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• 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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I am going to attempt to place on this site an ongoing record of what is happening with my ensembles in terms of progress, rehearsals, players and whatever seems important at the time. I hope will not be too boring. Or perhaps I hope it won’t be too interesting as well because that sometimes means trouble!

If it is dull reading then I apologise in advance, as any diary is only a record of those events which seem to be massively significant when they happen and perhaps of little significance a few months later.
Anyway I will try it and at least it will be a record of what has taken place. If you want to comment or add anything;indeed correct anything, use the guestbook!

A little summing up:

July/August 2006.

The school term draws to a close. It has been a long term and the music room is about to be renovated to accommodate a new ICT system which I have designed. The whole project is delayed because of the computer desks not arriving and all the hardware and software is waiting to be installed. The room should have been prepared before the summer break but now I am leaving the whole place in complete chaos.

To make matters worse I have been travelling to Nottingham in the evenings to rehearse NSWO for the tour to Lake Garda which begins on Sunday. It turns out that the band is a mixture of the ensemble (feeder group) and the members of the main orchestra who are actually going. Many key players are missing and the rehearsal is not as good as I would have liked. I drive back to Leeds tired and despondent.

Things improve with rehearsal and the fact that the ensemble players are very keen to do well. They are nice people who deserve my every attention although the group is still two grades below normal.

I make it through to Friday and leave school in turmoil. I have a night off so we get the BBQ going. The weather is fantastic. A wasp stings Anne during the BBQ but otherwise it is a nice relaxing evening with stress levels trying to ease off before the busy three weeks to come.

Saturday, and Anne has had a bad reaction to the sting so we go to the casualty in Otley. She has antibiotics for the infection but it is badly swollen. Later that evening as we are preparing for the flight from East Midlands on Sunday, the swelling is worse so we return to Otley. The nurse refers us to LGI and we need to go straight there. Anne is kept in hospital so that intravenous drugs can be administered. I return to home pack her stuff then return to Leeds. My flight from Garda returns to Leeds as I need to be in St Andrews the day the tour ends so now that Anne cannot drive me to East Midlands for the Venice flight, I need to book a last minute one from Leeds.

At 3.00am I find a flight on the internet and I can fly at midday to Venice and I text NSWO not to expect me at East Midlands. I pack, sleep for 3 hours, walk the dogs, leave instructions with my son, drive to LGI with things for Anne, drive back and call a taxi to take me to the airport. My hand luggage doesn’t fit in Jet 2’s size limiter so I have to repack it to take my camera on board and check it in.

On the flight I realise that I am stressed!

I reach Venice and wait 2 hours for the NSWO players to arrive and then a coach to the hotel. The tour goes fairly well with some minor disasters which I deal with using up the remains of my frazzled composure.

On the plus side, Anne is recovering, my son is managing and it is quite a nice hotel. The four concerts are moderately successful although, bad light, flying ants, high temperatures and bad toilet facilities get in the way.

The tour ends on the Sunday and I need a prompt star to get to the flight to Leeds. There are slight delays in getting all the players onto the coach but in the end, I make it and this time my luggage gets on fine. It is the same plane(?) so I can’t think why it wasn’t possible the first time.

I arrive in Leeds and Anne picks me up. She has packed the stuff I need for St Andrews and Edinburgh and within the hour, I am driving to Scotland. I arrive in St. Andrews at midnight and Duncan Maynes has waited up to see me into my room. It is a nice welcome.

The National Youth Wind Ensemble of Scotland is always a pleasure to conduct and the staff this year is as brilliant as ever. They work tremendously hard with the young inexperienced group and each day the level of performance improves.

I am using a version of Radio Days for the course which I was able to modify to fit the players we had. I hope no one thought it was just to promote my own piece; to be honest it is no fun hearing a piece in the early stages of rehearsal with this sort of group for any composer. It did mean that all parts were covered and the sax players were not all doubling.

On the Friday the group exceed all expectations and due to their efforts and those of the talented staff they play a very good concert. Duncan Maynes actually starts the CD for Radio Days then stops it, then plays the timp roll; fantastic!

Saturday morning and I need to get to Edinburgh. I have breakfast well before the music staff get up and have to leave without seeing them. I arrive in Edinburgh for the 10.30 rehearsal with the NSC. Somehow I get the stuff into the Grassmarket apartment and find a place to park near the old infirmary. The car park near the venue is now a building site.

I get to the rehearsal and wait quite a while before I can get to work with the group. They are loose and not sounding great in the dry acoustic. The preview concert is lively and well attended but the lack of finesse and ensemble makes me grumpy and tense. Anne arrives by train from Leeds and we go off to the apartment and all seems fine again.

