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Winter 2006 The Brass Band Bridge 1

The Journal of theNorth American

Brass BandAssociation

Winter 2006

The

Brid

ge

2 The Brass Band Bridge Winter 2006

President's Podium:Anita Cocker Hunt

Greetings to all of NABBA members,

Many of you are preparingfor the NABBA Championships 2006.This is the 24th year for the competi-tion. The Board and especially thosein Louisville and at Indiana Univer-sity Southeast, have been planningthis for a long time. This year wehave 24 bands competing (at leasttwo bands in four different sections).Some new bands to welcome!!!

I�d like to congratulate theMotor City Brass Band, under theoutstanding direction of Craig Strain,in celebrating their 10th anniversaryon March 5th. They will be perform-ing a special concert at the FordCommunity and Performing ArtsCenter in Dearborn, Michigan. TheMotor City Brass Band should beproud of their accomplishments andwe congratulate them and wish themall the best.

Belated congratulations go tothe Chicago Brass Band for theiroutstanding performance at theWorld Brass Band Championships. Ihope that you saw Colin Holman�sarticle in the last publication of TheBridge about this event. NABBA isproud of you.

Belated congratulations go tothe Brass Band of Central Florida fortheir fantastic performance at theBritish Open. They had a wonderfultime and represented NABBA excep-tionally well.

Contents:Military Bands Update........................................Pg. 3

Lt. Col. Tom Palmatier

NABBA Reading Band Reviews.........................Pg. 4Ronald Holz

Request for Assistance........................................Pg. 7Douglas Yeo

Book Reviews.....................................................Pg. 8 Diana Herak

Recording a CD With Your Band?.....................Pg. 9

Why Not?Douglas Yeo

Planning a Vacation:Consider a Brass Band Summer School..........Pg. 15

Diana Herak

Brass Band Programs.........................................Pg. 16

Diversions on a Theme........................................Pg. 18

Reference Page...................................................Pg. 19

NABBA will continuesupporting bands at these contests,when we are asked to send a repre-sentative band. Please note: Themoney you send into the Silver BellsCapital Campaign helps towardssupporting, in part, this effort.

I hope that you have visited theNABBA web site. A big thanks to JimGrate for his time and efforts as hekeeps it updated with the latestinformation and making this anoutstanding site.

Hope you enjoy this issue of TheBridge. Thanks to Eric Aho for hishard work in this endeavor to keepyou informed of NABBA events andbrass band highlights!

Deadlines for The Bridge:September 1stJanurary 1st

May 1st

Send all material in aMicrosoft Word format, and

all photos in a jpeg (jpg.)format to:

Dr. Eric W. Aho25 E. Mound St.

Canal Winchester, OH 43110(614) 833-9795

[email protected]


Editor's Notes:Dr. Eric W. Aho

January represents the meatof our brass band season. Concertsfeature heavier selections and re-hearsals take a more serious tonewith preparation for contest. Exceptfor those bands in the southernclimates the rest of us endure thecold, wind, rain, and snow thatcurtails most of our outdoor activi-ties. This is a good thing. There is noguilt to be felt while practicing testpiece excerpts since the lawnmowerand hedge trimmers are put awayand nothing outdoors is pulling usaway from our instruments. Maybethis is truly one of life�s balances.Those who live in climates where youare still doing yard work in January,instead of practicing, should not feelany guilt as you push thelawnmower. The rest of us arepushing valves and mallets, buildingour character and musical skills.Truth be known, some of us plan tojoin you when we retire. Maybe youwill have a seat for us in your band.Who knows, we may then enjoy alittle January yard work?!

This issue features practicalarticles from Diana Herak, Brass Bandof Columbus, encouraging you toconsider attending a brass bandschool, and an article from Doug Yeo,New England Brass Band, with tips toconsider when planning a commer-cial CD project. Doug Yeo also re-quests assistance in expanding aspecial section of our webiste. DianaHerak has also submitted two bookreviews worthy of your attention.

Welcome back our greatfriend Lt. Col. Tom Palmatier, NABBAPast President, who will be submit-ting news from the Military Bandsregularly. Keep sending in your brassband programs. Publishing what ourbands are programming and per-forming is an important aspect of ourhistory and progress. Please considersubmitting photographs of yourband as well.

Of special interest and featureis Ron Holz�, NABBA Past President,annual effort with the reading bandduring our NABBA conference. Hispresentation of music to be read andsubsequent reviews have proved tobe a valuable resource each year.Although the contest weekend isshort and we are busy getting settled,holding one last rehearsal, andgetting our competitive heads to-gether, please consider participatingin the reading band this year.

For everyone who receives ahard copy of The Bridge, Mark Coulland Robin Norman, of the marketingdepartment of de haske publishing,has sent a special brass band cata-logue and promo CD celebrating the10th anniversary of Curnow Music.We are excited that de haske andCurnow Music have extended theirhand of good will bearing gifts. Theircommitment to and interest in theBrass Band movement here in theUnited States shows that NABBAcontinues to grow and gain therespect of those who have set thetraditions and standards for genera-tions. Mark, Robin and I hope youenjoy the sights and sounds of thisissue of The Bridge.

MILITARY BANDSUPDATELieutenant ColonelTom Palmatier,NABBA Past President

The military bands ofAmerica�s Armed Forces continue todo terrific work around the world.Since the beginning of OperationEnduring Freedom/Iraqi Freedom,over 25 military bands, mostlyArmy, have been stationed in thecombat zones performing music.Meanwhile, military bands continueto be the largest employers ofmusicians in America.

For those who may remem-ber me from my days as NABBAPresident and earlier, as Director ofThe U.S. Army Brass Band, I am nowCommandant of the U.S. ArmySchool of Music in Norfolk, Virginia.We are part of a tri-service schoolhosted by the U.S. Navy that trainsprofessional musicians and musicleaders for the Army, Navy, andMarine Corps. The course of instruc-tion for new service members lastsabout six months and includes in-depth instruction in theory, eartraining, ensemble performance, andindividual instrumental proficiency.

In future issues of The Bridge,I�ll offer some brief articles about thelatest developments in America�smilitary bands. Those who wish tosee more about what�s happening inArmy Bands can visit:https://bands.army.mil.

Special thanks to de haske and Curnow Musicfor sending the 10th anniversary of Curnow Music catalogue and CD with

this issue of The Bridge. Visit their websites:

de haske: www.dehaske.com

CurnowMusic: www.curnowmusicpress.com


NABBA READING BAND REVIEWS Ronald HolzLexington Brass Band

A large, massed band gath-ered Friday evening at NABBA tosight-read a wide range of brass bandliterature. The conductors wereadjudicators Stephen Bulla, BrianBurditt, William Himes, KennethMoore, Kevin Norbury, and StephenRoberts, NABBA President AnitaHunt, NABBA Controller JohndeSalme, and myself. The followingshort reviews flow by publisher, andalso include additional items receivedthat, due to time constraints, couldnot be read. The difficulty-levelrating system is as follows: E Easy;ME Moderately Easy; M Moderate; MDModerately Difficult; D Difficult; ADAdvanced Level, Very Difficult.

Crabtree Music, PO Box 484, Bury St.Edmunds, Suffolk IP30 9ZE UnitedKingdom; Tel: 011-44-1359-244620;FAX: 011-44-1359-245-127; Email:[email protected]

Symphonic Suite from Band ofBrothers (Michael Kamen/DavidStowell). Level M. A fine adaptationof music from the famed HBO mini-series about a company of Airborneinfantry in World War II, this willprogram very well. During thisrelative short, one-movement �suite�most of our bands will sound verywell. Three percussion players areessential for its success.

Cornet Solo: Twilight Dreams(Herbert Clarke/Mark Freeh) [SoloistBob Gray, Cincinnati Brass Band].Level ME for Soloist and Band. Here isa delightful, very short solo item inthe form of a concert waltz. Thesoloist has one short cadenza, butotherwise this is a work focused onpure, lyrical melody. A classic of theAmerican cornet literature!

Additional Works Received

Overture: Ruler of the Spirits(Carl Maria von Weber/WilliamHalliwell, edited by Robin Norman).

Level MD. Here is a challengingtranscription of a famousorchestraloverture, an arrangementfrom the pen of one of the great brassband pioneers, Halliwell, edited formodern bands by Robin Norman.Lots of rapid scale passages and somegood rhythmic interest in the outersections of this ABA-form work, and alovely, cantabile middle featuringprimarily the flugelhorn.

Lullaby for James (AndrewDuncan). Level MD. Duncan has takenan original theme by Robin Norman,a theme that embodies thestory of Norman�s son, James, who inearly childhood faced many severemedical hurdles. The score notesdetail these, but the music is muchmore than a programmatic play-by-play. The difficulty level comes in allthe exposed, lyrical solos, such as theunaccompanied E Flat Bass solo thatopens the work. This is movingmusic and worth the effort needed topull it off.

B Flat Cornet or Soprano CornetSolo: Over the Rainbow (Harold Arlen/Alan Morrison). Level M for Soloistand ME for Band. Cornet soloist AlanMorrison first shaped this tone solofor himself, and now it is available toall. The main challenge is one ofmaintaining a full sound above therich accompaniment, though it is notoverly scored. The soloist does not somuch play the main tune as providereflective counterpoints to the tuneheard in the band. This is an unusualbut effective treatment of an Ameri-can movie classic.

