Report & Result: 2018 National Youth Championships of Great Britain: Beginners Section

It's a winning 'Blast' from Wardle as they retain the Beginners Section title in Warwick.

If ever any bright graduate scientist at the University of Warwick goes on to invent a machine to measure the heart lifting sense of pride shown in playing in a children's brass band ensemble, then they could well be in line to win a future Nobel Prize.

They would have also had a field day with any research in the Goose Nest venue on Sunday afternoon in the Beginners Band Section. The place was throbbing with the stuff.

Five brilliant bands

Five brilliant bands took to the stage and provided wonderful entertainment — led for the fourth consecutive year by the 'Band of the Day' award winner Wardle Junior Blast led by their indefatigable pied-piper of an MD, Lee Rigg.

Little wonder adjudicators Max Stannard and Martin Heartfield were bowled over by what they had heard.

"It's been a fabulous day and a terrific standard,"Martin said, as he delivered his pre-results remarks amid a sea of youngsters sat around his feet on stage waiting patiently to be told how they had got on.

"It was a joy — and we could both see and hear that from the players and from the audience as you hummed along to the playing at times!"

He added: "What was really good was the standard of good rhythmic playing (helped he said by the dangling feet off chairs keeping in time to the music) and tuning. The playing at the very top was superb, but everyone impressed us. It was simply terrific."

Max agreed: "Every band gave a thoroughly enjoyable performance — so together, so tight and with terrific sounds."

Remarkable Wardle Blast

And whilst there is officially no winner of the section, the 'Band of the Day' award once more went to Wardle Junior Blast thanks to their remarkable display of musicality — played as always from memory.

Made up of 40 primary school pupils from within a close local radius to the Wardle Academy — 19 of whom only started playing an instrument in September at the beginning of the school year, they were sensational; disciplined, determined and delightful.

They opened their 15-minute slot with 'Concert Overture' before neatly moving (musically as well physically with their choreography) to 'Circus Parade', 'Have Fingers Will Travel', 'Summer Romance', 'Foolin' About', the 'A Team' and 'When the Saints' to claim a fourth consecutive success and raise the Thompson Shield in triumph.

"I love conducting the band,"Lee Rigg later told 4BR. "All we do is ask the players to try and learn their parts — and they always come up trumps. Even the players who have just started in September want to show they can memorise every single note.

This is the foundation for providing the children with the enthusiasm and love of playing — something which I think is so important.

It's not about winning but all about enjoyment. We will be taking them all now to the Whit Friday march contests to enjoy themselves there — and as another treat we have promised them a day out at the bowling centre."

Treats galore

There were also treats galore from the four other bands, with debutants Birkwood Primary School managing to bring the audience a fantastic touch of 1960s sci-fi with the music to '2001 A Space Odyssey' as well as a 'Highland Farewell' under Michael Dodd (and their own comperes) as they went home to Yorkshire clutching a deserved 'Highly Commended' award.

They were certainly one of the high profile media stars of the event — getting their pictures taken by the renowned photographer Lorne Campbell and appearing on the BBC look North programme ahead of their appearance.

Meanwhile there was delight for Marriott Brass led by their ever-smiling conductors Julie Maxwell and Zoltan Vincze as they produced a fantastic 'Whole Class Brass Charts' effort in taking the 'Band Showing Most Potential' award, as well as the 'Merit Certificate' winners of Lions Beginner Band and Stockport Schools Junior Brass Band — with music that was as diverse as Beethoven's 'Ode to Joy' to 'Wallace and Gromit'.

It was a joy — and we could both see and hear that from the players and from the audience as you hummed along to the playing at times!Adjudicator, Martin Heartfield