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I have recently been involved in a brass workshop at Warwick school in the heart of the county. The day was made possible by the independent/state school partnership and involved equal numbers of Warwick school pupils and neighbouring state school pupils. It was great. We did the usual things with a whole band rehearsal to start with and then a sectional rehearsal dividing the less experienced from the more experienced players. Warwick school laid on lunch for everyone ( a refreshing change from my normal lunch of whatever I can grab on the way out of the house in the morning ) and then a final afternoon rehearsal was followed by a performance to family and friends.
Simon Hogg, formerly of Fine Arts Brass and Mark Cadman ( who is a star piccolo trumpet player ) represented Warwick school and myself and deputy director Simon Grimshaw were there on behalf of the music service.
Also there was euphonium soloist Steven Mead. Steven is someone I knew of but had never met before and his reputation within music and particularly the brass world is second to none. He has achieved the rare distinction of finding success on the international stage as a brass soloist and he was without doubt the highlight of the day for the students and me.
Steven's background is not unusual for brass players. He came up through the Salvation Army and was principal euphonium at Desford Colliery Band for some years whilst teaching music in a school in Burton on Trent. As his virtuosic reputation grew so did the demands for his talent to the point where he now makes a living as a soloist. There are any number of great brass players who started in the brass band world but then went professional by taking up orchestral instruments. Steven is unusual in that he decided very early on that he was not going to swap to the trombone in order to become a professional trombone player. He wanted to be a professional euphonium soloist and this is what he set his heart on becoming. Simon Hogg has known Steve since they were both in their teens and he told a lovely story of when they played a round of golf together in Steve's home town of Bournemouth. Simon asked Steve what he was going to do with his life. 'I'm going to be a professional euphonium soloist' replied Steve; and his belief, drive and sheer talent made that dream come true.
What particularly impressed me about Steve was the fact that he did twice as much work as the rest of us. He was more than happy to play to the students throughout the day as well as performing two solo spots in the end of workshop concert. He also directed the full band and senior group and if not directly involved would then sit and play alongside the children. No airs and graces here, just someone passionate about his instrument and passionate about passing on his love of music. Nowadays Steve is more used to working with advanced students of college level but it was fascinating to hear how he broke down his approach to playing into very simple and basic ideas. As he said to the audience of family and friends; 'playing a brass instrument is really very simple as long as you don't then make it difficult for yourself'.
His entire approach was very much a back to basics style and breathing technique was fundamental. Back to basics is a term often heard within education and other walks of life and Steve had his own original take on the word.
Belonging
Whilst sadly not sharing Steve's astonishing talent I do share his background in that my love of music and brass playing started in the brass band world when I joined my local town band. For me, being part of a group of like-minded friends, of all ages and backgrounds, was a major reason for continuing with music as a career. At the same time as playing in the band I got involved in the local music service's county orchestra and wind band and have so many good memories from that time. Music does have that extraordinary quality of being a universal language; one that can break down barriers rather than put them up. How often in the last few years has a big musical event drawn people from around the world together in a unified expression of solidarity and belief. It is the ability of music to unite that for me is its greatest power, a power that is entirely benign and positive.
Aspiration
Steve had a dream when he was a highly talented teenager and, despite much advice to the contrary, he did not switch to the trombone to become a professional orchestral player. He followed his dream, worked his passage in brass bands and teaching and, as a consequence, has achieved an astonishing amount. Inevitably the comparison came up during our brass day of the contrast between the dedication needed to learn any instrument and the quick fix pleasures of computer games. Steve had a neat twist on this idea. He talked about the fact that in playing there are no limits to the levels that can be conquered. The only limit is the aspiration of the players themselves. All the young players in Warwick are at different stages of their musical journey; some at level 1, some rather higher. How high can they go ? It is entirely up to them.
Self discipline
One of the most important things I have noticed after ten years in a music service is the realisation that music benefits a child in all sorts of ways. This realisation is being echoed not just in schools but amongst parents and, most positively, within government. I was at one of our Wider Opportunities concerts just this week and was talking to the class teacher of the year 3 children who had been taking part. She referred to one boy and expressed her delight at how a normally challenging child had behaved. She was somewhat surprised that he had even turned up with parents in tow. What was striking for her was the fact that he really did seem to care about how he did and about the whole performance. The concert I was at involved pupils from two schools where self discipline amongst the children can be an issue. Not in this concert. Here were a group of 50 or so children who really wanted to demonstrate what they had achieved. Can this be tested in SATS exams? Sadly not. Is it important? It is priceless.
Inspiration
I would be amazed if any of the brass students we worked with were not completely inspired by Steve. But the good thing is that you don't always need the world's greatest euphonium player to pop in and amaze you. In my first brass band there was a gentleman called Ken who also played euphonium and, as far as I recall, had been a very fine player. When I knew him he was well into his sixties and, whilst his playing was not perhaps as it had been, his enthusiasm was undiminished. I was 12 years old when I joined the band and I was certainly not the youngest. Ken was a senior player but not the oldest. How often in life do you have a situation where a group of people of all ages come together in a unified ensemble, all equal, all supportive, all with a common goal ? Tony was a good friend of mine, a couple of years older than me and he played second euphonium to Ken when I first joined the band. As Tony improved he moved onto first euphonium and Ken moved to second. Not only did Ken entirely accept this decision, I soon discovered that it was his idea in the first place. His total lack of ego and his desire to support the younger player made a big impression on me. I see this reflected day after day by the colleagues I work with. Any music service has an extraordinary range of talent, both teaching and performing. What unites us all is the simple desire to share our talent and experience with younger players, in the hope that they in turn will pass on the baton to future generations.
Challenge
We all respond to challenge. Finding the right challenge is the key. Learning a musical instrument can be a stimulating challenge for many children. Creating the most productive learning environment for children is our challenge as we teach and guide our pupils on their musical journey. In this role there are clear partners and without the support of each partner the musical journey can be more difficult than it need be for young instrumentalists. The music service should provide inspirational teaching and a structure of good teaching and support. The school itself should provide a belief in music and an attitude that music is something positive for and within the school community. The family needs to play its part by supporting learning and encouraging the child and finally the wider community can be incredibly supportive where there is a vibrant and visible musical life that the child can relate to.
Success
Success is of course always relative. Sometimes teachers in a music service are the worst judges of success because we are in danger of judging our students against ourselves. Is a successful student one who reaches a high standard of performance, plays at the highest level of county involvement and proceeds to study music at university or conservatoire? If that is our rationale for success then we are clearly going to be disappointed on a fairly regular basis. The really wonderful thing about music goes back to the levels of achievement that Steve Mead referred to at the brass workshop. Steve himself has reached a phenomenal level of performance on his chosen discipline and that should be celebrated and admired; but every level of success is important. We should also remember to celebrate and admire the pupil at the Wider Opportunities concert who, against all expectations, behaved and contributed to what was their very first performance. Will that child go on to be an international soloist? Who knows. Was that concert important in terms of their preparation for the challenges of life ahead? Absolutely.