Will the Scaba contest be running next year?

[Laserbeam bass]

I had a great time yesterday as part of a succesful band yesterday but came away from the proceedings a little dissappointed.

Out of an estimated area of between 80-100+ bands, if you consider that London doesn't have an annual contest, 16 bands finally made it to Hove on Sunday. If it hadn't been for Mid Sussex doubling sections there would have been four bands in the second section, and then the four remaining bands in the second, doubling up to the first section, there would have been three bands having had two withdrawals. With no Championship section this total of 16 bands has lead me to have great concern over the future of this contest.

Hiring the Hove Town Hall must be a relatively expensive outlay for an amateur association, plus 21 entrants in total @ £50.00 a head was credit of £1050.00 but £1000.00 was given out in prize money.

If you belong to one of the bands that did not take part in this contest, how about having a chat with your committee and getting them to ensure that this contest maintains it's great tradition.

On a slightly selfish note, I feel that the championship bands should make their presence felt so that the first section bands get a chance to have been adjudicated at Championship level. What chance do up and coming bands have if there is no direction of what is actually expected of a band until it has contested against the top bands in the area at the area. IF there are any L & SC championship players out there, get the ball rolling and give some of us "lesser" bands a fighting chance.

 

[Dave Payn]

Tom,

Personally, I think if the SCABA Entertainments Contest, and Spring Own Choice contest swapped dates, then the Own Choice would attract more bands and the Entertainments contest hopefully wouldn't lose entrants. After all, with the 'summer gigs' approaching, a mini concert programme contest so soon after the areas could maybe provide a welcome relief. The problem as I see it is that having a dedicated 'test piece' contest so close to the areas is problematical for some bands. Obviously not for all, but for some, I think it is. Perhaps a lot of the top section bands are mentally worn out 'test piece' wise after Tristan, (just a guess) and don't forget, the occasional visitors SCABA have from Belgium and Holland are currently in Glasgow (or soon will be) making last minute preparations for the Europeans.

As far as my own bands are concerned, Fulham had organised the St George's Day concert (which you kindly supported!) some time ago and to prepare for that and a contest was too much. Croydon? Not quite enough players registered yet.

 

[WhatSharp?]

It would be a shame to see this contest disappear. It's a super venue (despite the bar ) and has a terrific atmosphere. Also it's the only SCABA contest in which 2nd section bands can play up a section, Folkstone is held over two days and playing in both the 2nd and 1st section would require an overnight stay which many bands (ours included though we are discussing this at the moment) feel would cost far too much.

SCABA is working to keep the contetsing alive in the south east, I know that it's close to the areas but that just adds that extra edge to it, our band generally uses the Autumn contests to work up new pieces and we use these at Hove since they only require refreshment.

 

[Dave Payn]

It would be a shame to see this contest disappear. It's a super venue (despite the bar )

Quite. It wasn't helped by the fact that the beer tasted rank. :x :?

 

[Accidental]

Hi Tom,
Have a look at this thread: http://www.themouthpiece.com/viewtopic.php?t=6559

In answer to your question, I can confirm that the SCABA Spring contest has already been booked for the same time & place next year. Luckily it takes more than a few missing bands to scupper such a good event.

I do understand that the no-show from the top section was disappointing, but the Spring contest always attracts smaller numbers than Folkestone and the top section entries have been declining steadily over the last few years anyway.... so it wasn't really a huge surprise was it?

Its worth bearing in mind that SCABA only has 5 or 6 top section bands (and only 2 of them are national championship section), so you're never going to see a very big entry under the best of circumstances. From a purely selfish point of view I'm glad my band doesn't enter Hove - the preparation for Tristan was exhausting, and if I'd had to go straight into working on a new test piece and more extra rehearsals with no break after the areas I would have slit my wrists!

Lets put a positive spin on it and celebrate the strength and numbers of the other sections, and the quality of our local association instead! And you never know, maybe some of the first section bands will play up next year.....

 

[Dan]

From a purely selfish point of view I'm glad my band doesn't enter Hove - the preparation for Tristan was exhausting, and if I'd had to go straight into working on a new test piece and more extra rehearsals with no break after the areas I would have slit my wrists!

Awww Alex, you could have played Tristan!! I bet you would have loved to do that cadenza again :twisted:

 

[Laserbeam bass]

Hi Alex

Righty ho, had a look through that thread, and it would appear that the majority of bands were fed up with their area test piece and did not want to repeat it a month later. 4th Section nationally I can understand (only so many open fifth's you can take in one sitting) Partitia, Gregson. 3rd section Vizcaya, I could play that more than once. 2nd Section Kaliedoscope had no choice but didn't mind same as YWD. Coventry Variations

in the 1st section. Need I say more.

