If YOU CONDUCT a WIND
BAND.......
then this FESTIVAL is for you, and will provide one of the best
motivational tools and
rewarding performance opportunities for your band to work towards
over the coming months.....and years !
The SCBF has SIX KEY NEW
features
which differ SIGNIFICANTLY from the existing NCBF.
The SCBF will have FIVE INDIVIDUAL WIND BAND categories/ classes :
The ACHIEVING School Band Class
- for bands performing grade 1
and grade 2 repertoire.
The ADVANCED School Band Class - for bands performing grade 2.5
repertoire and above.
The YOUTH Band Class - for bands composed of pupils from several
schools.
The COMMUNITY Band Class - for bands of all ages and abilities
The OPEN Class - the premier wind band class for bands from music
colleges or institutes of higher education and youth or community bands
who wish to enter at this level.
In this second year of the
Scottish Concert Band Festival,
there are no plans to include a Jazz Ensemble Class -
although this may follow in future years if there is demand.
The SCBF Festival specifically wants to attract performances from First
Year Bands in Primary and
Secondary Schools in Scotland, and bands with incomplete
instrumentation,
who traditionally have not been part of the existing NCBF.
2. Secondly, the SCBF has a
brand NEW
REPERTOIRE LISTwith
over 250 pieces of quality
repertoire ranging from Grade 0.5 for very beginning bands to Grade 6.0
for professional bands.
Only one piece must be chosen from the Repertoire List when compiling a
programme to enter the SCBF, the rest of the programe is "own choice".
Alternatively, bands may elect to perform a work which they have
commissioned as an alternative to choosing a work from the Repertoire
List. The good news is that there is
NO REQUIREMENT to play a title in BOLD PRINT from the repertoire list !
3. The 3rd. NEW FEATURE of the
SCBF is that it aims to have
FIVE "AREA/LOCAL"
QUALIFYING EVENTS
in five regions throughout Scotland culminating in a Scottish National
Final event
to be held in the fabulous venue at PERTH CONCERT HALL on
Saturday the 2nd. of April -
the day after schools break up for Easter.
The five area events are as follows :
Inverness & Highlands - Saturday 27th. November - Millburn Academy, Inverness.Bands should enter their own
AREA event, but in case of
difficulty with a Festival date,
bands may opt this year to enter a different area event on a different
date.
4. The 4th. NEW FEATURE of the SCBF is the FORMAT of the MUSICAL
PROGRAMME.
Traditionally, band directors presenting balanced programmes (15 -
20minutes)
for music festivals have thought along the following lines -
Opener
Slow Tune
Biggie/ Finisher
The
SCBF opens up TWO NEW POSSIBILITIES -
The OPTION to include a FEATURED
SOLOIST
playing a movement from a concerto or
solo work -
there will be a special Soloist Award for bands choosing this option at
Area and National level.
The OPTION to include a work
of pure entertainment, which
draws on visual as well as the aural
presentation - again there will be a special ENTERTAINMENT
AWARD
for bands choosing to include this
option in their programme. This is really an attempt to get bands to
“really visually entertain” their audiences,
using “musical theatre”, choreography, props etc.
instead of playing light concert repertoire with a
“dead pan” sitting still approach.
So the new SCBF musical programme might look like this -
Opener
( possibly from the Rep
List)
Slow Tune OR Solo Feature (New Option)
Biggie ( possibly from the Rep List or commissioned work)
Entertainment Item ( New Option)
It is however recognised that
bands may not want to include
either of these OPTIONS in their programming,
and there is no penalty for doing so, since these are entirely separate
awards.
5.
The 5th. NEW FEATURE of the
SCBF is that a
new generation of Wind
Band experts and ADJUDICATORS
is currently being recruited specifically to help adjudicate at the
different area/ qualifying events throughout Scotland.
This new generation of adjudicators will be drawn from the instrumental
teaching teams from
Scottish Local Education Authorities - they will be working band
directors themselves
with existing knowledge of the band repertoire and a real interest in
the future development of
wind bands and instrumental music education.
They will attend annually a
National InService Training day -
this year to be held at the RSAMD on
a date in October 2010 - to be confirmed. During this day they will analize the key
areas of musical performance which
is desireable and achieveable by each level of band from first year
band through to accomplished adult band.
This should help ensure that a positive, balanced and uniform level of
adjudication is delivered at each SCBF event which encourages players,
directors and their supporters to jointly seek continuing musical
performances of enjoyment and quality.
6.