We work our way through the fringe performances trying to make the best of the lack of rehearsal and the very busy and somewhat uncooperative venue. My Mum and her sister come to visit for a couple of days and it gets a bit hectic but more like a holiday.

The fringe performances end Saturday and we want to head to Aberdeen for a couple of days then back to Leeds. The car has been parked up all week and now the battery is flat. I was supposed to drive it to the apartment and pick up Anne and our luggage before we have to vacate the apartment for good. Now the AA has to take me to a palce to fit a new battery and Anne has to get a taxi to there with all the gear. After the afternoon concert, which is well attended, we set off for Aberdeen.

Two and a half weeks with no commitments. I try to recouperate.

September

The schools return and the computers have been installed. There are components missing and some of the software is very unhappy about being on a network. We work really hard to get it all up and running for the new term. The technicians are great as are the site staff and after a hectic week the system is 75% usable. There are still some bits missing and a few flaws but the room has 30PC s running Cubase Sibelius 4 and the pupils will really benefit from using it all. The back rooms are in chaos as that is where the old computers have been dumped.

Exam results are excellent at GCSE with 100% A*-C and the A level is ok although one pupil needs a remark to get his predicted A. I need to get on with orchestrating the new show. I wrote 15 songs in June and July and now I need to get on with writing the parts for the school orchestra. I need to have the overture ready for the first orchestra rehearsal.

Most groups are getting back to work. Harlequin has a big concert in November and they actually have survived the break well. Phoenix sounded very shaky on the first rehearsal but seem to be progressing well now. NSWO have quickly got into the spirit of things and I can see a very positive future for this group. Leeds College of Music have problems with availability of players and I seem to be conducting smaller groups this year. They have a busy programme of ensembles and I’m not sure just how many players there should be in my class. Yorkshire Winds has stagnated. Gerry is busy with other things now and it needs management. People have offered to take over but no one replied to emails I sent out asking about the autumn season. I need to find someone to manage it all and give it a new lease of life. It must not be me, really conductors should conduct and managers manage.

The national sax choir starts up again and they are preparing for a concert in London and a BASBWE conference in Birmingham. I am trying to ensure that enough time is set aside for proper rehearsal as the group still suffers from fundamental problems which need to be addressed repeatedly during rehearsal so that the next level can be reached. Inevitably, they need to work on presentation as it is a hallmark of the concerts. There is no need for these two priorities to conflict with each other if we manage our time well.

I speak to John and Amanda about managing the YWO and they are interested, which is great. Gerry thinks it is a good idea as does Anne. I am sure that Martin wanted to do it himself but the consensus is that a new broom is needed. John wants to pioneer a website for band management similar to the brilliant one used by the NSC. It as all very promising.

The arrangements for the show are coming along. I should be trying to promote Radio Days, and finish off the sax version, but there isn’t the time at the moment. NSWO have a go at Samurai by Nigel Clarke. I think they enjoyed it and they will certainly play it later in the year. They also play A John Gay Suite by Buxton Orr. The whole rehearsal goes by with hardly a minute in the same time signature. Poor things!

I see a text from Duncan to say that they are in Harrogate as I drive back from Nottingham. I reply only to realise that the text was yesterday and they are long gone. I missed them! Sorry guys!

October

I filled up the car with fuel and it conked out leaving me in a car park for 3hours. It turns out I put unleaded in, instead of diesel. What an idiot! It costs almost £400 to put it right and I missed Harlequin’s rehearsal as well. As a conductor I try to be as reliable and solid as possible to maximise the confidence my groups have in what I do for them. You can imagine how horrified I am by this mistake. In the words of Victor Meldrew; “I don’t believe it!” In my own words; “AAAAAAAAGH!”

I have my birthday at NSWO rehearsal. The trombones play the tune very nicely for me. It is a tradition in the band to do this and it adds to the friendly atmosphere.

I hear about the death of Megan, the daughter of Liz, who plays trumpet with YWO and Phoenix. It is a tragic and terrible thing to happen to one so young and I know that everyone reading this will be thinking of Liz and David at this time.

Matthew, who teaches woodwind at the school and plays in two of my groups, has secured £1000 for the purchase of a school bass clarinet. Well done! Now I need to write parts for it for all the show orchestrations. The money is from the Skipton Building Society, so well done to them.

Half term grows near and I rehearse NSWO and NSC on the same day. Both groups are progressing and the NSC are sounding better. The concert in London is on Saturday.

