Since I was finally reunited with my trumpet this past
February, I’ve been trying to get back into the habit of practicing, and to keep
myself motivated I joined a brass band that rehearses near my house. I was a
little surprised at how popular they are in Australia (I kind of assumed it was
an American thing). So far I’ve enjoyed it a lot better than concert bands and
wind ensembles I’ve been in, since a lot of the music we play is orchestral music
arranged for brass ensemble, as opposed to the crazy avant-garde stuff that
wind ensembles tend to perform. Also there are no pesky woodwinds taking all of
the interesting parts, so we are playing almost constantly without long
stretches of rest to count.
I had my first performance with the band last Sunday at the
Kingsgrove RSL (Returned Services League) club. RSL organizations provide
support to veterans and their families, but the clubs are basically just bars
and restaurants where people hang out regardless of whether or not they have
served in the military. It was VP (Victory in the Pacific) day, which
commemorates the end of World War II, so there was a service in the morning
where we played some hymns. Afterwards they served us a free lunch (and beer!)
and we played a set consisting of a mix of military marches, movie tunes, opera arias,
and Broadway show tunes. It was good to be performing again, I’ve really missed
it!
Here is my outfit. I feel like I’m on the Lawrence Welk
show.
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