Editions Mark Reift([email protected]). C/o Solid RockMusic Company, 75 Mt. Rainer Drive,San Rafeal, CA 94903. PH: 415-479-1773; E-mail: [email protected]

Suite: Celtic Visions (JohnGlensk Mortimer). We read two ofthree movements of this bracingmusic, which flows as follows: 1) TheCall to Battle; 2) Laments for a Hero;3) Victory Dance. Level MD Mvt 1;Level M for Mvts 2 and 3. This is morethan Braveheart revisited. Some great

sounds in the opening movement,bordering, as expected, on the bar-baric. The middle funeral march readvery well and seemed to strike achord in the band. The last movementis the typical 6/8, Celtic romp, withthe opening music of Mvt 1 returningin the coda. You need 3 competentpercussionists for this music. Itshould program well.

Additional Work Received

Montreux Dances (Carl Ruetti).Level AD. Commissioned for the 2001European Brass Band Champion-ships. This three-movement test piecewill challenge any of our bands. Thecomposer requires a particularseating arrangement and suggests alayout for the extensive percussionsection (3 players). Additionally,there are separate parts for each ofthe Bass and Euphonium section (6parts total). The three movementsare, to a degree, impressionistic innature: 1) Tree Dance; 2) Lake Dance;3) Fire Dance. The music is tonal, butmodern in sound and structure. Thecomposer�s own score notes provide agood introduction to this intriguingmusic: �The composition starts withfive chords symbolizing a group ofmotionless trees which reappear inthe 2nd and 3rd movements: at thebeginning of the Lake Dance they arereflected in the water, and at the endof the Fire Dance they are rent apartby the fire.� The work, in essence, is awedge of increasingly more dramatic,and driving music. The score andparts are handsomely produced, bythe way!

Winwood Music, Unit 7, FieldsideFarm, Quainton, Bucks. HP22 4DQ,UK. Tel: 011-44-1296-655-777; FAX:011-44-1296-655-778. E-mail:[email protected]

I Believe in my Heart (AndrewLloyd Webber/Tony Rickard). LevelME. Windwood is the new name forRosehill Music, just in case this namewas not yet familiar to our readers.Rickard�s arrangement of a famoustune from the musical The Woman inWhite will be quickly learned by our


bands, with only the occasional,small exposed parts. A short, elegantarrangement of the softer variety.

Salvationist Publishing and &Sup-plies, Ltd [SP&S], 1 Tiverton St.,London, SE1 6NT United Kingdom.Tel: 011-44-20-7367-6570; FAX: [email protected]

Euphonium Solo: Compelled byLove (Andrew Blyth); [BaritoneSoloist Jeff Evans, Cincinnati BrassBand] Level MD for Solo; M for Band.An effective, emotion-charged, lyricalsolo for a soloist with a large, fulltone! This is required especially inthe final, triumphant portion of theshort work, where the soloist mustproject over the full band. OurReading Band and soloist soundedfine on this on a first reading. Onecan track down the original song orone can play this music as a heartfeltexpression of love.

March: Temple Vision (MartinCordner), Level M. A vibrant concertmarch with lots of interest for everysection! While several sacred tunesare presented, the most familiar is�Lead On, O King Eternal.� Here is asplendid piece for a NABBA bandwhen at a church service. A greatpostlude! Look for SP&S to bereleasing its Festival Series items on anindividual basis, rather than injournals. That should prove veryhelpful to NABBA bands seeking theexcellent repertoire � both new andfrom the past � from the SA library.

Additional Work Received

Glorifico Aeternum (Dean Jones)Level D. We heard the Chicago StaffBand give a fine performance of thispiece at the Gala Concert, and it wasfeatured by the ISB on their tour ofthe USA last spring. Dean Jonesselects the 17th-century choraleNowThank: We All Our God as theuniting element in this diverse,three-part collage. In the initialallegro we hear this tune in variousrhythmic shapes and styles. Thesofter, reflective middle of the workincludes the song Somebody prayed forme, a more contemporary, sacred

ballad. In the concluding sectionDean Jones returns to motives heardin the opening, and adds to it thesong Lord reign in me, accompanied in adecidedly Latin-American manner.At the climactic finale the composerinserts the old tune St. Columba,which sounds forth majestically.

The Salvation Army - Atlanta, 1424Northeast Expressway, Atlanta, GA30329; 404-728-1383;[email protected]. These items arefrom the American Instrumental EnsembleSeries edited by James Curnow. Thearrangements may be played by agroup as small as a quartet (with 5thpart optional and two percussionparts) or by a full brass band, concertband, or orchestra. Parts supplied inall appropriate keys and clefs.Provides full score and piano part/reduction.

Carol of the Bells (JamesAnderson). Level ME. This arrange-ment is basically the old Carolers�Favorites setting with an introductionand coda attached. This provides,therefore, a slightly longer concertsetting of the familiar Ukrainiancarol. Should go over well at anyChristmas program.

B Flat Instrument Solo: Stand Up,Stand Up for Jesus (James Cheyne)[Flugelhorn Soloist Jim Yost, Cincin-nati Brass Band]. Level ME for Soloand Band. This is a grade III item inthe AEIS, and a very effective, upbeatmusical meditation on the old tuneWebb. Stylistic variety and interest-ing harmonic motion mark the 4-minute work, hallmarks of Cheyne�sstyle. A great item for the emergingsoloist!


The SA USA South MusicDepartment releases 16 items, 4 ineach graded level, including either aB Flat (Bass Clef, or C as well) or EFlat/F solo feature in each level.Additionally, a CD is produced eachyear demonstrating the music.Rather than review the remaining 14items, let me suggest NABBA mem-bers write to the music department(see above) and ask for a sample CDfor this year so you can get a broad

overview of this excellent series �good for small or large band, asedited by James Curnow.

Studio Music. PO Box 19292, LondonNW10 9WP, England. Tel/FAX: 011-44-20-8830-0110; Email:[email protected]

Euphonium Solo: Benedictus(Karl Jenkins/Tony Small) [SoloistMark Hensler, Cincinnati BrassBand]. Level ME for Solo and Band,but with demands via soft dynamics.This work received a sensitiveperformance at our reading session,both by band and soloist, withNABBA rookie Steve Roberts de-manding the best of the musiciansgathered. The movement is adaptedfrom a larger work, The Armed Man�Mass for Peace. The associated text isportrayed well in the music: �Blessedis he comes in the name of the Lord �Hosanna In the highest � Blessed ishe�.� Perhaps best used for a quietmoment in a program (though themiddle requires quite a massivesound) or for a memorial moment.

Summer Scene (Philip Sparke).Level M. Another charming, beautifulscore by Sparke, originally writtenfor the National Youth Brass Band ofScotland, in memory of StewartWilson. Much sustaining powerneeded on this relatively short piece,which tends to feature the saxhornmiddle of the band. While mostlyflowing in a subdued dynamic, thereare two rather dramatic climaxpoints in this accessible music.


A Buffalo Bill Bonanza! (GoffRichards). Level MD. This is aGrimethorpe Band sparkler thatmoves at a bright quarter note equals144. Richards incorporates severalAmerican classics into his dynamicpiece, including Gilmore�s TriumphalMarch, and Karl King�s Wyoming Days/Intermezzo. Lots of fun for band andaudience.

Hymns of Praise (GoffRichards). Level M. A short, effectivemedley of traditional and contempo-rary hymns or praise songs. In quicksuccession Richards presents the


chorus of To God Be the Glory, ThePrayer of St. Francis, And Can It Be(Sagina), Love Divine All Love�s Excel-ling (Blaewern), Be Thou My Vision(Slane), and Shine Jesus, Shine.

Dancing and Drumming (TilmanSusato/Rob Wiffin).Level ME. A short,festive setting of several Renaissancedances by the renowned, 16th-century Netherlander Susato, thiswork should read down the firsttime, provided you have 3, or per-haps even 4, steady percussionistswho provide the effective rhythmicbasis.

E Flat Horn Solo: Adagio(Corelli/Barrie Gott). Level M for Solo,ME for Band. This is a straightfor-ward, carefully scored setting of oneof the great Baroque master�s stringworks. Gott always allows the hornto shine � not always true in altosolos! Keep the dynamics on the menoside of things, especially the ff recom-mended at one point in the piece.Short, elegant transcription!

Gramercy Music, PO Box 41,Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire SK8 5HFUnited Kingdom. Tel/FAX: 011-44-161-486-1959; e-mail:[email protected]

Suite: Day of the Dragon (PeterGraham) Level MD. The five move-ments of this �entertainment� suitewritten for BAYV Cory Band centeron aspects of Welsh heritage andculture: 1) Overture; 2) Lullaby (SuoGan; 3) Welsh Clog Dance; 4) Ballad(By Kell�s Waters); 5) Triumph (Men ofHarlech). We read the last threemovements and they went verysmoothly. As in previous pieces ofthis kind � Cry of the Celts, Call of theCossacks � Graham has provided abrilliant program showcase, several,if not all movements of which couldbe played separately or in variouscombinations. Perhaps the Overturewould not, by exception, stand on itsown. Mvt 4, Ballad, does not use thecornet section and features theflugelhorn. This was one of the�winners� of our session.

