Development Band

At the beginning of its second (1996-1997) season, Little Mountain Brass Band had a sufficient number of "new" musicians and musicians new to brass instruments to form another division within the broader LMBB organization. Thus, the Green Band for developing brass band musicians came into being. (Green and Gold are the band's colors, as embodied in the LMBB logo.)

In September, 2004, operation of the Green Band was suspended due to insufficient demand. When the need re-arises, it will resume. Contact Gene Chan for more information.

The Musicians

Our members who find the Green Band most appropriate to their needs include:

• Musicians New to Brass Instruments
  Woodwind, string, or keyboard players have already-developed musical skills, such as the ability to read music, at least rudimentary knowledge of music theory, and usually experience with playing in ensembles. Developing the embouchure, knowledge of fingerings, and breath control are some of the things these musicians are working on.
• New Musicians
  LMBB welcomes new musicians with no previous musical experience, so we have had several, ranging in age from nine to older than 60, learning together, and having a lot of fun doing it. See the above paragraph for what we have to learn, starting from scratch, all at once!
• Adult Beginning Musicians
  The adult beginning musician is one category of "new musician" that exhibits some characteristics that are perhaps unique. Some have been "thinking about" taking up music for many years; some have been inspired by their children's enjoyment of playing an instrument. Most have the natural aversion to embarrassment at being seen (and heard!) to be lacking proficiency in music and instrument skills; this is likely the biggest difference between, say, a nine-year old and an adult when it comes to beginning music. LMBB and the people in it recognize this and offer a supportive environment of mutual encouragement to overcome it.

  Younger beginning musicians have school bands, youth orchestras, and similar ensembles to play in. Adult beginning musicians face a more difficult problem in finding groups to play with, as most adult ensembles comprise experienced musicians. LMBB offers one ensemble opportunity for the adult with limited musical experience.

(I highly recommend reading:

Making Music for the Joy of It: Enhancing Creativity, Skills, and Musical Confidence: A Guide for Adult Beginning & Amateur Musicians

by Stephanie Judy (1st Ed.)
Paperback, 319 pages
List Price: $14.95
Published by J P Tarcher
Publication date: November 1,1990
ISBN: 0874775930

for a treatment of the needs, challenges, and triumphs of adult amateur musicians. I would be pleased to discuss the topic through email, at genechan@vcn.bc.ca.)

The Music

Here's what the Green Band had in its folders for Spring, 2004:

Abide With Me	trad.
All Through the Night	arr. Gary Young
Blow the Wind Southerly	arr. Gary Young
Blues Band	Terry Cathrine
Bluesville	Bruce Fraser
Can-Can	Offenbach, arr. Gary Young
Celtic Brass
-- Captain Morgan's March
-- The Minstrel Boy - Ireland
-- The Skye Boat Song - Scotland
-- Trelawny - Cornwall
Clown Dance	French trad., arr. Bernard Hazelgrove
Cool Calypso	Bruce Fraser
Drink To Me Only	Ben Johnson, arr. Gary Young
Five Easy Pieces For Brass	arr. Peter Lawrence
Four Famous Folk-Tunes	arr. Dennis Masters
Four Marches from the Classics	arr. Dennis Masters
The Grand Old Duke of York	arr. Gary Young
Latin Fiesta	Mike Denny
Orlando Suite	Orlando di Lasso, arr. Jan de Haan
O Sole Mio (Just one Cornetto)	Eduardo di Capuo, arr. Gary Young
Portsmouth (Portsmouth Rules OK)	trad., arr. Gary Young
Scarborough Fair	trad., arr. Stuart Johnson
Severn March	Mike Denny
Six Easy Pieces	Bernard Hazelgrove
Summer Samba	Bruce Fraser
Thirty Popular Hymn Tunes For Young Bands	arr. Edrich Siebert
The Zoo Ball	Keith Strachan

Updated 2005 Sep 12, 08:46