I rehearse the Phoenix Band on Thursday evening. Looking at the repertoire, I see that there is a tremendous difference in the standard of the pieces now in the pad from four years ago. The group is improving and quite happily takes on ever more difficult challenges. During the rehearsal, in the church, the bellringers have a practice too. We ignore it, such is our concentration levels. The time runs out before we know it and we have worked very hard. If only they could get rehearsals started more promptly, just think how good they could become!

It is the last lesson before half term, year 10 GCSE. I set it up with a listening exercise using Britten's Night Mail and discuss how the train effects are produced. I demonstrate an improvised version on Cubase and set the class off to do like-wise. A hand goes up......

"Mr. Anderson, do we have to do a train?"

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHG!

Not long now!

The traffic on the Edgware Road is hell and we make it to Smith's Square just in time. Fortunately the Hotel is literally 250m from the venue and I get a shower before the rehearsal.

I try to keep the rehearsal as brief as possible to save the players' energy.

They play a fine concert and I admit I had to work hard with them to get the performance I wanted. I meet Roger May and the composer of Chimes, Ben Palmer; both nice people and happy with the performances.

After the concert the meal at the hotel is great and so is the room. Now for a couple of days r+r in London.

In London I played a Korg X50 in a shop called Turnkey. I like it. My Roland RD700 with the SRX 02 is good but too big now that I don't gig with it. I need to sell the Rd and buy one of these Korgs. Anyone want a fantastic digital piano?

Leeds College are still operating; no half term here. Next week is projects week and I will run two hour workshop on Morning Music by RR-B. A great piece that shows how 12 tone compositions can sound in the hands of a genius.

Friday 27th Oct

Half term draws to a close and a busy Sunday looms. NSWO have an important busy rehearsal for the concert coming up. NSC have a long day of rehearsing for BASBWE.

They always do an entertaining concert but are not used to the sometimes harsh criticism that can be generated at conference. A lot of amateur musicians are only good at spotting error, whilst having no clue about the musical qualities inherent in a performance. In the early stages of a group like this, pioneering the genre in Britain, a poor performance could be damaging to a growing reputation for quality.
I want to ensure that the quaity of the ensemble is paramount in the lead up to the event.

The snag is that Lord Robert Winston and the BBC are recording part of the performance and this rehearsal as part of a programme about the sax-playing scientist for 2007. Great publicity for the choir and a fantastic opportunity to widen the public profile of the sax choir concept. Television people tend to be used to dictating the agenda and the musical side of the occasion could be harder to focus on.

As usual I will try to strike a balance. At least the London concert showed that this group is certainly capable of impressing.

Sunday evening:

The rehearsal in Nottingham was a bit ropey really with some important players missing. It is amazing how damaging that can be to a group. Partly, it is because the remaining players end up playing different parts and solos that they otherwise never have to worry about. This has a knock on effect and really unsettles the group.

In the end. I used a strategy of letting them play, getting through a lot of pieces and the group did settle towards the end. I am confident that the rehearsal will have been of benefit to the players who attended.

Then off to Birmingham. The sax choir in the middle of a long reheasal to sort out BASBWE and the TV stuff.

It was a little disturbing that no one from the BBC had appeared when I left. I do hope they turned up.

Traffic was a nightmare coming back. Home in time for dinner!!

Monday

I hear that Lord Robert Winston did turn up and the rest of the rehearsal got filmed by the BBC. Perhaps I should have stayed to wave at the cameras. Still apparently TV makes people look smaller, fatter and balder; can't have that can we!

Wednesday

Leeds College and the Rodney-Bennett Morning Music session. Not too many turned up so quite a few missing parts, nevertheless the piece held up well and I think the students appreciated the quality of the composition It's a few years since I last conducted it; it's amazing how these things stay with you.

Saturday 4th Nov

I phone Duncan Maynes about tomorrow's memorial concert for Brian. I tell him that it will be difficult for me to get to Edinburgh by 7.30pm. Don't worry he says, the concert is at 2.30 in the afternoon.

I receive some details from simeon Yates about a work that YWO might play. The description by the composer says "This piece is musically quite ambitious, since, like in my other orchestra
pieces, every musician is soloist in a big pointillist mosaic. It achieves
thus interesting orchestration textures. Also, the half of the orchestra is
detuned one quarter tone lower in order to create new harmonic colors, and
they all together play rhythmical structures inspired by African
"cross-rhythm" technique, that I further developed on every parameter. The
piece is 25 minutes long and is published by Billaudot publisher." I wonder which half we should detune??!!

