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Contesting

Mark Tarry wrote:
Any truth in the rumor that Desford are giving up contesting completely due to bad
results, VERY high costs to get a band to a contest, and so they can pursue a more
modern approach to brass banding...ie world tours etc?
Peter Younghusband wrote:
I was always keen on a move like this, but many people replied with 'but contests
keep up the standards.' Sponsorship also plays a big part in some bands I suppose. A
sponsor could always put emphasis on actual results I suppose.

These are interesting ideas.  I have thought for a long time that brass bands need
to escape the 'cloth hat, ditties in the park' image and concentrate on quality
concerts.  That is, try to establish brass bands as a respectable musical form in
its own right, just as legitimate as orchestras, and other ensembles.  One factor in
this is to do away with the military-style uniforms and just wear concert gear, eg
black and white or dinner suits etc.  Another is to dispense with cruddy music.  I
know we have to please audiences, but we are not rock and roll bands, and we should
accept that.  We are our own musical form.  Let's do what we do best - entertaining
concerts playing music of nearly every description and style.  That is, brass bands
are amongst the most versatile musical mediums there are.  This should mean we can
appeal to the widest possible cross-section of musical tastes and audiences.  Why
don't we?  Often we lower ourselves to the lowest common denominator (musically) and
do jobs we shouldn't because we need the money.

Speaking of money, in Australia there is virtually none of it about for brass
bands.  In England there is quite a lot, at least for the top flight bands (maybe a
dozen at best).  We all know that those bands sell themselves to sponsors and
potential sponsors by reference, amongst other things, to their rankings in
contests.  We know sponsorships have been lost because of contest failure of a
protracted nature.  But some sponsors are not so obsessed with contests.  My feeling
is that the promoters of the Grimethorpe tour wouldn't give two hoots about whether
Grimey had won a contest or not.  They were a salable item because of the film and
made the promoters a lot of money (not much for the band members though!)  I can't
help thinking that the interest of sponsors in contest results is largely a function
of the interest of the band in such results.  If the sponsor wasn't constantly told
how wonderful contest results were, they wouldn't think twice about them.  How many
orchestras contest?  Even private orchestras don't contest.  The crowds at the big
contests are all 'bandies'.  Even at the Albert Hall they are virtually all bandies
or former bandies.  How many brass band novices are to be found at any contest you
like to name?  In my experience the only type of band contest which attracts general
public members are the entertainment type of contest -eg Spennymore, and in
Australia we had one in Melbourne called 'Untamed Brass' which attracted huge crowds
while it ran.  It also raised quite a bit of money.  There were no rules except time
limits.  Who won seemed quite unimportant.  All concerned would say it was the most
entertaining evening they had been to for years.  Bands can do it.

As you can tell, if it were up to me I would abandon contests and concentrate on
concerts.  But I am only one voice.

Glenn McGowan
Principal Cornet
Kew Band
Melbourne, Australia


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