The Salvation Army - New York, 440West Nyack Rd, West Nyack, NY10994; Tel: 1-888-488-4882 or 1-914-620-7200; FAX: 1-914-620-7751.

And They Were Heroes (JimCheyne) Level M. Recorded recentlyby the Southern Territorial Band, thispatriotic work reflects on all whodedicate themselves to nationalservice, or any kind of self-sacrificialliving. The sounds are reminiscent ofsome John Williams� scores, but thecomposer�s voice is distinctly hisown. Several fanfare recitatives makefor some haunting moments. Thework reaches it peak with the sound-ing of the National Hymn, God of OurFathers, and the work ends in a note oftriumph. Great for an Americana orpatriotic program!

March�Shout Out!! (ThomasMack). Level ME. A short, peppymarch that features in the trio a rock-style song by the composer � shouldprove to be an effective program item forless proficient bands. The composer hasbeen a stalwart member of the NYSB, aseuphonium soloist (now playing baritone)and as the director of the band�s chorusfor many years. The title song wasinitially written for that group.


Cry of the Warriors (Ralph E.Pearce). Level MD. Here is a stunningconcert work we heard last year atNABBA as played by the NYSB. RalphPearce, currently residing in Phoenix,Arizona, moved to the USA from the UK.He wrote this overture for the NYSB�s2003 UK tour. The score contains thefollowing program note. �The Welsh tuneMen of Harlech is the principal thematicmaterial. Using the words associated inthe Army to this tune [Song Book 693],the title derives from verse 3, �Hark I hearthe warriors shouting�. The earlier partof the music deals with the struggle ofbattle. The slower section uses thetune Crugybar linked with Will J.Brand�s words [SB 553] �And as Ireached out for the blessing, thatmoment the blessing was mine�. Themood now changes to one of triumphand victory.�

Cornet Solo: Flashback (BrianBowen). Level MD for Solo, M forBand. While based on relativelyobscure SA songs and choruses, thischallenging solo has the soloistrecollecting on old times of spiritualgrowth, thus, in the words of the

talented composer, �a retro air-and-variations form.� This is scoredsuperbly, and the slow middlesection, thinly set, is a gem.This is no easy read down, but doesadd to the cornet solo repertoire in asignificant way.

Gordon Music. 274 Beard Road,Lyndon, WA 98264. Tel: 360-398-1689;FAX: 360-398-8284; E-mail:[email protected]

Ding, Dong, the Witch is Dead(Harold Arlen/William Gordon).Level M. A bright, fast swing settingof the Wizard of Oz classic, this shortarrangement calls for 4 trombones,though you can get by with 3. Youmust have a solid drum set player forthis otherwise pleasing, and uncom-plicated arrangement. Good programfare.

I�m a Believer (Neil Diamond/William Gordon). Level MD. Theband found this to be just a bitprotracted, a bit too long, but per-haps with judicious cuts it becomes agood evocation of another rockchestnut. The subdivision of the beatto the sixteenth, with some trickyfunk-rock rhythms, will need a bit ofattention. There is also a very suddenswitch in 2/2 time late in the piece,and then an immediate switch backto the opening 4/4.

Warner Bros. SEE CONTACTINFORMATON AT CRABTREEMUSIC LISTED ABOVE. Note: AllWarner publications provide whatthey call �world parts,� meaningbass clef for all low brass, and 4 Fhorn parts, which can cover flugeland the other 3 alto parts.

Epic Themes from John Williams(John Williams/Steve Sykes), LevelM�MD. Here is a real crowd �pleaser�in which Steve Sykes pulls togetherseven Williams� themes, ranging fromStar Wars to 1941 to Superman, andmusic for the Olympics. Best if youhave 4 percussion, but playable with3. Another winner of the session, butone that will require stamina in thecornet section!


Selections from: Harry Potter and thePrisoner of Azkaban (John Williams/Philip Harper), Level MD�D. This isa demanding musical reduction ofthe latest Harry Potter film score.Fortunately some cuts are suggested �especially if your band can not handlethe wild Knight Bus music thatmoves in a very fast swing, half noteequals 132. Harper is effective isgiving us the main moments of thefilm, skillfully moving from one shortexcerpt to another. Great for anyconcert with a film music theme!

A Touch of Mancini (ArrangedMark Freeh). Level M�MD. It is greatto see this medley of Mancini hits inprint! The tunes featured include ThePink Panther, Moon River, Days of Wineand Roses, and Peter Gunn Theme.During the presentation of the latterwhich concludes the work, there is anopen, improvised solo section for theprincipal cornet, with both changesand suggested solo provided. Onlytwo percussions required, but theyneed to be solid: Drum set; melodyperc (vibes, etc).

A Hebridean Suite (AndrewDuncan). Level MD. Subtitled �A suitein four movements inspired by therich Celtic heritage of the OuterHebrides,� this concert work may beplayed in its entirety, or in smallersections, individual movements. LikeDay of the Dragon reviewed above, ithas high entertainment value, and isvery atmospheric. You might call it ashort version of Hymn of the Highlands(Philip Sparke), though I do not meananything derogatory by that com-parison. The four movements are: 1)Stornoway (allegro con brio); 2) TheOld Shepherdess and the NorseMaiden�s Spirit (Lento e sostenuto); 3)Mouth Music (Scherzo mvt., allegromolto); 4) Ceildih�Rondo (6/8 rondo,allegro non troppo). Another way oflooking at this good piece is that it is aCeltic sinfonietta, one that follows inmost regards, the 4-movementclassical symphony. The music isbeautifully produced, with fullprogram notes to help the conductorand band understand the context.Would be a terrific work with amulti-media aspect.

Request forAssistanceDouglas YeoNew England Brass Band

I have recently developed anew area of the NABBA websitededicated to NABBA music re-sources. This new area can be founddirectly at www.nabbamusic.org

This part of the NABBAwebsite is devoted to informationrelating to music played at NABBAcontests. Currently, bothdownloadable (Excel and pdf format)and html databases of all musicplayed at NABBA bandcontests as well as preliminary dataon NABBA solo/ensemble contestsare available. Detailed contestresults, scores, publisher and otherinformation is also available. Thenabbamusic.org area also willcontain errata sheets for NABBA testpieces; currently the sitecontains an errata sheet for GilbertVinter�s �Spectrum� which is the2006 Honors section test piece (foundto have over 450 errors in thescore and parts).

In order for this resource tobe of the most help to NABBAmembers I am asking for yourassistance. The databases wouldbenefit from more information andthe people who have this informa-tion are NABBA members them-selves. Please look in onnabbamusic.org and see if youhave additional information that canbe included. I especially wouldlike to hear from solo and ensemblecontest winners who would provideme with further information abouttheir performance (in particularthe title of the piece they played andthe composer). Through theefforts of the NABBA membership,we will be able to have acomprehensive look at NABBAcontest history which will be verybeneficial to all concerned.

The 2004 BBSS also saw theaddition of a �Whit Friday� TypeMarch Contest. We were all dividedinto 3 bands, and marched aroundthe campus to the different spotswhere the judges were �hidden,� andperformed for each adjudicator(tutor), who awarded a prize to thetop band. Very interesting, as theBrits do not have the �marchingband� experiences that we in thestates are fortunate to have had.Therefore, most of the band�s �de-portment� (marching scores) werenot as high as one might have hoped!

On the final evening, a GrandFinale Concert was held whichfeatured both bands, and then thecombined Full Band. The programconsisted of Shakespeare Band:March from the Jazz Suite-Shostakovich/Hall; Scaramouche-Milhaud/Snell; Serenata- Toselli/Richards; Marching Through Georgia-arr. Richards; Circle of Life- John/Ricearr. Harper. Hathaway Band: FrenchMilitary March- Saint Saens/Hargreaves; Cheek to Cheek- Berlin/Fernie; Le Cid- Massenet/ Snell; NewColonial March- R.B. Hall; Celebration ofYouth- Harper. Full Band: LibertyFanfare- Williams/Sykes; Windows ofthe World- Graham; Introduction to Act 3Lohengrin- Wagner/D. Wright; Land ofthe Long White Cloud- Sparke; IndianaJones and the Temple of Doom- Williams/Farr.

All in all, it was a wonderfulweek of brass banding. We even metsome fellow Americans from theGolden State British Brass Band thatwere in attendance! In case you�reinterested, the dates for next year�sBBSS are Sunday, August 6- Satur-day, August 12, 2006. Hope to seeyou there!!! (For more information,contact The Administrator: PhilipBiggs, 2 The Coppice, Impington,Cambridge CB4 9PP. UK. Telephone+44 (0) 1223 234090 or 07710 [email protected]

Cont. Herak from pg. 15


Diana HerakBrass Band of Columbus

Dick the Stick by Richard Evans.BBAU 11003. Copyright JAGRINSMusic Publications, May 2005.Paperback. Contains 252 Pages,Foreword by Maurice Murphy, Tableof Contents, Index, and 27 Black andWhite Photographs. OrderingInformation: Midland CD-www.ukck.net or 4 Bars Rest-www.4barsrest.com.

