26 Jun 2010 - 41st Bailey Lane End Music Festival

The 41st Bailey Lane End Music Festival took place at the AW Parker (Drybrook) Bandroom on Saturday 26th June 2010. For the first time the running of the event was taken over by the AW Parker (Drybrook) Band following the organising committee’s decision to end the event after 2009.

Although organised in less than two months the event attracted 36 entries in the eight different brass classes, the most brass entries for many years. Due to the success of the event, the AW Parker (Drybrook) Band will continue to run the event and hopefully expand it to include Piano, Woodwind and Vocal classes for 2011.

Adjudicator for the day was Steve Legge, Assistant Head of Gloucestershire Music Services who was most impressed with the playing standard on the day, especially the very youngest players.

Results were as follows: -

Class 1 - Solo Under 11 Years
1st - Rory Gordon, Lydney Training Band
2nd - Matthew Crowe, Lydney Training Band
3rd - Alexander Waring, Pillowell Silver

Class 2 - Solo 11 - 12 Years
1st - Sophie Collier, Pillowell Silver
2nd - Lauren Brain, Lydney Training Band
3rd - David Crowe, Lydney Training Band

Class 3 - Solo 13 - 16 Years
1st - Ben Stratford, Lydbrook Band
2nd - George Stratford, Forest of Dean Brass
3rd - Henry Kirk, Cinderford Academy Band

Class 4 -Brass Duet 16 Year & Under
1st - Rory Gordon & Ciaran Barcue, Lydney Training Band

Class 5 – Brass Quartet 16 Years & Under
1st - David Crowe/Samantha Ford/Lauren Brain/Rory Gordon, Lydney Training Band

Class 6 - Solo 11 - 21 Years
1st - Ben Stratford, Lydbrook Band
2nd - Elodie Gwynne, Cinderford Band
3rd - Chris Dempster, Cinderford Academy Band

Class 7 – Duet Adult & Child Under 16
1st - David & Neil Crowe, Lydney Training band
2nd - Clive Lewis & Ben Stratford, Cinderford Band/Lydbrook Band
3rd - Tim Ford & Kevin Ford, Lydney Training band
3rd - Samantha & Kerry Ford, Lydney Training band

Class 8 – Open Solo
1st - Ben Stratford, Lydbrook Band

17 Jun 2010 - Martin Musto joins us as our new Principal Cornet

The AW Parker (Drybrook) Band are pleased to announce the appointment of Martin Musto as our new Principal Cornet. Martin will provide strength and experience to our front row and aid us in our ambitions of returning to the third section next year and upwards from there.

Martin comes to the band after a distinguished cornet playing career that has seen him start at Tewkesbury Band before enjoying stints at Forest of Dean, Lydmet Lydney Band and the West Mercia Police Band as principal cornet. As well as playing, Martin has turned his talents to conducting and is currently MD Winchcombe Concert Brass, a post he has held for 18 months.

Martin himself commented on the move...
"After my departure after 4 years with the West Mercia Police Band it was great to be welcomed back with open arms to the Forest of Dean and the AW Parker (Drybrook) band. I have had many enjoyable years in the past playing in the Forest and I am sure this will be the case again. I look forward to working with Kevin White again and hopefully recreate the success we had at Lydney and Tewkesbury Band. There is a good atmosphere in the band room and this can only be a good thing for the future."

Martin received a warm welcome from us as he has been reunited with many friends and all parties look forward to a long and happy association.

Click on the following links to the see the article on 4barsrest and Martin's post on themouthpiece.

09 May 2010 - The Bailey Lane End Music Festival 2010

To enable the Bailey Lane End Music Festival to continue to run, the committee of the A. W. Parker (Drybrook) Band have decided to take over the running of the competition. It will take place on 26th June 2010.

For 2010 the syllabus will only include brass classes to enable us to monitor the demand for the completetion to continue. If successful we would hope to expand the syllabus to include singing, piano and woodwind classes in future years.

Download the Syllabus here and remember, the last day for receipt of entries is the 31st May 2010.

13 Mar 2010 - West of England Regional Championships

Our first year back in the Fourth Section proved to be a happy affair as we took fourth place A solid performance of Saint-Saens Variations by Philip Sparke left the judges in a quandry over 3rd and 4th, with the final ticket to Harrogate eventually being given to Downton. Good luck to them and to both Hatherleigh and Test Valley Brass, who will be representing the West of England in Harrogate for 2010. Our thanks go out to Otis Williams, who has been playing with us for the last 6 months and now returns to Lydbrook. Our thanks also to Stuart Jones and Dave West, who helped us out for Torquay in particular.

