Kirkbymoorside
Town Brass Band Hold Sell out Concert for New Hall Project.
Emm's
speech from the concert
On the 23rd
of December the Kirkbymoorside Town Brass Band held their annual Christmas
Concert. Unusually this year the retiring collection was in aide of
the band themselves.
The Band
is currently undergoing a large project with the Kirkbymoorside Scouts
to build a bespoke Concert and Scout Hall in Manor Vale.
There has
been a band in Kirkbymoorside for over 200 years. They have played to
celebrate 7 coronations, that it itself is staggering. The band has
played for weddings, funerals parades and celebrations throughout the
town’s history. It is appropriate to note this year that a member of
the band has played the last post every year since the end of the 1st
World War. However perhaps more poignant is to think that players from
the band played for those who went to fight in the Boer War and Battle
of Waterloo. The band is intrinsically linked and woven through the
very fabric of the town and it’s history and hopefully, with the new
hall project its future.
As great
as the bands history is as is its musical success and ability, indeed
our competition success at all levels is well documented. But it is
the bands ever present, commitment to its town, to Kirkbymoorside, the
community, it’s residents and brass banding within it that is actually
extra-ordinary.
As a band
they have always, and will always provide free tuition and instruments
to anyone who wishes to learn and have the joy of music in their life.
There is no entrance exam, there is no grade that you have to be. If
you can breath, you can play and we have a place for you to join them
and make music.
But what
does that matter, why does music matter.
Well for
each of the 130 plus players who currently sit across their six bands,
music has benefits that literally money cannot buy. Research is clear,
It develops
language, and reasoning. It increases memory capacity and capability.
Increases co-ordination, perseverance, engagement in school, social
development, emotional development. It increases maths ability and delivers
better test scores. It builds imagination and curiosity, it relaxes
and promotes wellbeing. Develops Spatial awareness, teamwork, responsible
risk taking, and self-confidence.
But
as Emma Smailes, who plays Solo Horn in the
Senior Band and Conducts the Community Band, as well as having children
in the band explained on the night, “it is more so much more than that,
having music in your life, having kirkbyband in your life gives you
a sense of belonging and friendship and community that is in itself
a definition, for me, of what it is to be human, and I am eternally
grateful that I have that in my life and I am so delighted that Kirkby,
our community, our children our families have that in Their lives.”Emma
explained that the band has had their home in Manor Vale for 100 years
this year. The first bandroom was moved by hand there by the bandsmen
themselves and then their current home was built in 1977 where the band
has rehearsed happily ever since and will continue to do so.
However Emma
went on to explain; “one thing about being in a band is the need and
desire to share the music we make with the community. As you may be
aware the Kirkbymoorside Memorial Hall will soon be undergoing a fantastic,
exciting development but we would have faced the prospect of no longer
being able to play concerts to large audiences, concerts in and for
the community whom we love and represent.”
This realisation
came at the same time that our teaching bands were simply exploding
in numbers. With over 100 young people attending the Sunday morning
lessons in Manor Vale each week.
So the Band
and their neighbours the Scouts decided to take on a project to secure
their mutual future’s and the future of music in the town.
A hall that
will provide a home for the scouts, a warm, safe place where they hope
scouting will thrive in the town, a hall that will provide the band
with the space they need to meet our world leading teaching demand,
and a hall where they can play, where all 6 of their bands, and the
individuals within them, can make music for the town, where their learners,
of all ages can practice those vital skills and where the community,
their audience can hopefully enjoy their music for generations to come.
Emma explained
that they have enough money to build the shell and this will be watertight
in March. But realistically to complete the project to make this dream
a reality they need significantly more. Thus the this year, in an unprecedented
move, the Christmas Concert Collection was made for the band.
The Band
Christmas Concert followed the Training Bands Christmas Spectacular
that was once again held at All Saints Chruch. Here audiences were treated
to festive selections from all 5 of the Training Bands, Beginner Band,
Learner Band, Community Band, Junior Band, and Shining Brass.
Both Concerts
saw the annual awards being presented, congratulations to all the winners:
Edith
Butler Award for Potential - Tom Robson