Sunday Nov 5th:

A better rehearsal from NSWO with a few players returning from half term. Still missing horns and tubas. No way can a group hope to keep progressing with empty seats. I just hate it! Especially with the distance involved.

NSC had two rehearsals in the Adrian Boult Hall and were well prepared for what turned out to be a fairly good concert. Lord Robert Winston stole the show with his little sax solo and his teacher John Harle looking on. The TV programme is about the aspirations of adult learners who can take up the instrument they played at school. I look forward to seeing the final programme on BBC 2 in 2007.

Fight my way home through traffic, wind and fireworks. Home by 8.30pm, only a 13 hour day!

Wednesday 8th Nov

A long day with a lot to get through. I struggle to get into Leeds for 4.00pm and find that only 11 players turn up for wind ensemble. I feel so sorry for the ones who do come on these occasions as they have to put up with all the missing parts. I HATE EMPTY SEATS!

I travel to Harlequin to find that a group of ten players has only 8 present. We rehearse the parts for the Rutter Gloria, to be played in two weeks time. Ken Ferguson is due to be married on Sunday and the group will play. Unfortunately I am not available due to the NSWO concert. I wish him well.

Thursday.

Phoenix has a lot of players missing and a few players present who have not been to many rehearsals. Liz, the principal trumpet is as secure as ever and seems to be bearing up well. I am amazed at the playing of some of the weaker members; really bad, with a concert coming up. You would think that the weaker players would attend better, but it is probably why they are so poor in the first place. The band takes 5 steps backward; depressing, but that is community banding!

Friday

A busy day but ending with a good game of 5-a-side. I score two goals (unheard of) and it turns out to be a good game. A pint of Timothy Taylors and a nice meal later, the world seems a better place! I also take delivery of a Korg X50, having sold my RD -700. It is light as a feather and has terrific sounds. Great fun!

At the weekend, NSWO play the animal charity concert. They handle a tough situation really well. I dread to think what it would have been like a year ago. See the review in the news section. The band is really coming on well.

The YWO website is getting better and better(good old John) now people are using the email functionality and getting aquainted. Amanda continues to manage with skill and energy. Who knows where we'd be if we had had her there 5 years ago?

I read that Alan Dykes is headed south to take up another job. He has been a stalwart and a very nice fellow. We wish him all the best for the future!

Wednesday 15th Nov

A couple of people turn up at Harlequin's rehearsal to see us from the Diabetics Charity. They say that only 12 tickets have been sold for the concert on the 25th November. They look miserable. Was it the music, the bad ticket sales or being diabetics that made them so unhappy? I hope people do support the event, even just to cheer them up.

Saturday 18th

The Yorkshire Saxophone Choir join Phoenix for a concert in Leeds.

The choir play very well with a varied programme and some nice ensemble moments. The music is generally in tune with some slightly odd exceptions and the extent of the thought put into rehearsal is obvious. At times it may lack an overall vision of the piece, which becomes more apparent as the programme progresses. At times, changes of tempi and sections are a little deliberate and safe giving an introverted feel to the whole performance. The group is however progressing very well and is well appreciated by the rather exclusive audience.

Phoenix play quite well; dealing with a difficult programme and missing some key players. Some players appear in both halves of the programme, showing real stamina and versatility. Well done to all.

Sunday 19th Nov

NSWO have a good hard working rehearsal, playing music for the Christmas Concert on Dec 9th. See related article.

Wednesday 22nd

I struggle through the traffic to Leeds College of Music to find that the turn out for wind band is 2 trumpets and a flute. No matter how well cued the music is, it won't work. I return home through traffic and head off later to Harlequin. No tuba! They played at his wedding a couple of weeks ago and he isn't back. He is also not back for the concert. I do not know how people can do that to the colleagues; fellow musicians, honestly trying to make something happen. I feel sorry for Brian who is organising the Diabetes Concert. I think that he has booked David Nesbitt to play. He is very good, musical and reliable.

The Harlequin concert in Sheffield went very well. It is nice to work with high calibre, experienced performers and this concert showed the qualities I admire most. Harlequin can be a bit hard to get going, but in concert they try very hard to produce good musical work and they did it tonight.

David Nesbitt is a class act and he virtually sight read the concert whilst working brilliantly with the group.

Neil Taylor played the organ part in the Gloria by Rutter and he was on the point of my beat throughout, accompanying the singers with expertise and class. The choir was disciplined and experienced as was the soloist, who by the way, thought that she was booked to sing Vivaldi's Gloria! The singers watched carefully and performed the piece after just one run through with the brass and organ. In the end I got home tired but fulfilled.

