Prizewinners at the AGM

Verwood Concert Brass held its AGM on Monday 26th March where reports and accounts were received, a new committee appointed and awards given by MDs. The meeting thanked Jane Smith for her work as Chairman of the Band, particularly regarding the achievement of Charity Status.  Helen Dunnings was welcomed as the new Band Chairman.

Kevin Smith, A Band MD, gave particular thanks to his Band Master, Mike Dunnings and awarded the Band Cup to Debbie Scott for her work as a new percussionist. (Photo Below)

James Haigh, B Band MD gave a big thanks to Richard Mullins for his hard work as Band Master and awarded the Band Cup to Julie Pegararo for her impressive transition from cornet to 1st horn. (Photo Below)

Ian Harris, MD of the Training Band, thanked his Band Master, Pam Reeks and also Angela Moran and Ian Sly for all their work with the band.  He awarded the TB Cup to Ellie for her great progress on cornet.  Ellie now plays in the B Band. (Photo Below)

A Great Weekend In Torquay

We sent nearly 60 players to Torquay for the weekend and had a really good time. Our results didn't dampen our enthusiasm (for long!)

Thanks to everybody for brilliant organisation. What a great team.

Above - A band

Below - B band

 

 

VCB Support Active Games For All

During the festive season members of the band were out in force playing carols at venues in and around Verwood and Wimborne, such as Moors Valley Country Park, John Brown's Garden Centre, Morrision's and Waitrose supermarkets.

On these occasions we put out collecting buckets in the hope of not only raising a few pounds for band funds but also to make a donation to our chosen charity.

This year we decided to support a local initiative, Active Games For All (AGFA) , who are raising funds to put in place a multi use games area behind the Memorial Hall in Verwood.

Verwood Concert Brass were therefore delighted to present a cheque for £500 at AGFA's recent fund raising quiz night.

 

 

Above: Robert Graves of VCB Committee presenting cheque to Angela Daymond of AGFA

Members of Verwood Concert Brass perform at the Verwood Talented Youth concert

On Saturday 11th February the annual "Verwood Talented Youth" concert was held at the Verwood Hub.

Four members of the band, Emma, Ellie, Jason and Rhys opened the concert by playing the National Anthem before going on to perform their piece especially arranged by Ian Harris to complement the three cornet and one trombone quartet.

 

Later in the event Jason performed a solo, playing a piece from his Grade 4 exam repertoire.

All four players performed exceedingly well, showing off their talent as well as doing a fantastic job of representing the band. Hats off to them for having the nerve to play in front of a big audience without the usual 15+ other players around them as per the normal band concerts.

There is no judging at the concert, it is purely an opportunity for the community to celebrate the vocal, instrumental and dancing skills of the local youngsters. From the applause received it was evident that VCB's contingent were much appreciated.

Merry Christmas from Verwood Concert Brass

Saturday 3^rd December

A small group went to play carols in the restaurant at the end of Bournemouth Pier for a family open evening.  Ann and Sean enjoyed playing ‘statues’ with the 5 year olds and the whole group joined in the dancing to swell the numbers.

It was a very starry night in a magnificent setting and a great start to all the Christmas jobs.

Friday 9^th December

All Saints Church Southbourne

A group of 12 players played and accompanied carols to a packed audience at this annual event. The box of stands didn’t arrive until 7.20 because of traffic chaos in Bournemouth so we had to work very quickly.  No time to warm up so we just carried on regardless. 

Weekend of 10^th and 11^th December – Groups all over the place!

Carols at Moors Valley Christmas Tree Sales.

 

John Brown’s Garden Centre.

Saturday night:  The Training Band with helpers played at the Verwood Christmas Extravaganza on Ferret Green.

 

Sunday Afternoon.

Verwood B accompanied carols and played ‘A Christmas Piece’ as a feature.  The event was very well attended by both young and old.

Saturday 17^th December

The Christmas Concert at the Hub

For the first time ever, the band put on a matinee and evening performance with a very different format.  A professional narrator told the story of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and the bands performed a programme of totally Christmas music both on and off the stage.  Some in the corridor, some on the floor and some in the wings!  We have to thank Ian Harris who put the whole programme together.  It took a lot of work by many people but the bands all worked together really well and it was greatly enjoyed, so definitely worth the effort.  

 Thanks to all our conductors on the night, Kevin Smith, James Haigh and Ian Harris and a huge thank you to Tim Bond who donned Victorian costume and narrated the story brilliantly.

Weymouth Pavilion - Saturday 26th November 2011

Verwood ‘A’ enjoyed an outing to Weymouth this weekend to take part in the Wessex Brass Band competition.  They played Land of the Long White Cloud by Philip Sparke, conducted by Kevin Smith.  The mood was very upbeat and nobody seemed to mind playing first although results seemed a long way off.  Perhaps 7^th overall was a little disappointing but an improvement on 2 years ago with only Championship and 1^st Section bands in higher positions.  Everybody is looking forward to Torquay.

Training Band Fund Raising Coffee Morning

The VCB training band, under the baton of Ian Harris, entertained over 75 people at its fund raising coffee morning event which raised more than £230 towards band funds.

 

The band invited members of the public to pop in to the Verwood Memorial Hall at any time between 10am and 12am on Saturday 5^th November to sit and have a cuppa whilst listening to the band play its fantastic variety of music including superb solo performances from some up and coming players. These included:

 

Ellie – Cornet

Callum  –  Baritone

Jason – Cornet

Anne – Piano

Plus a quartet of experienced Euphonium players – Sean, Angela Moran, Richard Mullins and Ian Harris.

 

As well as the playing there was a raffle and stalls selling cakes, jewellery, bric-a-brac, pre owned books and games.

The band continually needs to raise funds to pay for many things like new music, band uniform and the purchase and maintenance of instruments and has recently become a registered charity to help make donations go that bit further.

The band have been very fortunate in not only receiving money from donations and sponsorship but through having two special trombones given to the band by supporters  Peter and Christine Harris. What’s special about these trombones, known as pBones, is that they are made of plastic. Compared to a normal ‘brass’ trombone they are half the weight, more durable and a fraction of the cost and yet make a fantastic sound. This makes them ideal for young beginners, like Rhys.

This is a real innovation in instrument manufacture but we are not expecting to change the band’s name to Verwood Concert Plastic anytime soon.

The training band is always on the look out for new or rusty players, young or old, and have a variety of instruments that can be hired at a very reasonable cost. So for anyone interested do come along to a training band rehearsal held in our band hall on Monday’s during term time from 6.45pm to 7.45pm.