betteshanger new

The Alan Titchmarsh Show

2010-03-18T20:21:00.004Z

Sky News

2010-03-05T20:09:00.003Z

Steve Griffiths - Radio Kent Interview

2010-03-03T21:58:00.000Z

Concierto de Aranjuez

2010-02-26T15:18:00.000Z

Concierto de Aranjuez - Betteshanger Brass Band from Ben Woolnough on Vimeo.

Betteshanger on Meridian

2010-02-18T22:26:00.001Z

Band Picture

2010-01-31T18:03:00.000Z

Steve Griffiths - BBC Radio Kent

2010-01-29T20:51:00.001Z

2010-01-23T00:07:00.001Z

This is the press release for compilation CD as featured on the Alan Titchmarsh show yesterday.

2010-01-22T23:06:00.002Z

'THE MUSIC LIVES ON NOW

THE MINES HAVE GONE'

25 YEARS SINCE THE END OF THE MINERS' STRIKE

THE BEST COLLIERY BANDS TOGETHER ON ONE ALBUM FOR THE FIRST TIME

Released: 1 March 2010 on Universal

London, 22 January 2010: Universal Music today announced that the best Colliery bands in the UK have come together for the very first time and will release 'The Music Lives on Now The Mines Have Gone' on 1 March 2010.

The release of the album will coincide with the 25 Anniversary of the end of the miners strike. The 3 March 1985 was a day that saw some of these legendary Colliery bands play as the miners went back to work – they became known as the 'loyalty parade'.

'The Music Lives on Now The Mines Have Gone' is an album featuring the UK's most historic Colliery Brass Bands including the award-winning Grimethorpe Colliery, Kent's Betteshanger Brass, Scotland's Buckhaven & Methil Miners Brass Band, Point of Ayr in North Wales, Carlton Main (Frickley) Colliery, Desford Colliery Band and many more across the length and breadth of the UK. The album will be released on 1 March 2010 on Universal, some 25 years after the end of one of the country's bitterest and most divisive industrial disputes. The mines did close but the music stayed on thanks to the Colliery bands – today a potent symbol of a great heritage, the beating heart of many former mining communities.

The quality of the album is not only stunning proof that these historic colliery bands have deserved to survive for 25 years, but also with each of the bands on the album receiving a royalty from the sales, it will help the dwindling colliery bands of the UK survive for another 25 years to come.

'The Music Lived on Now The Mines Have Gone' will include tracks of classic songs, such as 'Largo from the New World Symphony' to 'Concerto de Aranjuez' as well as some unique choices including 'McArthur Park' and 'He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother'. As is evident on the album, the musicianship of the bands is of the highest order with many of them having toured overseas and reached the finals of the annual National Brass Band Championship held each October at London's Royal Albert Hall.

The Grimethorpe Colliery Band, formed in 1917 in South Yorkshire, achieved international fame from the film Brassed Off (1994), the plot of which was based on Grimethorpe's struggles against pit closures. The band provided the film soundtrack, which was later nominated for a BAFTA award. They have gone on to perform at the Eurovision Song Contest and have recently completed tours in Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong. In 1970 the band won the National Brass Band Championships and went onto win it a further three times in 1992, 2006 and 2007.

'The Music Lives On Now The Mines Have Gone' is released on 1st Rule Records via Universal on 1 March 2010.

www.themusicliveson.co.uk

Proposed Band Trip

2009-11-25T13:07:00.001Z

Latest news is that the band is planning a trip to the Albert Camus
School in the Pas De Calais region of France. This is expected to take
place sometinme next year.

Players

2009-11-24T18:03:00.001Z

Photos of the good looking players!

Help for Heroes.

2009-11-17T21:01:00.001Z

Betteshanger Brass Band was proud to present a concert to support wounded British Forces.

The concert was held on a very windy and rain swept Saturday the 14th November at St. George's Church, High Street, Deal.

From 2009-11-14 Help for Heroes

This venue has been much improved in recent times and is an excellent venue both from a performers and an audience point of view. The old wooden pews have been removed since we last played there and replaced with more comfortable individual seats and the lighting has been radically altered giving the event far more atmosphere.

MD Dave Cutting had put together a varied programme and had made a conscious effort not to make the event too sombre. There was an obvious point to the evening and this was not lost but there was also an opportunity for the audience and band to enjoy themselves.