The 6th. NEW FEATURE of the
SCBF is that there is only ONE
ENTRY FEE payable of £70.00 for each band, which covers their
entry to their AREA EVENT and passage through to the SCBF National
Final
if that is applicable. This is great value for money, and hopefully
many bands throughout Scotland are going
to take up this great new performance challenge which the Scottish
Concert Band Festival offers.
ADJUDICATION
& AWARDS
It
is intended that
adjudicators will largely be drawn from a
pool of working band directors,
who have attended a National Training event held in the Royal Scottish
Academy of Music & Drama.
Crucially since by far the largest part of this Festival is
educationally based, the band directors/ adjudicators will be focusing
at this training event on what should be achievable by each grade of
band and what actually is being achieved.
Significantly this will be the first music festival where the
adjudicators are given the opportunity to meet and agree on key aspects
of performance and band repertoire in advance of the actual process of
“live adjudication”.
This should lead to a more “uniform” delivery of
adjudication, and go some way to help “iron out”
previous discrepancies, especially between Area Event and National
Final.
Performances at AREA LEVEL will be awarded either a
GOLD
or a Gold
Plus,
SILVER
or a Silver Plus,
BRONZE
or Bronze Plus
award,
based on the
adjudicators perception of how
successfully the band and the director
have achieved in the following criteria :
RHYTHM - successful performance of all rhythmic elements, including successful negotiation of all changes of metre, accellerando/ rallentando/ appropriate use of rubato and choice of tempi.
MELODY
- Successful
balance throughout each piece of the Melodic Line, Counter Melodies
(where present) with the rhythmic/ harmonic accompaniment and bass line.
TUNING
& INTONATION -
tuning up successfully prior to performance and maintaining a high
level of “in
tune” performance
throughout.
ARTICULATION
-
the ability to clearly perform all styles of articulation required in
each piece -
legato, staccato, accents etc.
DYNAMICS
- the
ability to present a carefully structured dynamic range throughout each
piece.
COMMUNICATION
-
the bands ability to respond to the conductors visual direction -
and the conductors ability to give appropriate visual direction.
MUSICALITY
&
INTERPRETATION -
the evidence from the
performance of detailed prior thought and preparation on the programme
by the conductor with regard to phrasing and creating musical
performance which is more than simply a delivery of the notes on the
page.
CHOICE
& BALANCE of PROGRAMME
-
A well conceived balanced and contrasting
programme which focuses on the strengths of the ensemble, but at the
same time presenting the band with appropriate technical &
musical challenges
The AWARDS
As outlined above, awards will be presented using the following hierarchy :
Bronze
Bronze Plus
Silver
Silver Plus
Gold
Gold Plus
at NATIONAL FINAL level, since it is anticipated that there may be several awards at Gold Level, and in order to differentiate a really outstanding Gold performance, the adjudicators may if they deem it appropriate, award one and only one PLATINUM Award.
At
each AREA event, the adjudicators may
award “The MOST ENTERTAINING BAND” award to the band
who achieves the highest level of performance - visually and aurally,
in the NEW FESTIVAL OPTION
of the addition of an entertainment item to the performance.
At
each AREA event, the adjudicators may
award “The MOST OUTSTANDING SOLOIST” to the soloist
who achieves the highest level of performance in the New Festival
Option where band directors may choose to
feature a particularly good soloist.
The
National Final of the Scottish Concert
Band Festival, on Sunday 21st. of March 2010, will be given
a very high profile, with the highest achieving bands from across
Scotland being invited to give public
performances as part of the RSAM&D programme of events to
recognise their success. The winning Soloist
( where band directors have chosen this option), will be invited to
perform a solo work ( or concerto or
movement from a concerto) with the orchestra or wind band of the RSAMD.
At
National Final level, it is hoped to make
an award to the Band Director who produces the most musical
performance of any one piece or complete programme.
There
will be an award for the band who
successfully produces and performs
“the BEST COMMISIONED NEW WORK for BAND”
This award could be won by a band at AREA level, and is not necessarily
tied into performances at
National Final level.
SCBF
REPERTOIRE LIST 2009 - 2010
This list is available both with this mailing to you as a separate
document, and online at
www.scottishconcertbandfestival.com
SCBF
ENTRY FORM 2009 - 2010
The entry form is available both with this mailing to you as a separate
document, and online at
www.scottishconcertbandfestival.com
The entry fee is £70.00
CLOSING DATE for entries for ALL AREAS is FRIDAY 9th. October 2009
The
NATIONAL FINAL of the Scottish Concert
Band Festival, on Sunday 21st. of March 2010
at The Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama in Glasgow.