‘Brass bands neglected’

Press, 6 December 1979, Page 26

‘Brass bands neglected’

trass band* ar* th* "poor relation’’ when it comes to receiving grants, according to a Christchurch bandsman. Speaking from the floor during the annual meeting of the Christchurch Community Arts Council’s annual meeting, Mr W. Deer said that “only one band in this town” received financial assistance. The rest were “the orphans of the outfit.” He said that his band, the Christchurch Metropolitan Fire Brigade Band, had re-

cently written to all th* intermediate schools in Christchurch asking for pupils to join and learn a brass instrument. Only two replies had been received.

It was the band’s experience that if 14 children joined, only two would be left a year later, and only one of these would become a competent player, Mr Deer said. He blamed parental apathy for this.

“They are quite happy to get rid of the children for a

while but when it comes to pushing them to learn the Instrument properly, it doesn’t come,” he said. His main point was, however, that the “average” band in Christchurch got nothing.

The chairman of the Christchurch Music Council (Mr E. G. Rowell) said that his organisation had over the years had the greatest difficulty in trying to get any information out of brass bands about their plans and needs.