From 2009-11-14 Help for Heroes

The scene was set for the concert with Rimsky-Korsakov’s Cortege from Mlada and followed by the trumpet solo ‘Manhattan’ with yet another excellent performance by Solo Cornet player Nigel Bogue, despite his cold!’

Goff Richard’s ‘Doyen’ followed as did the Euphonium Duo ‘Softly as I Leave You’ which was beautifully played by Dave Mason, fresh from his ‘Best Euphonium’ at Folkestone prize, and his apprentice Benn Lunn.

Next up was the Phillip Sparke arrangement of ‘Cute’ before Keith Davies performed the moving ‘Concierto De Aranjuez’.

From 2009-11-14 Help for Heroes

It was nice to see Fred Thomson playing with the band again and Fred stood in on Second Baritone for the night. Of late Fred has taken something of a back seat from a playing point of view making way, as he puts it for younger players. It is testament to the quality of the band at present that we are able to put in a player of Fred’s quality as a reserve player!

Although it is a little early in the year the band played Fred’s arrangement of ‘Elegy on Away in a Manger’. This decision was taken because of the very emotive circumstances surrounding Fred arranging the piece. I will document these reasons for posterity in a future article but suffice to say that the band always plays this piece with the tenderness and subtlety it deserves.

This was, I believe, the first time many of Fred’s family had heard the piece and they had travelled a significant distance in numbers to support the concert, Fred and the ‘Heroes’.

The first half finished with Excepts from Tchaikovsky’s ‘Little Russian’, quite a blow at the end of the first half, but this exciting piece seemed to ensure that the audience did not disappear during the interval.

The second half opened with ‘Fanfare for the Common Man’ with the front row swapping their cornets for trumpets and set the scene for what was to follow.

We were extremely happy with the assistance of local Soprano singer Margaret Threadgold who joined with the band to perform a very moving arrangement of Michael Kamen’s ‘Requiem for a Soldier’ used in the TV series ‘Band of Brother’s’. This piece had been specially arranged at short notice by Baritone played Dave Alexander to allow the band to accompany Margaret.

‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ changed the mood again before a complete change of mood in the shape of 12th Street Rag. Given that I was one of the three soloists it would be inappropriate to say too much other than the fact that Rosie Cullen and Ian Warner were superb!!!!

We were now into the final part and climax of our concert and began a phase of music to specifically celebrate the young men and women who have sacrificed either their lives or their physical well-being in the conflicts. ‘Hymn to the Fallen’ was followed by ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’

This arrangement saw Nigel Bogue, Ian Warner, Rhys Warner and James Pooley perform the soloist’s part with Margaret Threadgold singing the well known words. I would defy even the most cold-hearted person not to be moved by this rendition which was accompanied by images of the troops who had made the ‘ultimate sacrifice’.

Margaret then led the audience in a rousing rendition of the ever popular and inspirational Jerusalem which preceded ‘Sunset’ performed by Ben Worsforld, James Pooley, Tiffany Adams and Rhys Warner.

The ‘National Anthem’ ended the concert and I, for one, thought that this was completely fitting and should be played at all concerts.

Special thanks for the organisation of this event must go to Band Chairman Karen Griffiths and to Band Manager Nigel Bogue who were the main driving forces behind the event and who spent many hours making the necessary arrangements, and to MD Dave Cutting who has driven the band forward to produce the standard of performance they did on the night.

The band was pleased to welcome, as its guest of honour, the Worshipful Town Mayor of Deal Bill Gardner and thank him for his support.

Thanks too must go to 2235 Deal Air Training Corps who assisted with the evening and who were, as always, efficient, organised and cheerful. This assistance was invaluable and we would like to return the assistance with a concert on their behalf in the future.

Sir Roger Manwood’s Grammar School Combined Cadet Force also assisted and we thank them for their support.

Dave Cutting had laboured long and hard, agonising over the programme, and made his final decisions last Thursday. I had given up hope of being able to produce a programme in time and was surprised to see Band Treasurer Andy Pooley on my doorstep on Friday night looking for all the world like Neville Chamberlain, and clutching a bit of paper. This turned out to be an excellent programme put together by James! Well done James.

The performance was recorded and we hope that the resulting recording will be of sufficient quality to use for a future project and would like to thank the two gentlemen, Mike and Mike, who gave up their time to do this for us and Emma who was a great help in setting up the venue.