Dick the Stick is an autobiogra-phy written by �one of the mostcolourful and flamboyant characterson the British Band Scene today.�Currently the resident conductor ofthe famous Grimethorpe Colliery (UKCoal) Band, Richard Evans hascertainly seen and done it all! Hismany successes include being afounding member of the NationalYouth Brass Band, performing withthe Black Dyke Mills Band, andconducting the Wingates TemperanceBand, Fairey Engineering Band, andLeyland Band, amongst others. In1986 he received the J. Henry IlesMedal presented by the WorshipfulCompany of Musicians of the City ofLondon. He is currently the MusicalDirector of the National Youth BrassBand of Scotland, and has workedwith bands throughout the world.

I first met Mr. Evans inAugust, 2004 at the Brass BandSummer School held at theBromsgrove School inWorcestershire,England. He was the Course Directorof the Camp, and conducted all therehearsals of the bands. I thoroughlyenjoyed his leadership, and his senseof humor in all circumstances! Inaddition, I was later able to observehim conducting a rehearsal with theFoden�s Richardson Band (quite adifference to our brass band summerschool ensembles), and was pleasedto see his approach to music makingwas quite the same (although a little�tougher" with the 2004 British OpenChampionship Band!). After seeinghim lead the Grimethorpe

Colliery Band before joining theWelsh Guards. Later he joined theMunn and Felton/G.U.S. (Footwear)Band, where he was privileged tooften work with the great composerGilbert Vinter. In fact, it was Mr.Read who encouraged Vinter tocompose several pieces for brassquartet, which he did! Mr. Read hasperformed with the GrimethorpeColliery Band, and conducted theCambridge Co-operative Band. Hewas also a Brass Instructor in theHuntingdon and Peterborough areafor over 30 years, and received theIles Medal from the WorshipfulCompany of Musicians. His firstadjudicating engagement took placein 1974, and since then he has sat �inthe box� at many of the UK�s mostprestigious brass band contests. Heis one of the most sought-afteradjudicators of today due to histhoroughness, his academic study ofmusic, and his contesting experiencesas both a fine player and conductor.His opinions on the issues facingadjudicators in the present day werealso very insightful.

Although the book is filledwith great stories, I believe the lastchapter, entitled �Past, Present, andFuture� was the most interesting.Mr. Read sums up the changes thathave taken place in the British brassband movement over the past 60years. Such changes have includeddifferences in concert programming,moving from mostly outdoor toindoor concerts, dwindling concertaudiences, lack of media support forbrass bands, player and conductorloyalty or lack of, new commissionsfor test pieces, the end of �high pitch�brass instruments, the acceptance ofpercussion into contests, the intro-duction of the Entertainment Contest,bands disappearing as a result ofcolliery closures, sponsorships orlack there of, etc. etc. Anyone inter-ested in the relatively recent historyof brass bands in the UK (and a fewopinions on its future) will find thisbook a highly enjoyable �Read� (nopun intended!).

BOOK REVIEWS Band to victory at this year�s annual�Brass in Concert� Championships, Irealized Mr. Evans is one of the verytop conductors in the brass bandworld today, and much can belearned from this fine gentleman!

Dick the Stick is a fascinatingread, which starts with some inter-esting stories of growing up in theWorld War II years in Britain. Mr.Evans then began playing the cornet,and later became a member of theNational Youth Brass Band undersuch conductors as Denis Wright andHarry Mortimer. It was here that hemet someone who would become agreat friend, Maurice Murphy. Afterbecoming an accomplished musicianon his instrument, he soon got whatthe Brits call �stick itch� and becamea conductor! The rest, as they say, ishistory. While conducting theLeyland Band, in as little as fouryears Mr. Evans was able to takethem from being a 3rd section band torunners-up in the British OpenContest! As well as telling about thisband�s meteoric rise, this book is fullof many wonderful stories andanecdotes about growing up in theBritish Brass Band tradition, told byone of the finest in the field. It comeshighly recommended!

Beyond the Box by David Read. BBAU11002. Copyright JAGRINS MusicPublications, May 2004. Paperback.Contains 168 Pages, Foreword by RoyNewsome, Table of Contents, Index,and 15 Black and White Photographs.Ordering Information: Midland CD-www.ukck.net or 4 Bars Rest-www.4barsrest.com.

David Read is �one of theWorld�s foremost adjudicators.� Hisautobiography Beyond the Box notonly covers his life story, but also hisinsights into the past 60years of theBritish Brass Band movement.

Mr. Read started his bandingcareer as a cornet player. He per-formed with the Askern Silver PrizeBand and Carlton Main Frickley


The New England Brass Band recording Peter Graham�s �Away in a Manger� in Symphony Hall, Boston,

January 22, 2005. Kevin Maloney, flugelhorn solo, Douglas Yeo, conductor.

At the first meeting of the NewEngland Brass Band�s (NEBB) Board ofDirectors, after I was named MusicDirector in September 1998, I said I wouldlike the band to make a commerciallyproduced recording. The NEBB had neverdone something like this before. Whileone of our band members regularlyrecorded the band�s concerts for internaluse by the players and conductor, the ideaof having a dedicated recording sessionand producing a CD for sale was some-thing new. Having made dozens ofrecordings as a member of the BostonSymphony and Boston Pops Orchestrasand with the experience of having re-corded several solo albums including onewith Black Dyke Band in 1996 (Proclama-tion, Doyen 055) and another with theWilliams Fairey Band in 2001 (Two of aMind, Egon SFZ 107), I was well versedwith the process and benefits of record-ing.

In this article I will outline thethings a band should consider if theywish to make a recording by relating theNew England Brass Band�s experience inrecording and releasing four compactdiscs for sale. My hope is that I mightprovide not only information but encour-agement for more

NABBA bands to record and releaserecordings.

WHY?

While making a recording is a bigundertaking for a band, there are severaltangible benefits that make the effortworthwhile. First, the crucible of preparingfor a recording session and the sessionitself will make your band play at a newlevel. Second, when the microphone is�on� players tend to step up and givebetter than their best. Third, during theNEBB�s first recording session in January1999, I heard sounds from players I hadnever heard before � the whole wasgreater than the sum of the parts and theindividual level of playing reached whatwas then a new high.

Recording can be a fantastic wayto raise money for the band. The over$40,000 that NEBB has raised through CDsales at concerts, through our website,and through select dealers has allowed usto take trips, purchase equipment andfinance additional recording projects.Combined with our concert fees (typically$1000 - $1500 per concert with an averageof eight concerts a year) the band hasbeen put on sound financial footing.

A recording is also a superbmarketing tool for the band. With a CDyou widen the band�s exposure throughsales, reviews and radio airplay. Youraudiences can also �take the band home� atthe end of a concert.

Best of all, a recording providesthe members of the band with a tangiblereminder of their progress and playing.The experience of making the recordingbecomes part of the history of the bandand something that is looked back onwarmly as well as becoming a benchmarkto further inspire the band to new levels ofachievement in the future.

HOW?

There are several defined parts ofthe process of making a recording, whichneed to be approached in turn. These are:

� Choose repertoire� Choose a recording venue� Choose a recording engineer� Prepare the band� Recording day� Editing� Royalties� Production� Marketing

Recording a CD With Your Band?Why Not!

Douglas YeoThe New England Brass Band


Let us look at each of these in turn:

CHOOSE REPERTOIRE

The first thing to do is to decidewhat it is you want to record. There aremany recordings on the market by superbbrass bands. The NEBB did not set out tobe YBS, Fairey, Dyke or the ISB. We setout to be ourselves. In choosing reper-toire for recordings, we decided that ourprimary market would be our concertaudience. With that in mind, recordingmusic we felt our audience would want tohear over and over again was importantto us. Including solos and ensembles aswell as having our albums be based onthemes (rather than just recording thingswe liked ourselves) helped ensure anappeal by those who might be interestedin purchasing an album.

The NEBB�s first CD was aChristmas album, Christmas Joy! Myfirst series of Christmas concerts with theNEBB in 1998 consisted mostly of musicthe band had played in years before Ibecame its conductor. We decided tohave a single recording session for thisfirst album, to put down about 50 minutesof music in one day�s work. By choosingrepertoire most of the band had played inyears past, we were able to cut down thepreparation time considerably. The NEBBgives three Christmas concerts eachDecember and they are always wellattended. Christmas CDs are traditionallyamong the best selling albums and whilethere are many fine brass band Christmasdiscs on the market, we knew a Christmasalbum of our own would have significantappeal to our local audiences.

