Brassbanned speaks succinctly with Michael Wells and John Kelly from Box Hill City Band - one of Australia’s best B Grade Bands.
Michael talks about his moving from the UK to Australia, the Bands’ ambition to win B Grade and the exciting work starting in the Box Hill youth band program. John gives us information about the Street March, and 125 years of Box Hill City Band
Transcript
Auto-generated from the live stream, expect the occasional robot mishearing.
We’re here deep in the bowels of Box Hill city band hall box hill city band naturally is one of the very best big great bands at the moment going around in Australia and I’m here with one of their newer players would you say mr. Michael wells Michael how are you I’m fine thank you how are you I’m very well thank you very much for asking so
Michael tell me I did detect a little bit of a twang when you spoke there are you from the UK I certainly am I’m proud of it - Michael how did you end up playing with Vauxhall city band how long have you been in the country for well it’s always been my ambition to come and live in
Australia since I came in 2011 we’ve climbed up on tour I’ve been here a couple of days and already I fell in love with the place so I did the necessary qualifications got some money behind me and came over a newsy news eve 2013 so just a few months ago this one that’s just happened yeah excellent any enjoying your time here so far of course
I do it’s too bloody hot frankly for me I’m getting used to it and I’d been here maybe three or four days and Marvin emmerich got in touch and we had some coffee we had a bit of a chat and I came down to the band room and really enjoyed what was happening and what instrument do you play
Michael baritone excellent and did you bring a baritone with you or did you sort of come Footloose and fancy-free just to see what his trailer you could offer I came with a suitcase of clothes and the boat on so that was it really any enjoying playing with box Hill is that going well do you think yeah it’s fantastic
I mean coming from grime top I knew I was never going to quite have the same banding experience but the guys here are superb great great people to be around and the music they’re making is really exciting I’m genuinely thrilled to be yeah so we’re playing with them fantastic that’s really great to hear I think everyone’s very happy to hear of new people coming into different bands around
Australia enjoying their time so it’s great to hear now when I walked in the door just before you were taking a sectional yeah and what sort of role do you have here at Box Hill so you’re you’re playing baritone and I’m sure you’re sounding vent istick and you’re also taking a few sectionals yes so I’m sold about him yes sell about him
Michael tells me he’s also part of the new Box Hill Academy Ben has just been started up here Michael tell us a little bit about that so in the past box on city band plc as is has had several youth band’s going on and recently they’ve sort of stopped through lack of direction people moving on things like that and
Matt thought it would be a good idea to get it started somebody young and enthusiastic as myself could could take charge so we’re answered a week for now and we’ve got ten beginners so these never played an instrument before beginning between the ages of six and twelve so they’re all primary children they just walk through the door and took the pick out a few cornets got a couple of trombones ten of horns things like that and how are you recruiting for that banks
I know there are a number of sort of youth bands around the country at the moment they also struggle for numbers a little bit what’s your strategy to get more of the young kids in well we just mail bombed all the primary schools in the local area to tell them who we were what we wanted to do and then we offered to go in and do a little workshop a little sort of assembly presentation to the kids it’s the drama some interest did you do many of those little workshops we only got a response from two schools okay which was a little disappointing but two
Schools equals ten players I think that’s all these children are from one school which school is that clock still north prime Foxhill North the musical primary school adhered in the eastern suburbs so I’m ten children eager and ready to to come and play and in fact their other children there who played us as well who aren’t coming to the band so shame on them
I expect it to grow tenfold you know and go there any performance is penciled in for this new little beginner group just I’m sort of booked booked one page two you know night for we haven’t learned learnt all the notes yet but it would be good if we could maybe do a joint concert with the senior band maybe the youth band could play in the interval something like that when we’ve got a bit more playing and dropouts and what’s it like back in the
UK in terms of youth bands leading into the senior bands is that the way it’s done traditionally to have a top-level band with a couple of feeder bands underneath or is that not always the case it’s not always the case some of the local little small village bands tend to have a junior band sort of a community kind of organization but more recently some of the bigger bands have started with the
Youth Initiative phones band and Graham Thorpe as well a start up their own and their children come from all over the country and to join up with sort of 7580 of their colleagues and are you a music teacher bye-bye dame actually our primary school teacher which is a trade I’ve brought with me I’m still looking for somebody willing to employ me on that basis teacher for hire right here loyal viewers please so
I’m doing sort of casual relief teach in a moment right and I’ve had a few a few private students excellence wise but I’m still on the hunt yet now Michael is Boxall gonna win big right yeah boxers going to win big red conductor of the Box Hill Academy Youth bed what’s the official name sorry the Box Hill
Academy brass box Hill Academy brass thank you very much for joining us very welcome loyal viewers were still here at the Box Hill band hall with mr. box he’ll himself John Kelly John how are you going really good good to see ya that’s really good to be here I’ve you know I’ve got a bit of an association with the
Box Hill Band I think I first played with him back in 2007 maybe so it’s nice to walk into somewhere and see your photo on the wall so it’s good to be back yes I’ll do the surra the police station and no comments I so John has the band going the pain is going really really well probably the best band we’ve ever had and we’ve been going for 125 years this year so it’s it’s reaching a peak for me very happy excellent and the plan is
Nationals coming up contesting the open b-grade he’s box he’ll gonna win they use is that the aim for Box Hill this year that would be the aim and we will be certainly trying the best we can but we do appreciate there are a lot of other bands from all over Australia coming along to compete to try to win - but
I would be disappointed if we were not in the top three excellent and now down to business is Box Hill gonna win the street much box Hill will probably win the B great section of the street March yes whether we win the overall would be a bit of a raffle I think I’m actually not familiar with the rules this year is there still bonus points for an interesting change of direction in the street much there is there are there are 20 bonus points maximum but also there’s a $500 prize just for the most entertaining tournament turning change of direction by any band gets $500 so
We’ll be going for that and any clues any hints that you can drop this to what we should look for in the street much or keeping it under your hat for now no I haven’t really decided what we’re going to do yet and we haven’t started rehearsing but I think we’ll do something entertaining and I think it’s
C you need a wild factor that’s well John thanks very much for talking with me and look forward to hearing box Hill at the upcoming championships
