Far too many to mention but we might get it together and put a list up soon!
We meet every Wednesday at 7.30 -10.00 pm in Queen Elizabeth's School for Boys in Queen's Road Barnet, Hertfordshire, EN5 4DQ . We are keen to get going by 7.45 and we usually manage to get blowing somewhat before 8.00. Theres a map on the web site above. Normally in the refectory around the back. Don't get side tracked by the choir who rehearse in the main hall!
Influences
Ralph (go on pronounce it correctly and its not r-a-l-f!) Vaughan-Williams, Eric Coates, Henry J.Wood, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Bernstein, Ted Ricketts, Clare Grunman, Louis Prima, Kenneth Alford just for starters.
Bonjour ! Venir et jouer quelque musique avec nous !
Ciao - venuto e gioc una certa musica con!
Hola - venido y juegue una cierta música con nosotros!
Hallo - gekommen und spielen Sie etwas Musik mit uns!
Hello - gekomen en speel wat muziek met ons!
Hello - vindo e jogue alguma música com nós!
Barnet Band is a community wind band based in Barnet, north London, UK. We are Barnet's oldest musical organisation, having been formed in 1889. Queen Victoria was on the throne: The 1917 Russian revolution was 28 years in the future (we checked the maths on our fingers) and Terry Wogan had not long been at the BBC. There can't be many bands or orchestras older than us in the UK or anywhere else come to that. We have detailed archives that include documents that set up the band in 1889 and photographs, trophies and documents from the past 117 years! If you look at the Bands website (on left of the screen), click on the 'history' tab, you will see a short account of how we became what we are today! We pop up all over north London and in neighbouring Hertfordshire at a wide variety of functions.
In the summer months, we play at fetes, community festivals and school events: Barnet’s Christmas Fair sees the band turn out for the community in The Spires. Twice a year, we give concerts for local charities and over the years, we have been privileged to help many worthy causes. We are a non-profit-making organisation run by the band members and this year we have raised almost a £1000 for the Barnet Branch of the Alzheimer’s Society and £350 for a rural school in India (www.rmdtrust.org), so we're not all bad!
As we operate as a community wind band, there’s no audition and you’re welcome to come along and try us out for a few weeks. We don’t ask for grades but generally the band is about Grade 5 and above and we do quite a lot of sight reading. If that sounds what you’re looking for, please do come along. We currently have a healthy band but would particularly welcome clarinet players and brass of all types: Lots of Brass - come ye with your reeds, cornets, trumpets, trombones, horns, euphs, tuba's and sousaphones! Your future brass and wind sections needs YOU!!
We do have some instruments you can borrow to get started including a tuba - and some timps if you have strong arms and a big car! There was a trombone last time we delved into the back of the cupboard and who knows what else might be lurking in need of a polish and an enthusiast! And if you bring your bassoon along we will celebrate long into the night.
We think the best music playing comes from a positive supportive atmosphere and thats what its like. We play all sorts of stuff. Vaughan-Williams, Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky, Sousa, Gershwin, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Bizet, Kenneth Alford, Eric Coates, Louis Prima, Ellington, Sondheim and Bernstein to name but a few. Our surprise audience favourite (a surprise to us as well as the audiences!) last summer was 'Disco Lives' an arrangement of Village Peoples' '70 hits like YMCA etc. Initially referred to as 'Disco Dies' it got even the most dour audience members tapping and jigging. A modern miracle. Clearly there is no escape from '70s pop music for any of us on the planet.
We have some good MP3 files to put up but are currently checking what we can and can't do re copyright so watch this space. We don't want to be nuked by a music publisher!
