bitter sarcasm or pragmatic embrace?

Interesting press release from Cwmaman Institute band on 4BR

http://www.4barsrest.com/news/detail.asp?id=2827

I was just wondering it the rest of you found the tone to be a bit sarcastic or more just realism stepping in?

Is there a hidden attempt to stop players from leaving or getting plucked from their bad?

Is 4BR News Desk the best place to voice their hidden message (If there is one)?

I'm sure there are many other questions you could all pose here, just curious of some of your opinions.

 

I can't think how the sarcasm could be more blatant, and they're fuming.

It's obviously the usual case that while the old band cry "poaching!" and the new band claim that moving is in the player's best interests, the truth is somewhere in between the two, and most bands do it.

I don't really see where you found any suggestion of

. How could you stop it?

 

I have to agree that it is odd to see this as a featured news item onsite rather than in the reader's comments section! Maybe Tredegar had an eye on signing her? Seriously though, this sort of thing has happened from the early days when bands wanted to improve themselves and if someone is not happy with their position in a band, whether it be because of ambition or otherwise, no-one can stop him/her leaving!

 

True:

Ouch!

 

The press release does sound a bit sarcastic, but they are making a good point about bands 'poaching' players. At the end of the day though, during your playing career you will typically have aspirations to play in higher-level bands and will perhaps use each band on the way as a stepping stone towards that, plus the player is not forced to join the new band. Thats life, it happens in our working lives and also in banding. It is frustrating though for the bands to lose key players. Also if your band starts having success then it raises visibility of your good players and the likelihood of them being 'poached'. Again, thats just the way it is unfortunately.

 

I was thinking maybe CI Band was trying to show there is a moral high ground and that if your band takes players, you are not moral...thus discouraging the taking of players.

(A bit of a stretch I realise, just wondering if theat may have been the intent?)

 

I like it! Very clever indeed. They've certainly put their point across, echoing the feelings of many other brass bands in the country.

 

I thought the recruitment line was superbly written ... as a subtle warning to potential players they don't want in their band! (i.e., using Cwmaman as a stepping stone to bigger targets).

 

It may be a coincidence, but there's an advert on our Intranet (Civil Service network) asking for two front row cornets for the aforesaid band...........

Top bands do cherry-pick players rom other bands, as long as they do it within the rules there's not much you can do about it. They may use them for one contest, then dump them when someone better becomes available, but it's tough at the top and it always has been. Sometimes it's not nice, and I don't agree with it, but it'll always go on.

 

From the BAYV website, David Cornelius!

http://www.buyasyouviewcoryband.co.uk/news/news_detail.asp?ID=142

 

Well, it was part of the intent of of the last paragraph. I think I got confused when you used the word "hidden".

 

Such is the nature of banding, players come and go. BAYV are big enough to take that on the chin, as for the young lady in question, she could take that as a personal snipe, which is a shame.

 

I wasn't sure if dangling the potential of being in Cory was being used to entice budding young stars to join Cwmaman Institute or if they were just taking the mick out of the player that left (I still don't have all the subtle nuiances of British humour down). The overall opinion sounds like it was most definitely the latter.

 

I question why 4br even posted this press release the way that it is.

News organizations are not obligated to publish press releases exactly as issued - they can (and have an obligation to) exercise editorial discretion.

The release has several obvious flaws, including its sarcastic tone, and getting the name of the "other" band wrong - hasn't "Cory" been dropped from BAYV's official name?

It looks like 4br just did a cut-and-paste job from the original release - this is, in my opinion, a case of too-timid editing.

 

From Four Bars Rest

I have no axe to grind with BAYV or Cwmaman (or any band). However, in the quote, "Discretion and confidentiality assured.", indicates to me that if a player wants to join Cwmaman from a band in a lower section, having been 'nurtured' by that band, he/she will be welcomed with open arms. Discretion and confidentiality being that if a person doesn't want their existing band to get wind of this move until it is confirmed (or not) Cwmaman will make sure that they won't tell them.

The only difference that I can see, is that BAYV did not place an advert.

It is a fact of life not only in banding that some opportunities are too good to miss.

 

No problem.

Most definitely the latter.

 

Players are going to move on at some time or another. If I was the so-called horn player I would be quite offended- sour grapes is not good publicity for the band.

 

I'm a bit surprised at the tone of the article, although I suppose a sideways (or slightly diagonal) move like this might be worth taking note of when it happens in the Championship section.

Personally, I don't see anything wrong with players moving upwards. Our solo horn recently moved to Sellers and we have wished him the best of luck. The band are doing well (Sellers) and he seems to be enjoying the experience that we probably couldn't have given him.

Perhaps Cwmaman are annoyed because it's a band in the same section? Surely, there is a fair bit of this kind of thing going on? As long as it's not whjolesale thievery there isn't a problem.

Is there a subtext that we don't know about?

 

Presumably then Cwmaman don't want amyone who is currently playing for a band anywhere in the world to leave that band and join Cwmaman. Obviously Cwmaman are going to do the decent thing and train a new player who currently knows nothing about banding or music? Sauce for the goose.....