After the successful release ofChristmas Joy!, the NEBB board ofdirectors decided to schedule onerecording session per season duringwhich we would endeavor to record 25-30minutes of music. This way the all daysession would not be as frantic as tryingto record a whole album in one sitting. Inaddition, the cost of the recording wouldbe spread over two seasons and therewould be more time to plan repertoire andtake advantage of the unique abilities ofnew players that come into the bandduring each new season. We decided thatour second CD should be one thatfocused on music by British composers

and arrangers since we wished to furtherestablish our reputation as a band �in theBritish tradition.� Honor and Glory wassreleased in 2001 after recording sessionsin 2000 and 2001. We recorded severalclassic British contest test pieces that hadlong been forgotten (including HubertBath�s Honour and Glory and DennisWright�s The White Rider). We alsorecorded two pieces which the NEBBincluded on its first NABBA program(2001, in Washington, D.C.), Parry�sarrangement of Jerusalem and VaughanWilliams� Henry the Fifth. By doing so,we provided a nice document of animportant season while giving ouraudiences an album of substantial musicbased on British themes.

In recent years, the NEBB hasbegun giving concerts of sacred music inchurches, either as stand alone concertsor as part of a church�s regular eveningservice. These concerts have been verymeaningful to audiences and they haveallowed the NEBB to tap into a wonderfulrepertoire of sacred music including manyfine pieces by composers and arrangersassociated with the Salvation Army. Aswe began doing these kinds of concerts,we had many requests for an album ofsacred. In response to this, the NEBBreleased its third CD in 2004, The Light ofthe World, which features some of thebest sacred music we have performed inrecent years. Having taken first place inthe Challenge section of the 2004 NABBAChampionship, we also included pieceswe played at our winning performance.William Gordon�s Fortress and StephenBulla�s Images for Brass (the thirdmovement is based on the hymn EternalFather, Strong to Save) found a place onour new album. This release containsover 60 minutes of music and has alreadyproven to be very popular with ouraudiences.

With the sale of 2500 copies ofChristmas Joy! since its 1999 release andthe fact that the NEBB has improvedconsiderably since that album wasrecorded, the NEBB board of directorsdecided to allow that album to go out ofprint (the last copies were sold at our 2004Christmas concerts). As a result, wedecided to record a new Christmas albumsince this kind of music has always beenpopular with our audiences. This newChristmas CD, titled Christmas Bells AreRinging, was released in October 2005

and includes John deSalme�s fine arrange-ment of Alfred Reed�s Russian ChristmasMusic as well as three solos and aselection of lesser known Christmas musicfrom around the world (such as KevinNorbury�s Huron Carol and StephenBulla�s arrangement of the carols of AlfredBurt, Christmas Bells Are Ringing). At 66minutes, it also has the most music of anyof our discs. Future album concepts beingconsidered include an all-American musicalbum (for which the first recordingsession will take place in June of this year)and a disc entirely featuring well-knownsoloists.

CHOOSE A RECORDING VENUE

My years of playing and conduct-ing concerts in every possible kind ofconcert hall have led me to believe that arecording is greatly enhanced if playerscan play in a natural way in a superb roomfor music. While many commercial record-ings are made in �dead� studios withplayers partitioned from each other byplexi-glass booths with all players wearingheadphones, there is nothing like arecording session that feels like a concertin a fine concert hall. Yes, artificial reverbcan be added later to a �dry� recording, butto me artificial reverb sounds like artificialreverb and cannot take the place of naturalsound.

Finding a suitable recordingvenue is often a challenge. High schoolauditoriums are often full of curtains andpadded seats; churches are rarely soundproof enough to keep traffic noise off themaster tape. In the case of the NEBB, wehave been fortunate to use Boston�sacoustically acclaimed Symphony Hall forall of the band�s recording sessions. SinceI am a member of the Boston SymphonyOrchestra, we can use the hall at no coston days when the hall is not otherwise inuse. This saves the band about $8000 inrental fees per recording session and givesus a recording venue that is unparalleled.To add to this, the NEBB has playedseveral concerts in Symphony Hall as partof the Boston Symphony�s annual �openhouse� event so playing in Symphony Hallis neither intimidating nor daunting to ourplayers. Having recorded in SymphonyHall every year since 1999, our playershave gotten comfortable playing in thisremarkable room for music.


Rental of a good recording venuemay be expensive but the investment iswell worth it since the players will make arecording that feels like a performance in aroom that gives back to them the bestthey have put out. This is but the first ofmany choices you will need to make thatfalls into the category of, �If you are goingto bother to do it, it is worth doing right.�

CHOOSE A RECORDING ENGINEER

It�s easy enough to record abrass band these days � just hook up astereo microphone to your mini-discrecorder and you�re all set. But the truth isthere is a difference between a $100 and a$5000 microphone. For all of our recordingsessions, the NEBB has used top flightrecording engineers: Brad Michel ofClarion Production (who has recorded andedited hundreds of albums for HarmoniaMundi and other classical labels) andAnthony Di Bartolo who works at HarvardUniversity�s audio services. Both haveoutstanding recording equipment andrecord both master and safety discsdirectly to computer and CD. They haveenough microphones to provide us with�spot mics� for percussion and otherinstruments we wish to highlight and theyunderstand Symphony Hall well enoughto know how to get the best sound out ofthe band.

It is also important that yourengineer understand the conductor andhow the band wants to work. Havinganother person serve as �tonmeister� tofollow the scores in the recording boothwill be helpful to be sure everything iscovered in each take while allowing theconductor to conduct and the engineer tokeep an eye on his equipment. Keepingthe atmosphere of the recording sessionrelaxed and positive will keep players fromgetting anxious and the conductor fromgetting concerned that time is tickingaway.

Find the best recording engineeryou can, one who has a proven trackrecord of excellence. Ask for referencesand copies of recordings they haveworked on so you can be assured you willget the sound you want.

PREPARE THE BAND

I like to announce the repertoirefor recording as early in a season aspossible so the band members have asmuch time to prepare for the recordingsession. Like many bands in the USA, werehearse once a week for two hoursduring our season (September throughJune). Over the last few years, we havebeen adding an extra 30 minutes to thefirst rehearsal of each month which hasallowed us time to break the band downinto sectionals, with our principal cornetand associate conductor Terry Eversontaking the cornets and my taking the restof the band. These sectionals haveproven to be invaluable to our prepara-tion.

The conductor is also wise tocarefully decide the tempos in advanceand set them with a metronome. In thesedays of digital editing, many miracles canbe done in the cutting room. But if youdo not have your tempos lined upbetween take 1 and take 37, it is difficult tomake an edit work. You also need to planout the session in a sensible way,planning how much time you can afford tospend on each piece, where and how longthe breaks and lunch will be, and howeveryone�s embouchure will be holdingup. We always have several friends of theband organize a catered lunch for theband that provides good fortification forthe second half of the session.

My goal in recording (and ingiving concerts) is nothing less than togive a composer or arranger a definitiverendering of his piece. I spend a great dealof time on the phone or emailing compos-ers and arrangers so I can understandtheir intentions. Because I have a back-ground in percussion as well as being abrass player, I want to be sure we havethe best possible percussion equipment atour disposal (sometimes we have beenfortunate to use some Boston Symphonypercussion equipment � if you listen toour recording of Images for Brass on ourThe Light of the World CD you can hear aBSO gong in action � wow, what asound!). The conductor is like theringmaster at the circus � if he does hishomework and knows the whole picture,the session can go smoothly.

Spending the time with the score andbeing sure all personnel can cover allparts at all times (including decidingwhen to have mutes put in and taken out)will help the session be as productive aspossible.

There is one other thing. It isimportant that if you are not paying yourplayers for their participation, you havetheir permission to record them. Becauseyour band plans to make a profit on theCD, you want to be sure that somewheredown the road nobody makes a claimagainst it, asserting that because theband sold 1,000,000 copies they shouldbe compensated since they never gavepermission for their playing to be used.This can be done by having everyoneplaying on the session sign a release formwhich states they are volunteering theirservices without pay and that the bandcan do anything it wants with therecording including sell it, give it away, orrelease it in other formats than on a CD.We did this for our first few recordingsessions until we amended our band�sbylaws to include a provision that statesthat band members allow the band to usetheir performances (as well as their nameand likeness) without further compensa-tion. This little bit of legal work may bevery important should a disgruntledcurrent or former band member wish todisrupt the band in an ugly way sometimedown the road. I have seen it happen andit is not pretty. Cross your T�s and dotyour I�s and take care of this little bit ofbusiness before a note is recorded.

RECORDING DAY

This was an ambitious schedulebut it was quite doable. I kept my eye onthe clock and our producer and engineerkept an ear on what we were about to do.Having done so much recording, I amable to know when we have the best wecan get or if it is worth doing one more�take� to get something better. I like to besure we have two complete �takes� ofeach piece before moving on to coverspecific sections which might provide uswith �patches� we can edit in later.


We have a setup crew whichbrings and sets up our percussionequipment, sets up the stage and put�Quiet Please� signs on all of the Sym-phony Hall doors and hallways. We alsohave our players wear their NEBB logopolo shirts that provide a good espiritd�corps for the group. While we do nothave to pay a rental fee to the BostonSymphony for the use of the hall, we domake a generous donation to the Sym-phony Hall stage crew and house crewfunds which helps us keep good relationswith the staff at Symphony Hall whichmay be called upon to help us at sometime during the session.

We have been able to use Symphony Hall on our all-day recording sessions from8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Here is the schedule for our January 22, 2005 recordingsession for disc, The Spirit of Christmas:

8:00 AM Load in of recording and percussion equipment. Stage set up.

