford
Test: Fata Morgana, Kees Schoonenbeek

Warringah Junior Brass conducted by John Saunders were the clear overall winners in this section, though Whitehorse Brass, in our opinion, were gave a very convincing performance in the Own Choice.  Whitehorse came in second overall with Bendigo Youth Brass third.

This is what our reporters thought:

Whitehorse Junior Brass (Vic). Conductor: David Farrell
Hymn: Evening song arr. Jan de Haan

This was a tidy performance by this band of their hymn and test piece. The band seemed very comfortable playing in time with each piece, but just took a little more time to settle into a new tempo during the pieces. A good sense of intonation was displayed by the band, with only some care needed in the softer dynamics, where certain sections of the band tended to go a little flat on their pitch. We were very impressed with the band's overall ability to play in time, and the cornet fanfare in the third strain was particularly good.  The abovementioned intonation
issues were somewhat exposed in the second strain, but the rest of the performance was very enjoyable.  The next step for this band would be the introduction of the legato tongue to their hymn playing, and we felt that this would more than add to the good sense of ensemble cultivated by their conductor, David Farrell.

Test:
With the various tempi changes throughout the three movements, this is a tricky one for a a young band to negotiate, and a little more care was needed getting between the tempi changes in this piece. After the band had played in the new tempo, they returned to the very relaxed and confident playing of the previous sections.

The band negotiated the changes in style, providing good starts to all of the movements, and good timing throughout. An enjoyable performance, and one showing good promise with their future endeavours.

Own Choice: Kaleidascope by Stuart Johnson
Whitehorse demonstrated some very fine playing, with assured intonation and a great deal of confidence with their tempi and variety of styles. This was an entertaining and well
 prepared performance, and a joy to watch.

March: Slaidburn by Rimmer
A well played and convincing performance, with plenty of variey and interest. Just a little weak in the trio with regards to intonation, but plenty of character and style in within the march proper- particularly the bass solo. An excellent choice of pieces for this band.

Warringah Junior Brass conducted by John Saunders
Warringah Junior displayed a good variety of timbres, and balance throughout their perfomance. 

Warringah Youth Brass - winners of the Junior C Grade Brass Band section

Hymn: Deep Harmony arr. Broadhead/Saunders
The band showed that they are capable of producing a warm, well-connected, round sound througout the hymn, which was only marred by the occasional slip in attack, and intonation. We felt that although Warringah were producing a nice fluent sound throughout the hymn, they were not as rhythmically tight as the previous band.  Worth singling out was the band's soprano cornet. Such confidence being displayed in a young band. Well done.

Test:

Warringah navigated the tempi changes with authority, and with a good blend of sounds. Their sense of balance, particulalry to when it required them to make sapce for the tenor melody sections of the last movement, was very good. However, we felt that their wasn't enough contrasts in relation to dynamics from the band, and just occasionally, as in the beginning of the last movement of this piece, the band were just on the verge of getting a little ahead of the conductor in relation to tempi.  A good performance, and we hope to hear more from this band.

Own Choice: Island Music by Stuart Johnson
Good start, and generally a good flow to the music, which only seemed to get better as the band continued on. Some very nice solo cornet, well supported by
 the lilting accompaniment, set up the second movement. The band, with some of their tuning issues starting to resolve themselves, continued to keep the pace going throughout this movement. the third seemed slightly unsettled, but still there was plenty to interest being maintained.  Th fourth movement is a challenge for any junior band, with its proliferation of chromatic runs, and the band navigated there way through these with a great deal of success.  It does have to be said that we felt that these two works were an ambitious combination together for the band to realise, despite the successes that they were able to achieve with them.

March: Blencathra by Rimmer
This was just lacking a little in precision and tightness, with the triplets giving a little bit of trouble to the pulse of the march, and just a little bit of trouble with
their intonation- particularly with the upper cornets in the forte sections.

Bendigo Youth Brass conducted by Matthew Cutler

Bendigo Youth generally displayed a good sense of ensemble and was capable of occasionally producing a good blend of sounds during their performance. A greater sense of the balance within the band would have helped them to achieve an even greater standard of performance than what we enjoyed today.

Hymn: As the Deer by Graeme Press
This was a challenging setting for a young band, and the confidence needed to successfully realise the opening quartet was a big ask, one that might have needed a little more attention. A little more sound from the lower end of the band would have helped with the intonation, and rhythmic confidence of the band in the greater ensemble sections of this piece.

Test:
This was the softest beginning of this piece that we had heard on the day, and the contrast between the dynamic here and in the following tempo section was the best that we had seen. Throughout the test we heard a consistent attack being used within each section, and perhaps more variety of attack- particularly in the first movement of the test would have helped. The beginning of the last movement, however, really showed some strong attack being demonstrated, and we would have liked to have seen a little more of this in some of the other pieces being played by the band today. The band's sound showed a lot of potential, and the tightening of the rhythmic aspects of the ensemble will also improve their intonation and general musicality.

Own Choice: Indian Summer by Eric Ball and Stage March: Slaidburn by Rimmer
A much more musical performance the second time around, with some good playing from both the principal and soprano cornets. The band started to relax more as it went through their own choice,  Ball's "Indian Summer", but there were still balance issues with the cornets being far more prominent than the other sections of the band (perhaps not helped by the inclusion of trumpets into the section).  Tuning also improved as the performance progressed, so that by the time that we got to the last two movements of the own choice piece we were starting to see greater contrasts in dynamics and phrasing.