A very different but busy 2020 for Coalburn
As 2020 draws to a close, this is a good time to reflect on the year past and to look ahead with positivity and excitement to the year ahead for the Coalburn Brass Band Family.
2020 started in a familiar way for our organisation as we were able to deliver two of our regular events. At the end of January, our annual open day took place at Blackwood and Kirkmuirhill Community Wing. Helen Minshall and Scott Kerr were our guests for the day and delivered fantastic workshops. All attendees and all ensembles from the Coalburn Brass Band Family performed a short concert.
In February, we held our awards night which celebrated our bands’ achievements in 2019 and recognised many members of our organisations. Details of all of our award winners can be found here.
The last time all of our bands were together in 2020 was in March, where we performed in concert at Hamilton Baptist Church. This concert previewed the test pieces that the Intermediate and Silver Band performed the following weekend at the Scottish Championships in Perth.
The 2020 Scottish Championships were a historic one for our band family. It was the first time in our 118 year history that we had two competing bands on stage at the Scottish Championships.
We are very proud that the Coalburn Intermediate made their contesting debut in the 4th section. Following a confident performance of Christopher Bond’s ‘Neverland’ they were placed a credible 11th out of 14 well established bands. It is testament to our youth structures that we continue to develop and grow. No less than 16 players performing on stage with Intermediate Band progressed from our Bronze Band and Percussion Academy.
The Silver Band performed Tom Davoren’s test piece ‘Legacy’ and were placed 7th out of the 10th competing bands in the 1st section. This result consolidated the band’s 1st section status for 2021.
The results ceremony was made extra special for Alan Court, who was awarded a Special Recognition Award from the Scottish Brass Band Association for his 30 years of service to the organisation as Band President. The organisation had nominated Alan for this award to publically thank him for all of his work over the years and the work that he continues to do for all of our bands.
Over the past 9 months, we have developed our virtual rehearsals and since the summer, our ensembles have met once a week on Zoom. Led by our conductors, David Fehilly and Gareth Bowman, this has allowed us to continue to engage with our band members. Our percussion academy did have a brief period of face to face lessons in our band hall at the end of the summer but have also reverted online with our new tutor Daniel Fairley. Our virtual sessions vary in structure and content including focusing on pieces of music (new and old) and developing home practice routines.
As well as virtual rehearsals, our bands have also worked on a number of virtual recordings, which are all available on the Coalburn Silver Band YouTube channel. The Intermediate Band, alongside Leadhills Silver Band, recorded ‘A Song for Health’ by Steven Verhelst and ‘Metalheads’ by Matt Kingston. The Silver Band also recorded Alan Fernie’s arrangement of ‘Baggy Trousers’ and Gareth Bowman’s arrangement of the hymn tune ‘Love Divine’.
The Bronze Band participated in the virtual Scottish Youth Festival of Brass in November and included two pieces in their programme. ‘Bop Du Wah!’ written by the Silver Band’s conductor Gareth Bowman and ‘Silent Fall’ which was written by Bronze Band member Malcolm Ormrod and arranged by David Fehilly, who conducts both the Bronze and Intermediate Bands.
It has also been important to maintain social contact with our band members, but in particular for the younger members of our bands. As well as have virtual rehearsals, our organisation has had a number of band quizzes for all of our bands and we have held an EGM, an AGM and committee meetings to continue the running of the organisation.
The committee have also been active throughout the year and focused on maintaining the band’s financial security despite of all of our engagements being cancelled since March. We have been fortunate to secure funding from South Lanarkshire Council, Foundation Scotland, the Falck Auchrobert, Galawhistle and Hagshaw Hill Windfarms. This funding has compensated for cancelled engagements, allowed us to continue to deliver our virtual rehearsals as well as purchase new tenor horns, timpani and fund some branding work for our organisation.
In December we streamed our first ever Virtual Christmas Concert which received excellent feedback and has had more than 3,500 views on our Facebook page. So far we have raised £1,200 for the Lanarkshire Association for Mental Health (LAMH). We are very grateful to all of the sponsors and in particular to our conductors and tutors, Gareth Bowman, Daniel Fairley and David Fehilly. Huge thanks also to our band members, Jenny Alexander, Alan Court, Ewan Grant and Calum Miller, who were all fundamental in bringing the concert together. The concert is still available on our YouTube channel and the Coalburn Silver Band Facebook and the LAMH donation page will be open until Sunday 3 January.
Shortly after the concert, our Silver Band conductor, Gareth Bowman, was awarded the Brassfestuk Band Person of the Year Award. Gareth was nominated for all of his work designing and leading our virtual recordings and sessions. We were also delighted and honoured to hear that we have been nominated for 4barsrest 2020 lower section band of the year award with the winner being announced on Hogmanay.
Although it doesn’t look like we are returning to pre-COVID banding any time in the immediate future, we hope that bands throughout the country can return as soon as it is safe to do so. Coalburn Silver Band are looking forward to participating in the Cory Band Online Brass Band Championships in February and have projects and initiatives for the rest of our organisation to look forward to in the new year.
