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Yet more comment on contest/non contesting bands

John Ingman wrote (and so did plenty of others on the same topic):
> I like contests personally, but I like
> doing good concerts too. Some bands just do park jobs and the like
> and don't concentrate on putting in quality performances which is
> probably another thing that drives people away.

And some bands work very hard to put in a quality performance, but dont
feel it necessary to contest.  And they do park jobs and the like
because its the same bread and butter stuff to them as the contesting
bands do.  And I agree, not putting in a quality performance does drive
people away.  But that is not just the prerogative of the non-contesting
band.  Some contesting bands are also well capable of driving people
away.  Some test pieces and other highbrow musically stimulating (for
the bandsman - no matter how well executed) as a bit of mental
masturbation in front of a Park audience that wants Souza, Bidgood,
Rimmer, To a Wild Rose, Acrobat, Blue Bells et al are extremely good at
this. (Driving people away).

I dont say whether contesting or non-contesting is good or bad. 
Bandsmen are generally speaking all from the genus:amateur musicians and
they come in concientious and non-concientious flavours.  And you get
both types of bandsman in both types of band.   And I think it silly to
argue one or the other when such generalisations are in play.  Each to
his own - you like contesting?  Then contest!  If not?  Play parks and
the like.  We are all "Brass Bands" to the punter.  As the Arabs say,
all the fingers of the hand are not the same length.  But to infer that
contesting bands care about the quality and non-contesting bands do not,
I think is unfair to the 50% of Brass Bands (out of all Brass bands in
the UK) that dont contest, some of which are excellent.  What about the
SA for example?

Steve Larwood, Euphonium, Melbourne Town Band
http://www.mtb-brassband.com


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