Fourth Week: West Coast Brass Band Contest

This week, the Brass Band Contest at the weekend stood in center of everything.
Tuesday: Today I had the last chance to practice at home before the contest. I got through my whole solo and thought about all the dynamics and rallentandos I want to do.
Wednesday: Because our teacher Ali wasn’t at school this morning, Diane told us the way Kiwis speak in everyday situations. It was pretty helpful and from now on I sound more like a kiwi. After school I had the second practice with my piano player. I went to her home after school and we discussed everything apart from practicing it. I felt pretty comfortable after that, and I had a chat with my piano player which was nice as well. After that I had a long evening free of every duty because I had already practiced.
Thursday: The last rehearsal with the Brass Band before the contest. After that I met my schoolmates at the royal pub. When I finally got home after several beers and a lot of ping pong, snooker and dancing it was half past 2.
Friday: No wonder that I felt pretty tired when I got up at half past seven, even earlier than normal, because I had to pack all the stuff I’d need at the weekend. Also concentration at school was difficult today. At 12:15, just when the school lesson had finished, I started my trip to Hokitika. Matt from the Brass Band came to the entrance of Nelson English Centre to pick me up. After picking up two other guys our party was complete and we got on the way to Hokitika. In Murchison we stopped for a little snack and something to drink. At quarter past five we finally reached the little tourist village on the west coast of New Zealand. Our hotel, the Beachfront, was just 50 meters from the coast and the weather, which is known as the worst in New Zealand was just wonderful today. While travelling we had seen a beautiful sunset. After the first beer in the bar just under the hotel, we ate tea in the local pool club. After checking some other bars we finally got back to the Hotel. Because I hadn’t had enough sleep the night before I went to bed already at half past eleven.
Saturday: After some orange juice for breakfast we had a marching practice, by the way the first with no absences. At 11:30 we lined up at the start of the marching course with the other five bands. I gave Joe, our conductor, who didn’t play with us my camera to take some pictures during the course. The funniest thing was the massed band marching the course back, with a march I had never seen before. It was just great to march with so many people together, lead by the New Zealand Army Band Drill Instructor. At the end of the course, we were welcomed by a local politician.

4. Week

After a sandwich and a drink, I went for a nap to be ready for the Intermediate Slow Melody Contest. When I got to the venue, a little cinema, which was just a big room with a beamer and some Armchairs and Couches. I was the first person to start at two o’clock. Asking the people there, where the warm-up room was, a lady showed me to the back of the house. So I warmed up between the house and a shed full of everything you can imagine. Bikes, tools and a lot of waste. A man, who heard me, offered me then a band-room for warm-up. This is something unimaginable in Switzerland, but that’s just the way people on the west coast are: relaxed. And that’s probably why I could play my solo pretty relaxed. I just had fun and could present the jury a pretty good version of “Demelza”. To my surprise I won the intermediate slow melody competition. There were only four people participating in this section, but one of them was a professional, so I was very ecstatic (thrilled).I was now hearing other solos and recognized that in the regent theatre, the other venue, everything played was recorded. I talked to the soundperson and she offered me to record my solo as well, if I had my pianist and wanted to play it again here. But I didn’t have the time now. I got back to the Hotel for the band practice for the contest in the early evening, which consisted of a hymn, “in perfect peace”, the stage march, we played “Barnard Castle“ and the test piece, which was “Variations on laudate dominum”. We were able to present the jury in the Regent a pretty good version of the three pieces. I went back to the hotel to change clothes and went out eating with Adrian, which plays the trombone and two people from Blenheim, 17year old Hanna and her mother. We ate in an Indian restaurant and I really liked the food there so I pigged out. It was just good fun to talk to these people and not only speak English but also enjoy their company. While her mother got back to her hotel, we got back to our hotel with Hanna and talked a lot about the army band and other things. I agreed to go over to Blenheim one day to take part in a rehearsal with the Air Force Band. After accompanying Hanna to the hotel where the Blenheim people were staying, I heard Liz playing in her Room. When she saw me, she just asked me a question about a piece we would play at the Sunday entertainment contest. I began to explain her and asked her, how long she had been playing for. She said only for one and a half year and she had only 4 lessons until now. I started to explain her some music theory and I offered her to give her a lesson. She agreed thankfully and she said she would tell me, when she had the time. She can’t at all times, because of her family and the according duties. As she wanted to sleep, I met the other people from the band in the bar in the ground floor of the hotel. When it closed, we went on in the bar opposite of our hotel, where a live band played, unfortunately deafening and making every conversation impossible. But I enjoyed it still and Patrick from Christchurch offered me to stay at his house, when I’ll go to Christchurch to hear the nationals. He also said I could join a practice with the army band, where he plays professionally.
Sunday: Timetable today: getting up at nine o’clock, leaving the hotel room by 10 and band practice at 11 o’clock. Between that I heard two quintets and some soloists in the air and variations competition. At about one o’clock in the afternoon we had to present our 30 minutes entertainment show. Once again I felt that we played better than in every rehearsal before, but perhaps it was just the feeling to play in this pretty big regent theatre. In every case I was pretty happy about it. After hearing the other bands and the band results I had to say goodbye to all my new friends. And once again I got offered to play along in a band practice; it was Chris, who invited me to Blenheim to have a practice with the Marlborough District Brass Band, an A-grade band, which means a really good band. I could also probably play at the nationals with them, but they already have enough tenor horns and perhaps it’s better for me to just go and listen at the nationals. I’ll have more freedom and no duties this way. The weekend was finished with a really nice talk during the trip back to nelson. Because Matt had already left earlier, I travelled with Peter Goodman, the Euphonium player of the Nelson Band, my horn-section mate Sue and the second lady who had accompanied other people at the solo contests. We just laughed about everything and enjoyed the English language, which meant that they said some usual expressions that don’t make sense logically. The dinner in Greymouth by the way was the first thing I ate today. So I had been starving and was pleased that the others wanted to go to a restaurant. Back home at quarter past ten I was exhausted and went quickly to bed.