8:45 AM All players on stage, warmed up and ready to play. Band warm-up and tuning.

9:00 AM Begin sound checks, set recording levels

9:30 AM Record The Spirit of Christmas (Peter Graham)

10:10 AM Break

10:20 AM Record flugelhorn solo Away in a Manger (Peter Graham)

11:00 AM Record cornet solo Huron Carol (Kevin Norbury)

11:30 AM Break

11:40 AM Record Russian Christmas Music(Alfred Reed, arr. John de Salme)

1:00 PM Lunch

1:45 PM Warm-up and tuning

2:00 PM Record Christmas Bells are Ringing(Alfred Burt, arr. Stephen Bulla)

3:00 PM Break

3:10 PM Record Mid-winter (Stephen Bulla)

3:30 PM Record Feliz Navidad (José Feliciano, arr. Dorothy Gates)

4:00 PM Session over, break down equipment

The most important things arethat the band members not be looking atthe clock (that is the job of the conductorand the producer/engineer) and that theconductor keep the band relaxed in theirplaying. If we end up not having time torecord every piece we wanted to putdown, we pick it up at the next session.We want to be sure that what we DOrecord is our best. �Knowing,� as theKenny Rogers song goes, �when to hold�em, when to fold �em, when to walk away�is critical � there is no sense in repeating apassage 10 times if it is not going to getany better. With a good recording planand good editing, your finished productwill sound like your band on its bestpossible day.

EDITING

All of the NEBB�s recordingshave been edited by Brad Michel. He isone of the world�s best editors, havingedited all of the recordings for groupssuch as the Anonymous 4 and countlessensembles and instrumentalists. Editingthese days is done on a computer and it istruly an astounding process. A goodeditor can make an edit absolutelyseamless (providing you have plannedthe session well and have good rawmaterial � remember if you are going to re-record a section of a piece, you need to besure the �ring� of a cymbal or the dynamicof a chord is the same each time. It is notalways easy to have percussion equip-ment line up easily, especially cymbals,gong, bells, drum kit and high-hat.).

There are many ways to go aboutediting. Since you generally pay the editorby the hour, it is good to do as much aspossible yourself. At the recordingsession, the engineer makes writtencomments on the scores, indicating spotswith particularly good moments, or placesthat might need an editing �fix.� After thesession, your editor can audition all trackshimself, choose what he thinks are thebest takes and then come up with acomplete first edit for you to hear.However, I prefer to audition all tracksmyself since I know the band so well. Imark up the scores I gave the engineer atthe session with a plus or minus sign atcritical moments and see if I agree with thecomments he had previously written.After auditioning all of the tracks, I markup the score with suggestions of editingpoints and their take numbers, alwayswanting to have as many long passageson a single take as possible to keep agood flow. The editor then edits thepieces according to my markings. Thisfirst edit is a good place to work from. Itwill need further tweaking with additionalsplices but after a second edit andperhaps a few tweaks of a third edit, I amalways confident we have the best resultwe can get. Some people edit compul-sively, spending dozens of hours onediting. This can result in a product whichhas everything �right� but does not soundhonest. I prefer our recordings to soundlike our band giving a concert on its bestday. We are who we are � wecannot use the editing process to try tomake us something we are not.


After editing, the editor makesup a master disc or tape (depending onthe requirements of the productionplant). We do not use any compressionor added reverb on our recordings � wetry to have our recordings have a naturalsound that will make the listener feelthey are in a concert hall. We avoid the�pop music� kind of sound that haseverything sound �up front� in anartificial way. Judging from the successof our recordings with our audiencesand the positive reviews we havereceived, we feel confident that the waywe make our recordings gives ussomething that represents the band verywell.

ROYALTIES

Someone does the work,someone needs to get paid. Yourrecording engineer and editor will chargea fee (most likely). You may need to renta hall to play in and of course, there willbe production costs (more on that in thenext section). But an important part ofthe costs associated with making a CD isthe paying of royalties.

Many bands assume that sincethey are non-profit groups they do notneed to pay royalties. Wrong. Unlessroyalty payment is waived by a copy-right holder, it is REQUIRED thatroyalties be paid. This is not optional. Itis simply a cost of making a recordingand it is a cost that we should cheerfullypay since the payment of royalties givessomething back to the people who makethe recording fundamentally possible:composers and arrangers.

The royalty rate in the USA isestablished by the US Congress and itchanges every year. The rate can befound on the Copyright office websiteat: www.copyright.gov/carp/m200a.htmlThe amount of royalties you must pay isdetermined by taking the statutoryroyalty rate and multiplying it by theminutes of music of a given track (theminimum payment is for five minutes)times the number of copies sold. Forinstance, if you record a six minute track,the formula looks like this (using theroyalty rate in effect in January 2006):1.75 cents per minute (statutory rate) xsix minutes x 1000 copies = $105.00

So, for the right to manufactureand sell 1000 copies of your CD thatcontains this six minute track, you needto pay the copyright holder of the track$105.00. This needs to be done for everytrack on the album. You can see that ifyou pay royalties for a 60 minute CD, theroyalties for 1000 copies will amount toabout $1,000, or $1.00 per disc. This is ourpayback to the people who write andarrange the music.

It�s possible that you might nothave to pay royalties on any or all tracks.For instance, when you contact thecopyright holder to get a license fromthem (something you are required to dofor each track) you can ask them if theywill allow you to record the track with nopayment, that is you execute a �gratis�license. Some copyright holders will allowyou to do this, but even if you do notpay any royalties, you still need toexecute a license that is signed both byyour band representative and thecopyright holder. Copyright holders cannot charge you more than the statutoryrate but they can charge less (or noth-ing). Your license may also require you tolist the name of the copyright holder onthe album. You are legally allowed torecord any piece of published music aslong as you pay the royalties unless yourrecording will be the FIRST recording of apiece; in that case you need permissionfrom the copyright holder BEFORE youmake your recording since a copyrightholder has the right to determine who willmake a first recording of their work andyour request could be denied.

If you do not want to contacteach copyright holder individually youcan work with the Harry Fox Agencywww.harryfox.com that will execute thelicenses and process the payments foryou. However you do it, do not overlookthis important step. Not only is payingroyalties the right thing but also it is thelegal thing. You do not have a choiceabout this. Do not risk possible litigationthinking you can get away withoutexecuting mechanical licenses and payingroyalties. When you do the right thing inthis regard you are on the side of theangels. It makes a difference.

PRODUCTION

Once the sessions are com-pleted, the editing is done and a mastertape or CD is made, you move into theproduction stage. You will need toengage a designer who will create thefiles for the tray card, the CD insertbooklet and the disc imprint. Our bandhas members who are adept at this kindof thing and they have donated their timeto layout and create these files. Butbefore you start designing away, youneed to know the requirements forproduction.

You can deal directly with aprinter and a CD manufacturing plant oryou can work with a �middle man� whowill shepherd the project through for you.I prefer the latter approach as it meansthat one person is overseeing all aspectsof production. For our most recent discswe have used Tom Daly at Crooked CoveRecords in Maine www.crookedcove.com.He can provide you with the specifica-tions for printing. Most CD manufactur-ers will require you to show them yourmechanical licenses � if your CD isproduced without royalty paymentsbeing made, the CD manufacturer, alongwith you, is liable for producing an illegaldisc. You will find that there are oftenprice breaks for making larger quantitiesof your CD booklets and tray cards. Ifyou decide to make only 1000 CDs, youmight consider printing 2500 bookletssince the difference in price might not bevery much with the larger quantity. Besure your designer follows the specifica-tions for printing scrupulously � this is�zero tolerance� kind of work but a wellproduced booklet can greatly enhance arelease.

MARKETING

On the happy day when the CDsare delivered to your bandroom youhopefully have figured out what to dowith them. In the NEBB, we give eachperson who played on the CD a free copyof the disc. We then require that eachband member sell 20 discs at full retailprice, $15.00 each. This is our band�smajor fund raiser, rather like the old candysale we all did when we were in highschool and the band needed newuniforms.


Band members know this is a part of beingin the band and our players have cheer-fully done this. Players can sell them orthey can give them away � all that reallymatters is that they give our treasurer acheck for $300.00. After paying for thisinitial quantity of 20 discs, band memberscan purchase additional copies for $10.00each.

The beauty of this system is thatwhen our 30 band members have eachsold their 20 CDs, the band treasurymakes a deposit of $9000.00. Thus, beforea single disc is sold at a concert or sentoff to a dealer, the entire cost of therecording project is already paid for. Wethen sell the CD at our concerts and alsohave a relationship with a few selectdealers who purchase our discs at ourwholesale price of $10.00 so they can alsosell them for $15.00. The result is thatevery sale represents a 100% profit for theband because the disc was paid off byband member sales. As I said at thebeginning of this article, the thousands ofdollars raised by CD sales have allowedthe NEBB to undertake many projectsincluding financing additional recordings.Re-ordering discs in quantities of 500each will find you paying much less thanyou did for the first 1000 since the setupcosts and design costs are already paid.You will still need to pay royalties on any

re-orders of CDs but since you will not bepaying the recording engineer and editoragain, the cost per unit will drop consider-ably. Sending out a few copies for reviewto The Bridge, British Bandsman, BrassBand World and 4barsrest.com as well ascopies to local radio stations will give youa little publicity. But the lion�s share ofsales will come at your concerts andthrough your members. Keep yourexpectations realistic � you will not likelyrelease a �gold record� in the niche marketword of brass band recordings but salesof several thousand units are quitepossible if you have made somethinginteresting and you let people know.

