Federation News and Events
July is National Marching Youth Music Month
For the fifth year July 2009 is ‘National Marching Youth Music Month’. The Federation will strive to achieve national publicity, but to support this it is important that bands advise the Federation Office of what they are doing. It might be the public engagements already accepted, competitions entered, or it might be a special recruitment session held on a scheduled rehearsal evening. The 2009 logo can be downloaded for bands to use in their own literature - Download here (750k zip). The current media release can be downloaded here (PDF)
Eddie Hendle - A Tribute
by Federation Trustee Tony Patrick
It is my sad duty to inform that Eddie Hendle passed away on the 23rd March following period of illness.
Eddie was a long serving, highly respected and much loved member of the marching band and drum corps community and was involved in the very early days of both the British Youth Band Association and Drum Corps United Kingdom and served both organisations as a council member, board member, educator and judge at all levels. He was an inspiration to many marching members as well as to a generation of instructors and judges. To read the Eddie Hendle tribute in full click here >>
Musique project gets Youth Music grant
Following January’s ‘whole activity’ conference in Leicester, the Federation has been working on a Youth Music grant application to deliver one of the suggestions made by discussion groups during the day.
It has just been announced that The Federation will receive a £29,700 grant to deliver a pilot project to encourage bands and corps to liaise more actively with the wider music community.
Working in areas identified by Youth Music, four bands have agreed to pilot this initiative –Medina from the Isle of Wight, Concord from Sheffield, Upton from Worcestershire, and Essex Marching Corps. They will be tasked with working closely with a music professional from their area and also taking their band’s expertise into schools and other community groups. The overall aim is to raise the number of ‘new music makers’, and to further strengthen leadership and the musical abilities of band members
The Federation’s Jim Vaughan says “MUSIQUE has been one of the toughest grant applications I have been involved in because of quite specific criteria demanded by Youth Music, and will be a real challenge for the four bands. The Federation is very grateful for their co-operation”.
During the course of the 16 month grant period the Federation will publish the experiences of each band with the aim of encouraging other bands to follow similar routes towards successful involvement with their local music makers.
This is one area of progress made since January’s conference. The draft of the ‘whole activity’ four year strategy – provisionally titled ‘Marching2012’ will be sent to Conference delegates for consultation in October, aiming for final publication in early December.
Financial support
The Federation is to receive financial support from the John Ellerman Foundation over the period 2008 - 2010 This is to assist with strategic development, including communication and training. The first task will be to update our data base. We have also moved the main office of the Federation into a newly opened community centre, which will be able to provide office services and meeting facilities. Funds will also be used to support the Federation’s accredited leadership training course enabling it to operate at no cost to band leaders.
2008 National Conference Report
Michael McKeever, Headteacher of Trinity School in Nottingham. David Sulkin, Director of Policy and Programmes for 'Youth Music' and Paul Brookes, Creative Programmer 2012 Olympiad, East Midlands.
The Conference provided a unique opportunity for leaders, support staff and for marchig members to listen to knowledgable experts from outside of the activity, to discuss their contributions, and to then feed back the views of their bands to the Federation. The Federation will now work with its member organisations to create a 'whole activity' development strategy for 2008 with the aim of creating a lasting legacy of 'more kids in more marching bands'
Photo
Federation Chairman John Boyington introduces Paul Brookes, Olympiad Creative Programmer East Midlands.
Marching Bands Europe
For the past two years the Federation has been working with our colleagues in Europe to create a European Federation. This is now in place under the branding 'Marching Bands Europe'. At the most recent meeting in Amsterdam member organisations from Denmark, Holland, Ireland, Norway, Italy and the UK were present. It is anticipated that Sweden, Spain, Belgium and Germany will join soon.
Our Federation was formed after the 1998 World Championships held in London, and the European Federation is a direct result of the 2004 World Championships held in Bournemouth. A number of UK representatives have been involved in this initiative - John McNamara, Mark Nicholson, Tony Patrick, Nigel Brown, Anthony Winter and Jim Vaughan.
As 'Marching Bands Europe' gathers pace it is intended that it will be able to facilitate exchanges of bands and organise joint meetings and training seminars to share experiences and information.The website will be active from May 2008 - www.marchingbandeurope.eu
In Heek, Germany on the week-end of October 10th – 12th, a training course and congress in co-operation with the Confederation of International Music Societies (CISM). Course fee including accommodation and food, 217 Euros. Contact the Federation Office.
