Long may it continue
What a great British Open at Symphony Hall on the weekend.
I have to agree with the judges that there were stunning performances from the Welsh bands Tredegar and Cory and a host of great ones – especially from Brighouse & Rastrick even though they ended up in ninth place.
The best thing about the day was the music. At last we had something the audience could sit back and enjoy without trying to work out what was going on with all the technicalities.
Long may it continue, and it was no surprise that the audience seemed to be bigger than it has been for many years as a result.
David Heston
Deserved award for McCann
I am so pleased that Phillip McCann has finally been recognised by the Iles Medal Award.
A true artist, it is so, so well deserved, and I wish to add my congratulations to the many he will no doubt receive.
His dedication is supreme, and I have long been a great admirer of all that he does.
I am just a little surprised that it has taken so long to recognise Phillip in this way.
I send him my sincerest congratulations and warmest regards.
Gordon Higginbottom
We are not all Londoners...
I have used your site for several years now and particularly appreciate the comprehensive contest coverage.
One frequent error does niggle though, and I thought you may appreciate a quick geography lesson in order to avoid repeating it in the future.
When you talk about bands from the LSC region, please try to remember that the clue is in the name - London AND Southern Counties - making it at best inaccurate and at worst disrespectful to refer to all bands from this region as ‘Londoners’.
The LSC region in fact covers 13 counties (14 if you count the temporary home of one of this year’s finalists!), the Channel Islands and London.
Greater London accounts for less than 10% of the area geographically.
In 2013, Regent Brass are the only band representing the LSC region at the National Finals that can correctly be called ‘Londoners’.
Our other qualifiers come from Berkshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Norfolk, Oxfordshire and Surrey.
Jim Wilkinson
Reading (not London)
Doctor, Doctor...
Dear Doctor Professor Roberts (Professor Doctor?)
Sorry to disagree but since I work at the institution where the gentlemen mentioned achieved their doctorate and since I was involved in processing the conferment I do feel quite confident that the three actually do in fact hold research degrees!!
For ‘proof’ (and because 4BR might shout at me unless I provide a concise reply!!) please see:
http://www.salford.ac.uk/arts-media/research/salford-music-research-centre/phd-students
As you can see our recent graduates include:
Robert Childs, Nick Childs, Lt Col Chris Davis, Stephen Cobb, Kenneth Downie, Martin Ellerby, James Gourlay, Major Graham Jones, and Roger Webster, Peter Meechan, Dorothy Gates and Franner Otter.
And current students include:
Jonathan Corry, Adam Frey, Rachel Smith, Tim Watson and David Thornton
Please do not hesitate to contact the Research Centre if you would like any further information about what we do
Marrianne Garbutt
BA (Hons) Band Musicianship
Programme Administrator, School of Arts and Media
University of Salford
Call them what they like...
Doctors, Professors, Directors of Music, Musical Directors - they can themselves what they like.
The fact of the matter is that every last one of them is just a conductor of brass bands when they have a baton in their hand and a score open in front of them. Nothing more, nothing less.
It is strange though that you don’t see too many orchestral conductors referring to themselves in such grandiose (and misplaced) terms do you now?
Remember the old saying though: Those who have more letters before or after their name, than are actually in their name, are usually people nursing an inferiority complex – or have just bought an extra long name plate for their desks.
Martin Hodges
Confirmation
Whilst I may not be privy to the distinctions between the various musical qualifications as referred to by Stephen Roberts, I am able to confirm that both Lt Col Graham Jones and Lt Col Chris Davis gained the Doctorate of Music Arts (DMA) through Salford University.
Peter Bale