Of course we would like to thank Margaret Threadgold who looked and sounded every inch the professional and we sincerely hope to be able to work with her again in the future.

This was a highly successful night in excellent surroundings to an appreciative audience. It was unfortunate that more people had not braved the weather to attend the concert given the nature of the event as all proceeds from this concert will be sent to the 'HELP for HEROES' fund which raises money to assist troops wounded in battle. The fund does not seek to justify the rights and wrongs of war but simply aims to support British troops injured in them.

Nevertheless even though there were some empty seats in the venue the turn out was more than acceptable and the people who had made the effort were treated to some excellent entertainment and contributed to a very worthwhile cause.

October 2009

2009-10-17T21:17:00.000+01:00

Girl Power!!

Sixteen year old cornet player Amy Kempshall and her ‘nan’ Kath Lewis have just completed an epic 3 day bike ride from Deal to the New Forest in Hampshire.

The ride was to raise money for the Martha Trust care home and they managed to raise £976.74. Well done to you both from all in the band.

Really Promising Tiffany Adams.

Sixteen year old cornet player Tiffany Adams will be singing a solo and a duet during two part concert performed by The Really Promising Company. The first half is their new work – partly staged and costumed – a music-drama based on Maria Edgeworth’s darkly comic novella ‘Castle Rackrent’. If you like drama, opera, musical theatre, comedy, pathos and bleak black farce – this show is for you.

The second half of the evening consists of highlights from ‘Promised Land’, and from ‘Kentish Tales’, commissioned by this company in 2007.

The performance will be at the Shirley Hall, The King’s School, Canterbury at 7.30pm on Saturday 24th October.

Tickets are £12 (concessions £10).

Bye Bye Hannah.

We were sorry to say goodbye to Hannah Bye who was with us for a year playing Repiano cornet.

Hannah's was a popular member of the band and played her last concert with us at Herne Hill Church.

MD Dave Cutting presented Hannah with a card and flowers and thanked her for her hard work and her enthusiasm and commitment during her time with the band.

She will of course be missed but we wish her all the very best as she continues her studies and does her Ph.D in London.

Good luck Hannah!

Hello Kirsty.

Kirsty Attwood has joined the band replacing Hannah on Repiano Cornet and seems to be settling in very nicely.

A feature to introduce her will follow in the near future.

Deal Bandstand 27th September 2009.

Good weather saw a huge audience turnout for our second Deal Bandstand concert of the year.

Members of the band always enjoy playing to the responsive and attentive Deal audience on what is surely the finest bandstand in the area and this performance was no exception.

Highlights of the day were Principal Cornet player Nigel Bogue's excellent rendition of 'Manhattan' and the beautiful Euphonium duet 'Softly as I leave you' played with style by Dave Mason and Fred Thomson.

First ever Betteshanger female retires.

The first female ever to play with Betteshanger band has finally put her cornet away for the last time.

Sue Thomas joined the band at the tender age of 13 and paved the way for other women to join the totally male colliery band.

She remained with the band for a total of 40 years but finally decided it was time she gave it a rest and spent her Monday and Thursday evenings doing something other than attending band rehearsals.

Sue was presented with a bouquet of flowers and a thank-you gift from the band during the interval at Deal bandstand and we all wish her the very best in her 'retirement'.

Best Euphonium prize at Folkestone contest.

On Sunday the 11th October the band competed at the Southern Counties competition at Folkestone and achieved a 9th place in the First Section.

The test piece chosen by MD Dave Cutting was 'Oceans' by Goff Richards.

This was an excellent result given that the band was playing in a higher section than our current national ranking and playing against some stiff competition.

The adjudicator's comments were very positive and encouraging for a number of players who were playing in positions relatively new to them.

Of particular note were the Horn Section who have improved immeasurably in recent months and Solo Euphonium Dave Mason who played superbly and justifiably won the 'Best Euphonium' prize.

All in all a good day which bodes well for the Regionals next year.

New Chairperson.

The band has recently voted Karen Griffiths in as the new chairperson.

Karen, who plays First Horn, is a former Band Secretary, and has been with the band for about 9 years.

Although it has been some time since she was part of the committee she has remained active as a player and has been particularly active in her fundraising efforts and in her setting up of the very successful Betteshanger Academy Band.

She is a welcome addition to the committee and her enthusiasm and organisational skills will be a real asset.

CD planned!!!

Work is underway for the band to make a new CD next year.