You can read the adjudicator's remarks from Stan Lippeatt and Jappie Dijkstra.

8 Feb 2010 - GBBA Entertainment Contest

The band came first in the Fourth Section of this year's GBBA Entertainment Contest, coming away with the Critchley Bros Challenge Trophy and a cheque for £100. Our program started with Coming to America, followed by It's Oh So Quiet and 'Hymn' from the Gallimaufry Suite. Emily Harding, in her last performance with the band before moving on to Lydbrook, then performed her solo of the day - Georgia on My Mind, which won the Best Soloist of the Day award. Well done Emily and good luck in the future! We finished our performance with Birdland.

Congratulations must also go to our Baritone player, David Bourne, who received a Special Award for 50 years service to Gloucestershire Brass Banding, in particular his services to our own A. W. Parker (Drybrook) Band.

For more details of the results, click here.

5 Dec 2009 - NYBB seat for Emily!

Congratulations to Emily Harding, who has secured a place in the 2010 National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain. Emily is the second member of the band to be awarded a place. In 2005, Emily Dodsworth, who was then our principal cornet, also had the honour.

22 Nov 2009 - GBBA Own Choice (March and Test Piece) Contest

With a program of Bramwyn and Dark Side of the Moon, the band managed a 3rd place finish from four competing bands in Section B of this year's GBBA Own Choice Contest. The winners of the section were City of Bristol, followed by Corus (Port Talbot). Wotton & District finished in fourth and Pillowell withdrew from the event.

For more details of the results, click here and for more photos of the band in action, go to our gallery. You can also read the adjudicator's remarks for the March and Test Piece.

3 Nov 2009 - New players with the Contest looming

With less than a month to go before the GBBA Own Choice Contest, the band are practising hard and have had several good rehersals with full attendances. We are also pleased to announce that Beth Laws and Wendy Price have joined us on Solo Cornet and Percussion. The Euphonium player, Otis Williams will also be with us for the next six months while Mandy Hamer is on maturnity leave from the band and we thank him for his help. Petina Fitchett has also joined us for the GBBA Contest on Solo Baritone.

21 Sep 2009 - Farewell to the Morgans

The band would like to say goodbye to Kieran and Ryan Morgan, who have now moved on. Thank you for your services to the band and we hope to see you again soon.

20 Sep 2009 - Wychavon Festival of Brass

The band competed in the Third Section of this year's Wychavon Festival of Brass, in Droitwich. Our program began with Blenheim Flourishes by James Curnow, followed by She by Charles Aznavor, arranged by Steve Cortland. We used David Rose's The Stripper to clean and arrange the stage for our soloist of the day Emily Harding, who then performed Joaquin Rodrigo's Concerto de Aranjuez. Our finale was Joe Zawinul's Birdland, arranged by Sandy Smith.

Unfortunately, our performance did not score highly with the adjudicator and we finished 9th from 10. Our congratulations go to fellow Forest Band Pillowell Silver, who finished 4th in a strong field, including Emley, who have now won twice in two years. For more results from the Festival, click here.

18 Aug 2009 - Summer Weddings in the Band

Congratulations to Kevin White (Musical Director) who recently married Jo Richardson, our former percussionist. Congratulations also to Hugh James (Repiano Cornet), who married Tanya Bishop and at whose wedding the band performed.

24 Jul 2009 - New Stand Banners

The band are pleased to present the new stand banners that we will use from now onwards. These new banners, emblazoned with the band's logo, were designed and made by our Flugal Horn player, Cindy Button and the embroidery was undertaken by Victoria from T3 Designs, a local business. Our thanks goes to both of them for their generous work.

19 Jul 2009 - Goodbye Charlotte

We must say goodbye to our Solo Cornet player, Charlotte Baggott, who is leaving for a banding career in the army! After six weeks basic training she will attend Kneller Hall to study under some of the top army musicians. After this she will then be assigned to and become a member of an army band. Good luck Charlotte!

7 Jul 2009 - Work on the Bandroom

As some may have noticed, work to extend the bandroom has begun in earnest. When completed, the bandroom will have a new disabled toilet and practice room, furthering our ability to provide facilities to the community and train members of the Academy Band.

This has been possible largely due to grants from the Forest of Dean District Council and Grassroots Grants. We would also like to thank the kind members and friends of the band who raised money towards the project.