The NEBB also tries to keep ourrecordings in front of our audiences.Many of our concerts include selectionsfrom our recordings so we can remindaudiences that they can take a piece theyliked home with them. We also publish anewsletter twice a year which is sent toour band mailing list � when a newrecording is released we include an orderform with the newsletter. We have alsoadded expanded program notes about ourdiscs on the band�s website so listenerscan get more information that we couldprovide in the CD booklet.

CONCLUSIONThe experience of the New

England Brass Band in making recordingshas been nothing less than a hugesuccess. The recordings have resulted in asteady income stream that benefits theband in many ways. But more than thatour recordings have become part of thegrowth process of the band as we continueto fulfill our goal of �continuous improve-ment.� We have developed closer relation-ships with composers and arrangers andenjoyed the unique experience of workinghard together to create a product of whichwe are all proud. The fact that so fewNABBA bands have made recordings maybe an indication that groups have notgiven it serious thought or that they feelthey could not make something thatwould be worthwhile or of interest.NABBA bands might do well to adopt CurtSchilling�s slogan when the 2004 BostonRed Sox were heading to their first WorldSeries title in 86 years, �Why not us?� Whynot, indeed! I hope this article has givenNABBA members some food for thoughtand more bands will step up to reap thehuge benefits of making a CD. Learn moreabout our recordings at the New EnglandBrass Band website,www.newenglandbrassband.org. Anyonewishing to communicate with me further onthis is welcome to do so by email using themail form on my website,www.yeodoug.com

The Crown Colony of Fiji became a British possession in 1874. The band of the Fiji Military Forces wasformed in 1919 and gave its first concert on Christmas Day. Lt. Caten, formerly of the Coldstream Guards,served as Bandmaster from 1928 to 1935. He arranged many of the Fijian songs including the haunting IsaLei song of farewell. Wright and Newcomb, Bands of the World, The Instrumentalist Pub. 1970 p. 10


Planning a Vacation:Consider a Brass Band Summer School

Diana HerakBrass Band of Columbus

After attending the August,2004 Brass Band Summer School(BBSS) which was held at BromsgroveSchool, Worcestershire, England (closeto Birmingham), I wanted to informall NABBA members of at least oneexcellent opportunity that is avail-able for a week-long course of high-class brass banding and socializing!

The staff was an absolute�dream team� of current British brassbanders: Cornets tutors were AlanMorrison (Brighouse and Rastrick)and Brian Taylor (Faireys Band),Horn- Owen Farr (Cory Band),Trombone- Nick Hudson (free-lancer),Euphonium and Baritone- DavidChilds (Cory), Bass- Steve Sykes (free-lancer), and Percussion- SimoneRebello (free-lancer).

The course was conducted byRichard Evans (who currentlyconducts the Grimethorpe Band,amongst others), and administeredby Philip Biggs. The BBSS Presidentis Dr. Roy Newsome (who alsoconducted on the final concert)

The Bromsgrove School is abeautiful, lovely private school. The�campers� stay in the dorms, whichare basic, but certainly adequate.After registering, we had our first fullband rehearsal, followed bysectionals and a general �sorting out�period. Some even formed smallensembles that would perform laterin the week.

The 80 or so campers weresplit up into two brass bands- one

was called the �Shakespeare� Band,and the other the �Hathaway� Band.We would also combine to form theFull Band. A typical day wouldconsist of rehearsals/sectionals in themorning, rehearsals after lunch, withsmall ensemble rehearsals andlessons thrown in when available.The evenings were made up of Tutorand Camper concerts, which in-cluded soloists and small ensembles.It was a highlight of this camper�sexperience (and of her husbandPatrick�s) to be fortunate enough toplay in a low brass trio with DavidChilds, and also in a 10-piece en-semble which included AlanMorrison, and was conducted bySteve Sykes. It doesn�t get muchbetter than that!(Cont.) see Herak pg. 7

The Chicago Staff Band of the Salvation Army was organized in 1907 at the S.A. Heaquarters for the UnitedStates Central Territory. Maj. John T. Fynn was the first bandmaster. He was followed by R. Blurton (1910),J.A. Fynn (1917), and W. Broughton who served several periods between 1907 and 1943. Broughton alsocomposed music for the band some of which is still played today.Wright and Newcomb, Bands of the World, The Instrumentalist Pub. 1970 p. 78


New England Brass Band (DouglasYeo, Music Director) February 13,2005 Westgate Church, Weston,Massachusetts. Holy, Holy, Holy(arr. James Curnow), In Dulci Jubilo(Terry Everson), Away in a Manger(arr. Peter Graham) - KevinMaloney, flugelhorn solo, NeverGive Up (Eric Ball) - Terry Everson,Dennis Caron, Elizabeth Jewell,Stephanie Watts, cornet; BradKerns, Al Stickland, KennethGriffin, Donald Kittle, trombones,Huron Carol (Kevin Norbury) -Terry Everson, cornet solo,Resurgam (Eric Ball), Amazing Grace(arr. William Himes), A Psalm ofPraise (James Curnow), God Be WithYou (Vaughan Williams, arr.William Gordon).

New England Brass Band (DouglasYeo, Music Director) April 9, 2005First Parish Church, Gorham,Maine. Fanfare and the Star SpangledBanner (arr. Erik Leidzen), March:Jubilee (Paul Drury), Never Give Up(Eric Ball) - Terry Everson, TerryMartin, Elizabeth Jewell, StephanieWatts, cornet; Brad Kerns, AlStickland, Kenneth Griffin, DonaldKittle, trombones, Simple Gifts (arr.Goff Richards), What Sweeter Music(John Rutter, arr. Douglas Yeo),Resurgam (Eric Ball), Gaudete (KevinNorbury), Swing Low (AndrewMackereth) - Douglas Yeo, basstrombone solo, Terry Everson,conductor, Be Thou My Vision (arr.James Curnow) - Terry Everson,cornet solo, The Kingdom Triumphant(Eric Ball), March: The Salvation Army(John Philip Sousa, arr. RaySteadman-Allen).

New England Brass Band (DouglasYeo, Music Director) May 1, 2005Arlington Street Church, Boston,Massachusetts. Fanfare and the StarSpangled Banner (arr. Erik Leidzen),March: Jubilee (Paul Drury), NeverGive Up (Eric Ball) - Terry Everson,Dennis Caron, Elizabeth Jewell,Stephanie Watts, cornet; BradKerns, Al Stickland, KennethGriffin, Donald Kittle, trombones,Simple Gifts (arr. Goff Richards),

BRASS BAND PROGRAMS Resurgam (Eric Ball), Three KingsSwing (William Himes), Swing Low(Andrew Mackereth) - Douglas Yeo,bass trombone solo, Terry Everson,conductor, Be Thou My Vision (arr.James Curnow) - Terry Everson,cornet solo, The Kingdom Triumphant(Eric Ball), March: The Salvation Army(John Philip Sousa, arr. RaySteadman-Allen).

New England Brass Band (DouglasYeo, Music Director) June 5, 2005.Hope Church, Lenox, Massachusetts. .Holy, Holy, Holy (arr. James Curnow),In Dulci Jubilo (Terry Everson), Once, inRoyal David�s City (arr. Terry Everson)- Douglas Yeo, bass trombone solo,Terry Everson, conductor, Never GiveUp (Eric Ball) - Terry Everson, DennisCaron, Elizabeth Jewell, StephanieWatts, cornet; Brad Kerns, AlStickland, Kenneth Griffin, DonaldKittle, trombones, Away in a Manger(arr. Peter Graham) - Kevin Maloney,flugelhorn solo, Huron Carol (KevinNorbury) - Terry Everson, cornetsolo, What Sweeter Music (John Rutter,arr. Douglas Yeo), Resurgam (Eric Ball),Three Kings Swing (William Himes), APsalm of Praise (James Curnow), God BeWith You (Vaughan Williams, arr.William Gordon).

New England Brass Band (DouglasYeo, Music Director) November 7,2005. Symphony Hall, Boston,Massachusetts. Fanfare and the StarSpangled Banner (arr. Erik Leidzen),March: Rhode Island (Lloyd Reslow),Ardross Castle from �Hymn of theHighlands� (Phili Sparke), My Shep-herd (Brenton Broadstock) - DonLucas, Al Stickland, Kenneth Griffin,Don Kittle, trombones, Amazing Grace(arr. William Himes), Simple Gifts (arr.Goff Richards), Unity Fanfare (NormanBolter), Grand Old Gospel Songs (arr. J.Harold Gustafson), Just As I Am(Wilfred Heaton), Fire Divine (JohnLarsson, arr. Ty Watson) - LeifReslow and John Procter, euphoni-ums, Armed Forces Salute (arr. StephenBulla), American the Beautiful (tradi-tional), God Be With You (VaughanWilliams, arr. William Gordon).

