If you went down to the Glen Eden Playhouse on Sunday 23 August, you’d be in for a big surprise as The Trust’s Waitakere Brass Band, under musical director Steven Booth, held their annual ‘Toys for Kids’ concert.

Toy Donation

Your admission ticket was the toy you donated to the Waitakere Hospital children’s ward, and dressing up was on for young and old. Afternoon tea for the wee folk was donated by the Band members and local businesses.

Wide Appeal

The music appealed to toddlers who loved Thomas the Tank engine right up to the youths keen on the odd Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Even the parents and grandparents were entertained as Star Wars and Star Trek featured.

Soloists amused, from Stu Ritchie’s athletic ‘Acrobat’ taking trombone playing to new ‘lengths’, through to the soft simplicity of Stardust played on the enchanting flugel horn by Courtney Hildreth, Soprano player Fendall Hill showed his sensitive side in Send in the Clowns.

Compere Mark Haines kept the magic and mystic of young curiosity engaged throughout the whole programme with his quips, jokes and seamless links between numbers.

All in

As the theme from Scooby Doo filled the hall the stage filled with budding musicians when children from the audience were invited to pick up a percussion instrument, and play along and even have a go at conducting the band.

Not the first time

This is not the first time the Band has donated its time to the community. The 2009 concert was another full house in advance, and yet people still turned up at the door just hoping for that odd spare seat, showing just how popular this annual contribution to the people of Auckland has become.