Read through my most recent articles:

• A year of Progress
• Review: Nottingham Symphonic Winds, Lakeside Arts Centre

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Learn about the ensembles I've had involvement in:

• Harlequin Brass Ensemble
• Leeds College of Music Wind Ensemble
• National Saxophone Choir of Great Britain
• Nottingham Symphonic Wind Orchestra
• Phoenix Concert Band
• Yorkshire Wind Orchestra

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The NSC has a fantastic, informative website which contains virtually everything you need to know about the group. I will not try to give a historical or promotional account of the group here as their site does it better and I would recommend the format to any musical group looking for a web presence. The site doubles as a hub for all the players to log on to for sheet music and parts to practise, dates to note and commit to, news, communication and interaction.

My own involvement with the group has been as a guest conductor and sort of co- musical director with the amazing Nigel Wood who has my utmost respect and admiration.

Nigel is a motivator, innovator, composer, arranger, conductor, organiser, founder and player. The group exists because of his hard work and enthusiasm, as well as the endeavours of a loyal and patient team of committee members who support him brilliantly.

So how do I fit in? Well, I was asked to do a session with them in 2004 whilst Nigel dealt with auditions. I had conducted large sax groups before and always recommended two paracetamols or aspirins to be kept for instant relief. Oh don’t worry. I’m not recommending drug-taking. These can be judiciously placed in each ear and a headache can be avoided. Seriously. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the players and the versatility of the instrumental combination. I was even more taken aback by the enthusiasm and team spirit within the group.

Less pleasing was the feeling that the group was not quite the sum of its parts.

I discovered that there is a wider variety of playing styles in the genre of sax players than any other same instrument group I had taken. Different attacks, tone colours, articulation styles were all amounting to a rather diffused ensemble which did not maintain the phrase issues throughout pieces and caused a rather chaotic outcome.

How could such a group of fantastic players not take responsibility for their “tightness” in ensemble and their general balance?

So, during the session, I concentrated on these issues, often having to repeat things several times to get the point across. I conducted the group and made them watch, to see what level of attack or style I was trying to indicate and they responded, as good player do. When Nigel returned I set off for home and he emailed me to say that it was like conducting a different group when he took the final session. We both knew that the potential for improvement with these talented players was infinite.

The monthly rehearsal system does not help continuity in improvement but when we took the group to the Festival Fringe in Edinburgh they bonded and worked extremely hard. They began to play in a fluid and musical way and to emerge as a real unified ensemble. I was delighted with the response and so was Nigel although he and his team of helpers were exhausted by the end.

I am still working with the group and I am still convinced that there is much more to come from this amazing choir.