New England Brass Band (DouglasYeo, Music Director) December 4,2005, Wilmington CongregationalChurch, Wilmington,Massachusetets; December 11, 2005,First Parish Church, Westwood,Massachusetts; December 17, 2005,Free Christian Church, Andover,Massachusetts. Christmas Rejoicing(Peter Graham), Huron Carol (KevinNorbury) - Terry Everson, cornetsolo, A Great and Mighty Wonder(Kenneth Downie), Angels on High(Stephen Bulla) - Don Lucas, trom-bone solo, What Sweeter Music (JohnRutter, arr. Douglas Yeo), Gaudete(Kevin Norbury), The Bells of Christmas(Stephen Bulla), Away in a Manger(Peter Graham) - Kevin Maloney,flugelhorn solo, Russian ChristmasMusic (Alfred Reed, arr. John deSalme), Lo, How A Rose (Herikstad),Once, in Royal David�s City (arr TerryEverson) - Douglas Yeo, bass trom-bone solo, Terry Everson, conductor,Christmas Sing-a-long (Salvation ArmyCaroler�s Favorites book), Three KingsSwing (William Himes).

Motor City Brass Band (Craig Strain) isrevving up for their exciting 10th Anniver-sary Concert Series. The traditionallyterrifying Halloween concert, �Horns &Howls 5,� will open the season onOctober 30 at the Ford Community andPerforming Arts Center in Dearborn.Mini-concerts at Dearborn area seniorcenters are building extra enthusiasm for�Horns & Howls 5,� while forging newrelationships between MCBB and thecommunity of Dearborn. ClarencevilleHigh School�s Schmidt Auditorium(Livonia, MI) has become the Band�s newrehearsal location. It also presentsanother performance venue, with twoconcerts planned for the upcomingseason. MCBB�s summer concert seasonhad a successful finish in Dearborn, witha performance on the final GreenfieldVillage �Summer Evenings� series.Attendees of the Annual State Confer-ence for the Daughters of the AmericanRevolution were also recently entertainedby the �top notch� musicianship ofMCBB. The Band is looking forward toan upcoming trip to Arlington Heights


The Brass Band BridgeOffcial Journal of the North American Brass Band Association

Founded by J. Perry Watsonin 1980.

The views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the North American Brass Band Association.Copyright © 2005 by the North American Brass Band Association, Inc. All rights reserved. The Brass Band Bridgewelcomes news, materials for review, communications, photographs, new advertisers and scholarly articles on allaspects relating to, and for the benefit of brass bands in North America.

Scholarly articles should include footnotes and bibliography where appropriate. All submissions MUST be inMicrosoft Word Format. All photographs MUST be in a jpeg format (jpg.). Allsubmissions MUST be done electronically. Materials may be edited for content.

Publication and advertising deadlines are September 1st, January 1st, and May 1st.Printed by Richard Hart, Richard Hart Printing, Columbus, OH.(614) 276-7588

The Low Brass and Percussion section of the Motor City Brass Band perform in concert and in costume. This brassband season the MCBB celebrates its 10th Anniversary. Congratulations to the MCBB, their alumni, and CraigStrain their conductor.

(Chicago area) for their second appear-ance at the US Open Brass Bandcompetition.

Motor City Brass Band On Sunday,March 5 at 3:00 pm, we celebrate our10th anniversary with a concert ofaudience favorites at the Ford Com-munity and Performing Arts Centerin Dearborn.

There are a few other surprises too.

This musical extravaganza willinclude slides, stories, and appear-ances from MCBB alumni who arecoming from across the country tohelp celebrate this 10th anniversaryseason.

The program will include crowdpleasers such as: Motown Medley(composed by MCBB�s MusicalDirector and Conductor, Craig Strain),Shenandoah (featuring John Martinand American Civil War Fantasy. MCBBfounder John Aren returns to conductJubilee Overture and the alumni join infor Stars and Stripes.

Editor�s Note: The Diversion

Recently I received this photograph via email. Sometimes text messages get scrambled and photographs arrive un-openable. In this case the photo above opened easily and the text enclosed did not. Not knowing the subjects in thephotograph nor the individual who sent it, I was poised to delete the message. However, my curiosity led me to study thephotograph for a moment. Questions flowed freely: Who are these people?, How are they related?, What thoughts orcomments accompany their facial expressions?, What might have brought them together?, Does their dress indicate afestive occasion?, Do the small bell decorations behind them indicate a special event they are attending?, Is that anawkward space between them?, and Who took their picture and why? Then my dark side emerged as the humorouspossibilities started to race. Sometimes a diversion and a good laugh is needed. There is no better time than In the Bleak ofMid-Winter (apologies to Gustav Holst) for some humor. This is where your efforts are needed. Knowing the spectrum ofhumor exhibited by brass banders ranges from absolutely none to biting sarcasm, and from dry intellect to sophomoricbodily functions, I am confident that a �You Write the Caption� contest will generate some good laughs for our next issue.

The Theme: The Caption and/or thought/text bubbles must be music oriented.

The Rules:1. This can/could be a group effort between wings and beverages.2. Maximum caption entry limited to 60 words.3. No real profanity please.4. All entries must include the author�s name(s), and NABBA/band affiliation.5. The editor reserves the right to edit/censor entries to protect the innocent.6. Submit as many entries as you like.7. Send all entries to [email protected]

The Results:1. All entries suitable for mass consumption will be printed in the Spring 2006 issue.2. Multiple winners may be chosen.3. The winner(s) will receive a framed copy of their entry and retain bragging rights for having been published.

The Cardinal Rule:Enjoy the diversion, stay true to the theme, have fun, and know that Spring will be here soon.

DIVERSION ON A THEME!



Dr. Eric W. Aho25 E. Mound St.

Canal Winchester, OH 43110(614) 833-9795

[email protected]

Deadlines for The Bridge:

September 1stJanurary 1st

May 1st

Send all material in a MicrosoftWord format, and all photos in ajpeg (jpg.) format to:

Advertising

Julie Vish413 Kestral DriveBlacklick, OH 43004Associate Advertising [email protected]

Diana Herak6358 Sharon Woods Blvd.Columbus, OH 43229Associate Advertising [email protected]

Paul Droste1308 Maize Rd. Ct.Columbus, OH 43229Associate Advertising [email protected]

Colin W. HolmanCD Reviews31 Joseph LnGlendale Heights, IL [email protected]

Dr. Ronald W. HolzNew Music and Book ReviewsAsbury College Music Dept.Wilmore, KY [email protected]

Julie RaccioTechnical [email protected]

NABBA Contest Controller

Tom ScheibnerSalvation Army Music Dept.440 West Nyack Rd.P.O. Box C-635West Nyack, NY 10994(845) [email protected]

REFERENCE PAGEEditorial Staff

Hotels in the Louisville Metropolitan AreaThe Offical Hotel for the NABBA Champoinships and Conference is The Galt House Hotel and Suites, Fourth Street atthe River, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, (800) 626-1814, (502) 589-5200. As of print The Galt House is sold out. If youhave family members or friends who need to make hotel accomodations the list below contains other area hotels.

1) Closest to Galt House � downtown Louisville (distance away from Galt House in the noted order, but generallywalkable)

a) Hyatt Regency (320 W. Jefferson St, Louisville � 1-800-233-1234)b) Marriott Downtown (280 W. Jefferson St., Louisville � 1-800-228-9290)c) Hilton Seelbach (500 W. 4th St., Louisville � 1-502-585 -3200)d) The Brown, a Camberly Hotel (335 W. Broadway, Louisville � 1-888-888-5252)e) Marriott Residence Inn/ may be a long term hotel, I�m not sure � it�s new.

(333 E. Market St, Louisville 1-502-589-8998)f) Hampton Inn, Louisville (101 E. Jefferson St., Louisville � 1-502-585-2200)g) Holiday Inn � Louisville Downtown (120 W. Broadway � 1-800-315-2621 or

(front desk) 1-502-582-2241)2) Indiana � right across the I-65 Kennedy Bridge from Louisville: Holiday Inn Lakeview (505 Marriott Dr,

Clarksville, IN / 1-812-283- 4411) The university does a lot of business with this hotel. It�s possible that theymay give you a better deal if you mention the event at IUS

3) Indiana � closer to the university (all three are about halfway between the Galt House and IUS)a) Holiday Inn Express (right by the I-64 ramp on the Indiana side of the Ohio River) (411 W. Spring St,

New Albany 1-812- 945-2771)b) Hampton Inn (next door to the Holiday Inn in New Albany) (506 W. Spring St,

New Albany� 1-812-944-4600)c) Hampton Inn, Clarksville (off I-65 not too far from the I-265 exit that takes you to

the university (1501 Broadway, Clarksville � 1-812-280-8901)


The Paul W. OgleCultural and Community Centerat Indiana University Southeast

Hosts

The Brass Band BridgeEric W. Aho, EditorAll-Star Brass Bands25 E. Mound St.Canal Winchester, OH 43110USA

Non-Profit OrganizationU.S. POSTAGE PAID

Columbus, OHPermit No. 8702

March 31 - April 1

For Contest Rules, andRegulations

visit:

NABBA 2006

www.nabba.org

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