Join...

The Band is a mixed ability band currently with over 100 members, aged between eight and twenty-three. Some have no Associated Board examination successes, others have passed up to grade eight. Joining this Band is much more than just coming along and playing on a Tuesday evening. It is about like minded young people getting together to play and enjoy their music in an atmosphere of friendship and to spread that enjoyment to the listening audience in concerts.

The Band motto is ‘Music is Fun’. In an attempt to ensure this there are two basic rules for entry to the Band. Firstly, the Band will never turn away a prospective member. This often leads to having a huge number players in any section, and to a shortage in other areas. Secondly, no prospective member is required to audition to join and no minimum standard is required. New and inexperienced players are told to play any note in the bar that they can and to follow their neighbour. Some of the current section leaders and soloists started in this way.

Costs are just £20.00. For this you will be given a Band Tie and Lapel Badge, an instrument case sticker and your Membership Subscription to the Band is paid up to the following Annual General meeting, usually held in November. Annual Subscription is currently only £10.00 a year. The only other costs involved with membership are travelling to rehearsals and concerts, Band trips, Residential Weekends and the like.

As a band member - you may attend Band Functions and play in Concerts as soon as you join. Most will be within twenty miles of our base in Diss although some are further a field. You are expected to get yourself to the Concert but in some cases a complimentary ticket will be available to the driver taking you on the basis of one per family.

Do I need my own instrument? - No. Although the Band maintains many instruments it was fortunate, in Summer 1997, to receive a £50,000 Lottery Grant to buy some of the more expensive instruments that parents find difficult to buy. The instruments obtained included oboes, cor anglais, bassoon and contra bassoon, bass and contra bass clarinets, French horns, a tuba, an impressive array of percussion including a drum kit, timpani, vibraphone, tam tam, bongos and tubular bells as well as many others.

Parents and friends are expected to buy their tickets for concerts to raise funds for the Band. Usually the concerts concerned are ‘The Last Night of the Proms’ at St. Andrews Hall in Norwich, the Christmas concert in Diss and usually one other.

Parents - Parents provide an enormous amount of help by supplying all the transport to get members to rehearsals (held on fifty weeks of every year) and concerts, by manning doors and pouring tea at concerts, but, chiefly, by supporting the Band financially with raffle prizes, then buying raffle tickets, etc. Many of the Band activities are subsidized from the Band’s income, e.g. residential weekends.

Where are rehearsals? - If you want to come in and play with the Band for a few weeks to consider whether to join, please turn up by 7.00 pm any Tuesday night at Diss Youth Centre, Shelfanger Road, Diss. The Band always meets during school holidays but normally misses two rehearsals after our Christmas concert. Parents are welcome to stay during rehearsals and refreshments are usually available at the Youth Centre, the proceeds go to Band funds.

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