This is planned to be a good quality product and will be offered for sale to raise funds for the band.

Help for Heroes

Betteshanger Brass Band is proud to present a concert to support wounded British Forces.

The concert will be held at St. George's Church, High Street, Deal at 7.30pm Saturday 14th November 2009.

Doors will be open at 7.00pm.

Tickets can be purchased on the door £5 per person on the night although places can be reserved by calling Karen Griffiths on 07967 077493.

All proceeds from this concert will be given to the 'HELP for HEROES' fund which raises money to assist troops wounded in battle.

The fund does not seek to justify the rights and wrongs of war but simply aims to support British troops injured in them.

The King is dead. Long live the King!

2009-03-26T19:12:00.002Z

When the alarm goes off at 0445 hours one might be forgiven for thinking that there must be better ways of spending a Saturday morning than travelling to Stevenage to compete in the London and Southern Counties Brass Band Regional Finals. They would probably be wrong and this turned out to be a challenging yet fun-filled social occasion which showed just how unified and settled the band currently is.

Karen and I were surprisingly chipper for this uncivilised time of the day and, having been in the Brownies and Cubs as youngsters, we were remarkably organised yet still managed to irritate our sleepy dog who looked totally bewildered at the goings on.

Chairman, Andrew Moody lives almost opposite us and, as a result, we often share lifts with each other. Despite this he is often to be seen ‘dashing’ last minute to our house still chewing the remnants of his breakfast/ lunch/ dinner as he has just got home from work/ church/ ante-natal class/ social worker etc. with cornet, jacket and bag full of mutes flailing in his wake.

This morning however he was dead on time and we were quickly into the Griffiths ‘Mystery Machine’ and set off to pick up Fred (Euphonium) who was waiting outside his house which is on the way to the bandroom. Now Fred is normally a cheerful soul and usually ready with some witty retort but I have come to the considered conclusion that at 0540 in the morning he is unlikely to win many points in a charm competition….. this impression was not helped by Karen, who is no judge of mood, asking him if he was grumpy!

Anyway, shortly afterwards we were at the bandroom and a steady stream of players were appearing and looked eager to get going.

Karen opened the club and managed to set off the rather loud and particularly annoying alarm. This echoed off the surrounding houses who were woken from their slumbers and must have ruined many a Saturday morning lie in before Andy Pooley came to the rescue and with some fervent and involved entering of numbers managed to disarm the offending thing.

The gear was collected and we were on the bus and on our way with ‘in flight’ breakfasts being provided by the two Karen’s (K1 and K2) consisting of Croissants and Orange juice. Unfortunately the downside was that they were served by Andy Pooley who must surely rank at THE most unattractive hostess in the world.

Stops in Whitfield, the A2 and Canterbury saw the whole band assembled and by 0830 we were at the Thomas Alleyne School in Stevenage for a rehearsal, having dropped Andy off to complete the draw to determine order of play.

We were in fact drawn third, which was good for us and seemed to be a popular draw all round.

This year’s test piece was ‘The Once and Future King’ by Andrew Baker which, if you have not come across it, is a great piece both to play and to listen to. It is in three movements and concerns King Arthur. The legend says that Arthur will return again in time of England’s need (hence the once and future king) and the moods vary between a rousing opening movement representing Tintagel, a mysterious processional and a finale, which represents a battle. As I say it is a good piece and I particularly enjoyed rehearsing it and playing it in the contest.

We managed a creditable 6th place but many in the audience and band alike felt we deserved a higher placing.

It was a tight performance and demonstrated a wide dynamic range, which is something our recently appointed MD Dave Cutting has been working on with the band.

There were some excellent performances on the day despite a number of players in key roles who were playing in seats until recently unfamiliar to them.

Dave’s brother Steve travelled from France to rehearse and play on Bass to replace ‘Our’ John Ainley who had to work. Steve was, for the short time he was with us, a very welcome addition and seems to be a permanently happy man.

Dave Mason and his fiancé Isla made a great job of Solo Euphonium and Solo Horn respectively despite having a relatively short time in which to rehearse their parts whilst Hannah and Anna dealt with the tricky Repiano and Soprano aspects with style.

Young James Pooley played in his first contest assisting Andrew Moody on Third Cornet and reportedly made a very good job of it. Not bad at 12years old!

Steve Griffiths.

Christmas Concert

2008-12-23T19:27:00.000Z

From