SCABA Ent. contest 2011

Contest remarks to be found on named page ( RH top bar) 

My thoughts below x

Click on pictures to enlarge :-) 

Just before we played x

Silly faces x

David gets ready while looking rather cool

Mr & Mrs Wilson...and chips

Chris & Michael ( Willy too busy picking the beans out of his chilly to notice)

Liz & Joyce....or is it Joyce and Liz?

Jess & Jay

Sandra, Steve, Lou & Elling

The Three Amigos

View from the ferry

Long day, Dan snoozes

Band photo

Everyone blows Jay a kiss x

SCABA Entertainment Solo Champion :-)

Just my thoughts


The SCABA May Ent. contest always falls on the "Walk the Wight" (hope yer feet don't ache too much Philip!) and couple that with all the exams the young ones have and it is a difficult banding week end for Vectis. All the children in the band are top set high flyers and have very heavy exam commitments. It was just impossible to fit in youth band too which was a shame after such success at Wessex. So we only had the senior band to take to the contest. That too was smaller than usual but I was so pleased with the balance of sound and control that we took the plunge and went!
22 of us plus supporters got on the hellish 6am ferry. Much as I love Maria I was thankful for a sleepy snoring coach on the way there :-)

After an impromptu deportment rehearsal ;-) we hit the stage. You never know how the band is going to play really till you bring the baton down but the first entry by solo cornets was so stylish then answered by sop/flug/back row etc. I knew we were going to have a good one. Fanfare was lovely........tymps were just fab Willy x

Jay was controlled, accurate, so musical and had real stage presence. I also thought the band accompaniment was very neat except for F ( i think it is?) just wavered a little but settled, end was good. tough enough solo but the band accomp. is not easy, well done.
Pastime - fun with good troms and horns....and of course perc. x

My favourite by far was "She moved" this had caused us probs with nerves and tuning in rehearsal but my fears were unfounded Jessica, Faye and David just sung. Horns, baris continued and the rest just flowed x It was beautiful. And the end, well I honestly feel it was 8 or so bars of the most controlled playing we have produced on a contest stage. I loved it....and held it for so long! sorry :-)

"Sing" was fine. Just wobbled a little in solo cornet which is unusual as it is the most familiar piece in the programme and you have not done that b4.Joke at the end was well received, well done Ben. Enjoyed the piece...missed the MC memorial blob in mind you x

All the band were rightly pleased and happy after playing, very enjoyable set.
Few momentary lapses which were quickly corrected and the odd tuning slip was also noticed and put right. I could see this in your faces, that shows pleasing musicianship. If we didn't have these very few blips we wouldn't be a 4th section band and we'd all have to get proper jackets, iron our trousers, say how great we are, say how plop everyone else is etc. etc. *sigh* Think we'll stay as we are eh? ;-)

Good 6th place, well done, very good, positive and informative judges comments. I'm so pleased and proud of Jay. What an achievement - well done, you deserve it.

Great day, great fun and lots of giggles x As always lots of people come up to me and say slightly surprised " you bands really rather good" It's because we are a bit of an unknown quantity at SCABA we don't go very often and we are not a serious contesting band.

My personal thanks go to you all, it was a pleasure to lead you.

Highlights of the day:
Jessica for leading the band - well done
All the players whose first senior band contest it was - well done
Ben - great playing and as always a safe journey
Dan C - for stepping into top bass chair at short notice
Willy of course "good kit" x
Scaring Lou in the toilet
Chris for making Dan all wet, and playing well
Beanbag fight on the coach
The horns in the "walking on" rehearsal
....did I mention "good kit"...