I do agree with Dave about changing the entertainments contest and the Annual contest datewise. We at Becontree have decided not to do the entertainments, because locally we are only a 2nd section band and must play in the B section. Nationally we are 1st Section from Jan, and have no chance playing against bands with six or seven year old flugel players with gappy smiles.

In response to no time for preparation we started looking at the last movement of Rhapsody in Brass before Christmas, and then slowly built up the first two in addition to the area test piece. Therefore when it came to it we were still up for playing the piece again, however if I had to play it next month I would probably use my influence to stop it happening :lol:

 

[DublinBass]

If you belong to one of the bands that did not take part in this contest, how about having a chat with your committee and getting them to ensure that this contest maintains it's great tradition.

I talked to our committee about competing this year. We were a bit preoccupied with a CD recording and then the areas, and now that we are considering it, the deadline has passed. If there was anyway to move the deadline for entry back a bit until after areas (perhaps add another 10-25 quid to the entry fee for late entry), maybe more bands would do it.

From what I've heard, due to low entries Champ/1st section is canceled again

 

[Owen S]

We always have the SCABA Spring Contest (Hove) and the SCABA Entertainments Contest (Crawley) very tentatively pencilled into our diaries at the start of the year, but we've never done Hove, what with it being so close to the date of the qualifiers, particularly this year, and we haven't done Crawley since a couple of years before we were promoted to the first section. In the B section (combined 2/3/4), we usually got good music marks, but these were never enough to overhaul the number of entertainment marks that Youth Brass 2000 achieved. In the A section (Champ/1) we never expected to do well.

I would encourage 2nd section bands at Folkestone to play up in the 1st section on the Sunday. Until we were promoted, it was one of the centrepieces of our banding year; staying around the Leas Cliff Hall bar until results time, then back to the hotel for a quick shower and out in smaller groups for a curry or to watch the England match (the football's often on this weekend). Everyone gets back to the hotel some time between 10 and 11, and sits around the bar for a good few hours. Even now, much of our band will come down on Saturday afternoon for a good night out.

I guess the only problem is with Folkestone still so popular, and so many bands doing this already, you don't get away from the first section results until mid-afternoon now.

 

[GJG]

Another reason we often aren't able to do Hove (and I've complained about this before) is that it often takes place on the Sunday nearest to St. Georges Day, (as it does this year again) and we, as I'm sure do some other bands, always play for the local area Scouts/Guides/Cubs/Brownies St. Georges Day church parade. Why don't SCABA consider this?

G.

 

[DublinBass]

With the London areas, typically so late, and some championship SCABA bands going to Blackpool for the Spring Contest, what would be ideal dates for the two spring contests? Own choice the week before/after Blackpool? Entertainment could be how late before it starts to cut too much into summer Last weekend in May?

 

[Owen S]

Another reason we often aren't able to do Hove (and I've complained about this before) is that it often takes place on the Sunday nearest to St. Georges Day, (as it does this year again) and we, as I'm sure do some other bands, always play for the local area Scouts/Guides/Cubs/Brownies St. Georges Day church parade. Why don't SCABA consider this?

G.

Of course. I had a nagging feeling we had a very good reason for not doing it most years. Thanks Gareth.

 

[Accidental]

Well, for what its worth we were going to enter this year - I think I'd finally ground people down with all the soap-boxing about supporting our local association. BUT, as far as I know only one other (Scaba) top section band was entering so like last year the decision has been made to scrap the section altogether.
So now we look like we've let the local guys down, AND I've got to try an find another contest to do. Hey Ho!

 

[Laserbeam bass]

Well, for what its worth we were going to enter this year - I think I'd finally ground people down with all the soap-boxing about supporting our local association. BUT, as far as I know only one other (Scaba) top section band was entering so like last year the decision has been made to scrap the section altogether.
So now we look like we've let the local guys down, AND I've got to try an find another contest to do. Hey Ho!

That was us and we would have been playing up a section

 

[WhatSharp?]

is ANYONE going to Hove?, we are (hopefully) and are playing up a section, but it doesn't sound like anyone else is going!

 

[DublinBass]

Wait...so as far as I can tell, Friary were going to compete in the top section (as they had to) as were Regent and Beacontree. And with YWDB playing up that would be 4 bands...surely it is worth keeping the top section going with 4 entries rather than have bands begin to make other plans elsewhere?

 

[HBB]

We'd be playing up to the 1st section Pat...

 

[DublinBass]

I thought 1st and Champs are together?

Is it 3rd and 4th together then?

 

[MRSH]

is ANYONE going to Hove?, we are (hopefully) and are playing up a section, but it doesn't sound like anyone else is going!

I know Crystal Palace are 'cos I'm taking their next two rehearsals on their test piece.

Also, I know Becontree are 'cos.......erm........well.........it's already been said and I think I may very well be playing for them

 

[Owen S]

I thought 1st and Champs are together?

Is it 3rd and 4th together then?

It's a SCABA contest, under SCABA grading, so there is no 4th section.