Sunday 26th

NSWO played well today. They have realised that the Christmas programme really is an opportunity to practise ensemble skills and this has paid off. There is no doubt that this group is maturing well after almost a year in my care.

Tuesday 5th Dec.

Today, I finished printing and collating the orchestra parts for next year's school show. I have written 15 songs and some underscore for the production and some of the cast are already working on the songs.

Like "Live at the Empire" it is a custom written, differentiated, carefully constructed, cross curricular activity. There are parts for actors who sing, singers who act, actors who cannot sing, singers who do not like to act, dancers, and all age groups and abilities. The orchestra parts are designed for a mixed ability group and the arrangements can be used for any combimation by using Sibelius to alter the instrumentation.

Next year is the 400th anniversary of the school, so this show has an educational theme; where a retiring headteacher shows his skill as a communicator and his frustration with acronyms and constant administration and change. His faithful secretary keeps his morale and effectiveness up, whilst wishing that she could retire with him.

The songs are written in a variety of styles and should set the plot rolling along nicely.

The two shows; Live at the Empire, and The School, will be available for performance by anyone from amateur dramatics groups to school productions. The music is available on Sib. files or pdf. format and the script is on word.

Big weekend ahead with two different groups in concert and a recording with NSC. (see events)This is always a busy time of year.

Monday 11th Dec

The weekend was a busy one but everything seemed to work out quite well from the musical point of view.

On Saturday NSWO played a good Christmas Concert and although there were the usual lapses in concentration here and there, the group played some of the most assured and mature performances of the year. They treated the music with due respect in rehearsal and in concert. The result of this was a very professional sounding orchestra and of course , it sounded as if it was done with ease.

I got to bed later than I should have, then it was off to Birmingham to conduct the NSC in the recording session. The group was slightly smaller than usual but they made a rich sound and they certainly played some very good takes. The performance of Big Red by Andy Scott was impressive and the group is beginning to respond to ensemble issues better. The tuning and attention to detail was improving and they are actually carefully controlling the level of attack and articulation as a unit; almost for the first time. The potential is great and that is good because I was beginning to think that these players were unable to respond to one another and have the ensemble nouse, humility and desire to become a group worthy of the name. There are still one or two who need to deal with their own issues and not concern themselves with the mistakes of others, and one or two who need to widen their horizons to understand how much there is still to learn for this fairly young and inexperienced group. When they do, the sky's the limit.

After Birmingham, the dash to Leeds for the Phoenix Christmas Concert. The band had a very poor rehearsal on Thursday and really, bands at this level need better final rehearsals. They played a decent concert and the audience was pleased. There were errors which could have been avoided and some that could not! On the whole it was a good night and the group can go home happy and tired, ready to start the week!

Nearly Christmas and time for a break!

12th December

IGS Christmas Concert. Thanks to all the great instrumental and vocal teachers. You are all fantastic!

15th Dec

A full day of GCSE recording, a hectic game of football, off to the pub with the footy players, a curry, more pubs and a taxi home. Well, it's nearly Christmas.

A mostly free weekend and back to school on Monday for the next couple of days. NSWO is preparing for the Kidsophonic concert with Alastair Parnell, whilst I wallow in a rare Sunday lie-in!

Tuesday 19th Dec

Schools break up and Ian Gasper leaves as deputy head after 18 years of hard work for the school. In his speech he aludes to the disastrous reporting software from Carn which he takes some of the blame for. It strikes me that he might be remembered for a mistake rather than the good things he achieved. Still, better to be remembered for a mistake than be forgotten altogether. So there you go. Better start making some!

Wednesday 20th December

I discover Pianoteq and the new VST instrument that they have developed. It is a mathematical computerised piano which uses digital modelling and not samples, so it is very easy on the memory. I can't believe how good it sounds and how much control there is of the individuality of the piano. I downloaded the demo in seconds and it plays like a dream. I love holidays.
A link to the site can be found under Links.

Dec 27th

It seems to have been foggy for day and days. So good that I am not on the M1 this week at all.

Dec 29th

I read the messages on the YWO site. Lots of people wishing one another well over the Christmas period and looking forward to playing together. There seems to be a real feeling of excitment and community on the site. I hope that it grows and grows. Keep logging in everyone, use the message facilities and put a picture on your profile!

I don't know if anyone is actually reading this diary and if it is dull enough! Please use the guestbook to comment and if there are more things that you think I could provide on the site. Go on, you know you want to!