Australian Concert Bands

Something that I have wondered, is if any of the Band Associations have considered/allowed joint ventures between bands to compete at contests?

Basically, I am a member of a regional concert band, and we find it very difficult to "round up the numbers" to enter competitions - and consequently tend to only compete on a sporadic basis. One of the large issues we face is permitting the additional players we need to bolster our numbers.

While I accept the need to police "permitting" and limit its use, particularly for metropolitan bands where players have much greater freedom in which group they play with, regional players are typically limited to 1 band (if they are lucky) in their home town to join.

Naturally these players register with their own local bands with the band association - even though we are the only contesting concert band from the North Coast (give it away yet?) We then have to carefully use our 4 permits, or cajole guest members from other bands to register with our band - and then cop all the political fallout and accusations of "stealing players" - a ridiculous notion when the players may live >90mins away from us!

To me it would be a lot easier if contest rules allowed for joint ventures between bands. This could work two ways.

1) A number of regional bands join together to pool players to form group to enter a competition. Players could be a member of any of the joint venture bands, and still allow the use of the 4 permits.
2) A metro band enter into a joint venture with a regional band to allow the advanced members of the regional band to experience competition etc.

I see both of these options as being beneficial to the band community as a whole - fostering inter-band friendships, as well as increasing the overall participation from regional bands at regional, state and national contests (particularly topical given that the 2007 State Concert Band Championships did not have any competitors in D Grade.

I would be interested in hearing what comments you have on this proposal, and if the consensus is that this might be a good idea, what the best way of putting this in front of the Band Associations for their consideration?

Cheers!

This MIGHT be a good idea. I am aware of bands that are already combining for some competitions outside assoication events, and for key engagements.

These arrangments come about because of interested individuals becoming enthused to rehearse or perform at a level - and with an instrumental balcance - that may not be possible within their own band's situation. Unfortunately, this sort of arrangement could also favour those who need to win at all costs.

So long as players were properly registered and compeition rules were satisfied, I cannnot see why joint ventures would not be viable. However, there would need to be some checks and balances to think about, for example:

- only two bands should be involved in a joint venture
- bands should be at the same grade, or thereabouts
- proportion should be roughly equal i.e. 50:50 split
- Junior grades, and Open C and D Grade only
- Possibly only regionally-based bands

The spirit in which a joint venture is proposed should be clearly articualted to the State Association's Music Advisory Committee. If done for the right reasons, this sort of thing should benefit individual players, band relations, and contesting.

Jubey

An additional situation where a metro band could join with a regional band to help the "regionals" to be represented at contests - does wonders to raise the profile of a "local band made good" in our town!

Where we are situated, there are a number of "ungraded" bands that are registered with the Band Association that could be suitable for our band (if accepted by the band managment) to enter into a joint venture - so I would think that the rules would need to consider that situation.

I think it might have enough merit that it should at least be explored!

Hmm.... I'm surprised there hasn't been more discussion on this......

Hi,
On a related matter, one of the issues the VBL is considering at the moment is the problem of young people having to leave their country bands when they go to work in the city. A situation evolves where players want to stay registered with their country band, as there are feelings of loyalty, but then employment requires a shift to the city.

This leads to a reduction of numbers in country bands which isn't good for the movement. One idea raised in the general discussion at the most recent delegates' meeting was to classify bands as rural or urban, and allow players to be registered in one of each.

It doesn't solve the problems raised by the original post, but it is a recognition that country bands can find it hard to enter competitions.

Allowing rural bands to work together for a competition could have some positive spin offs for everyone. I wonder if it would be 'legal' to simply register as one band to begin with? Have any country bands every tried this?

Regards,
Sandy Sexton
Mitchell Shire Concert Band
Victoria

Ive sorta done that

A couple of years ago we formed a brass band just for the contest called Northern Brass (competed nats 03 and state 04). People came from everywhere in the region (the band was based at Taree on the mid north coast) to be in it.

Quite a few feathers were ruffled from the 'traditional' brass bands, but who cares?! we dont have a brass band in the area!

But the band association didnt have any worries that i know of, because we just had 30 players in a brass band called Northern Brass. I dont think that there is any rule that the 'band' must be a incorporated assocation or any of that.

Sandy Sexton wrote:Hi,
On a related matter, one of the issues the VBL is considering at the moment is the problem of young people having to leave their country bands when they go to work in the city. A situation evolves where players want to stay registered with their country band, as there are feelings of loyalty, but then employment requires a shift to the city.......

I wonder if it would be 'legal' to simply register as one band to begin with? Have any country bands every tried this?

The only problem with "registering as one band" is that the players who change registration to play with that group, could prevent the 2 "joint venture bands" from competing singly until the time period expires for them to "re-register" with their own bands.

I accept that metro bands may have problems with player "poaching" that just isn't a consideration for a country band - especially in instances where the closes band might be 1+ hours drive away!!!