2020 started in a familiar way for our organisation as we were able to deliver two of our regular events. At the end of January, our annual open day took place at Blackwood and Kirkmuirhill Community Wing. Helen Minshall and Scott Kerr were our guests for the day and delivered fantastic workshops. All attendees and all ensembles from the Coalburn Brass Band Family performed a short concert.
In February, we held our awards night which celebrated our bands’ achievements in 2019 and recognised many members of our organisations. Details of all of our award winners can be found here.
The last time all of our bands were together in 2020 was in March, where we performed in concert at Hamilton Baptist Church. This concert previewed the test pieces that the Intermediate and Silver Band performed the following weekend at the Scottish Championships in Perth.
The 2020 Scottish Championships were a historic one for our band family. It was the first time in our 118 year history that we had two competing bands on stage at the Scottish Championships.
We are very proud that the Coalburn Intermediate made their contesting debut in the 4th section. Following a confident performance of Christopher Bond’s ‘Neverland’ they were placed a credible 11th out of 14 well established bands. It is testament to our youth structures that we continue to develop and grow. No less than 16 players performing on stage with Intermediate Band progressed from our Bronze Band and Percussion Academy.
The Silver Band performed Tom Davoren’s test piece ‘Legacy’ and were placed 7th out of the 10th competing bands in the 1st section. This result consolidated the band’s 1st section status for 2021.
The results ceremony was made extra special for Alan Court, who was awarded a Special Recognition Award from the Scottish Brass Band Association for his 30 years of service to the organisation as Band President. The organisation had nominated Alan for this award to publically thank him for all of his work over the years and the work that he continues to do for all of our bands.
Over the past 9 months, we have developed our virtual rehearsals and since the summer, our ensembles have met once a week on Zoom. Led by our conductors, David Fehilly and Gareth Bowman, this has allowed us to continue to engage with our band members. Our percussion academy did have a brief period of face to face lessons in our band hall at the end of the summer but have also reverted online with our new tutor Daniel Fairley. Our virtual sessions vary in structure and content including focusing on pieces of music (new and old) and developing home practice routines.
As well as virtual rehearsals, our bands have also worked on a number of virtual recordings, which are all available on the Coalburn Silver Band YouTube channel. The Intermediate Band, alongside Leadhills Silver Band, recorded ‘A Song for Health’ by Steven Verhelst and ‘Metalheads’ by Matt Kingston. The Silver Band also recorded Alan Fernie’s arrangement of ‘Baggy Trousers’ and Gareth Bowman’s arrangement of the hymn tune ‘Love Divine’.
The Bronze Band participated in the virtual Scottish Youth Festival of Brass in November and included two pieces in their programme. ‘Bop Du Wah!’ written by the Silver Band’s conductor Gareth Bowman and ‘Silent Fall’ which was written by Bronze Band member Malcolm Ormrod and arranged by David Fehilly, who conducts both the Bronze and Intermediate Bands.
It has also been important to maintain social contact with our band members, but in particular for the younger members of our bands. As well as have virtual rehearsals, our organisation has had a number of band quizzes for all of our bands and we have held an EGM, an AGM and committee meetings to continue the running of the organisation.
The committee have also been active throughout the year and focused on maintaining the band’s financial security despite of all of our engagements being cancelled since March. We have been fortunate to secure funding from South Lanarkshire Council, Foundation Scotland, the Falck Auchrobert, Galawhistle and Hagshaw Hill Windfarms. This funding has compensated for cancelled engagements, allowed us to continue to deliver our virtual rehearsals as well as purchase new tenor horns, timpani and fund some branding work for our organisation.
In December we streamed our first ever Virtual Christmas Concert which received excellent feedback and has had more than 3,500 views on our Facebook page. So far we have raised £1,200 for the Lanarkshire Association for Mental Health (LAMH). We are very grateful to all of the sponsors and in particular to our conductors and tutors, Gareth Bowman, Daniel Fairley and David Fehilly. Huge thanks also to our band members, Jenny Alexander, Alan Court, Ewan Grant and Calum Miller, who were all fundamental in bringing the concert together. The concert is still available on our YouTube channel and the Coalburn Silver Band Facebook and the LAMH donation page will be open until Sunday 3 January.
Shortly after the concert, our Silver Band conductor, Gareth Bowman, was awarded the Brassfestuk Band Person of the Year Award. Gareth was nominated for all of his work designing and leading our virtual recordings and sessions. We were also delighted and honoured to hear that we have been nominated for 4barsrest 2020 lower section band of the year award with the winner being announced on Hogmanay.
Although it doesn’t look like we are returning to pre-COVID banding any time in the immediate future, we hope that bands throughout the country can return as soon as it is safe to do so. Coalburn Silver Band are looking forward to participating in the Cory Band Online Brass Band Championships in February and have projects and initiatives for the rest of our organisation to look forward to in the new year.