We are making a movie!

The Moreland Junior program team members are going to make a movie to go with one of the pieces they are currently rehearsing. Click this link to listen to a recording made of "Haunted" made last night at our regular Wednesday night rehearsal.

The movie will be based around scary themes and will feature all members of the Junior program. All aspects of the movie are being designed by junior members. It is hoped the piece with accompanying projection will be performed live to Moreland community in the coming months.

Brunswick ANZACS Compact Disc Launch

This ANZAC day the Moreland City Band will launch it's latest CD Brunswick ANZACS at the Coburg RSL ANZAC day ceremony on Sunday April the 19th. The band will be selling CDs on the day and is looking to offer packs of 10 CDs with the above display box to RSL and other interested clubs for sale at $15 per CD.

If you are interested in buying a copy of the CD or believe you club would be interested in one of the display packs. Please contact the band by email at info@morelandcityband.com.au.

The following is a list of the works on the CD:

• The Last Post (traditional, Craig Farrington - Bugle)


• Reveille (traditional)


• The Ode


• Deep Harmony (Parker)


• Fanfare for a Dignified Occasion (Bliss)


• Advance Australia Fair


• God Save the Queen


• On the Road to Gundagai (O’Hagan)


• Waltzing Matilda (Cowan)


• Crimond (Grant)


• Colonel Bogey (Alford)


• Just a Closer Walk (traditional)


• Keep Smiling Through


• I Am Australian (Woodley/Newton, Jen Magoulas - Vocals)


• Amazing Grace (traditional, Jen Magoulas - Vocals)


• Happy Together (Bonner/Gordon)


• At the Going Down of the Sun (Fitzpatrick, Anthony McAuley - Voice)

MCB Manifesto

Brass bands, while still a relatively strong force in Australian culture, are perceived by those who look from outside the brass band community as increasingly irrelevant. Kids find them uncool, music teachers are reluctant to send their students to play in one, and councilors don’t see them as a budgetary priority.

In the past (and still in some locations in Australia) the brass band was an integral element of its local community. It would play at all ceremonies and official functions as well as providing entertainment services to local businesses and other community services. Band members came from and lived in the area and were intimately connected with the local community. Everybody in the area knew their band and would happily send their children to learn an instrument if they were so inclined.

Today the situation is very different. In the case of the Moreland City Band, the perception by some council members and local ratepayers is that the band is an anachronism, maybe even regarded as a hold out of the past anglo-saxon dominated culture. This is quite understandable in Moreland an area increasing multi cultural in its makeup. At the same time it an issue that is difficult to rectify without a good understanding those new cultural inputs by its members.

The Moreland City Band, while relatively new in name, comes from a grand heritage, formed from the merging of Brunswick and Coburg councils. The band has photographic evidence of the Coburg band dating back to 1882 and the Brunswick band to 1882.

Despite this heritage (quite considerable by Australian standards), the band as it stands today is under increasing pressure to remain viable, attract new members and generally thrive like it has in the past. Senior member numbers have decreased, despite notionally having one of the largest council areas to draw players from.

Some may look to blame management of the band to the current situation. And there is some evidence to back up this claim. Eight years ago the band was lead by a great conductor. Under this conductorship the band grew in size and went from being classed as a B grade band to A grade. However on this conductor finishing up with the band a large proportion of the members left to follow him to his next band.

To understand why the players left to follow their musical director rather than keep their allegiance with Moreland, some context must be given to the relevance of competitions to the brass band. A useful analogy is the football team. In many respects a brass band is the musical equivalent of a football team. Consider the tubas as backs, trombones, horns and euphoniums midfielders and cornets forwards. The conductor/musical director is the coach and the matches are competitions held every few months after a considerable number of practice sessions (rehearsals).

Just as in sport, Australians are very keen competitors. As such bands do everything they can to win. This includes lots of extra rehearsals, two a week normally and four or more closer to the competition itself. Just to stay competitive bands must widen their reach, inducing players to travel to these rehearsals from outside their local community.

It is suggested that the results of this keen competitive spirit has the effect of further reducing the relevance of brass bands within the Australian communities in which they reside. Highly competitive bands tend to be made up of a low percentage of local members; and a focus on competition tends to reduce the band's exposure to the local community.

To some extent the focus on competition would be forgivable if the competitions led to wider exposure to the Australian community. However nothing could be further from the case. In reality brass band competitions are very insular. The vast majority of people at a brass band competition are brass band players and associated family members. This was witnessed firsthand by Moreland City Band members at their recent attendance at the 2008 competitions in Christchurch New Zealand.

It is suggested that the myopic focus on competition by the Australian brass band culture is leaving the movement less integrated with their local communities, and increasingly irrelevant to the wider Australian culture. Bands are made up of a low percentage of local personnel. The "live to compete" mantra leaves little time to the local community. The competitions themselves have become insular, with not enough effort put into the band's external promotion.

So what can we do to turn this situation around? By making our band, and brass bands in general, relevant to the local and wider Australian community. How can we make our band cool so junior will want to join our youth band programme, teachers will want to send us their students, and councilors will want to put us on the top of their budgetary priorities?

It seems clear that innovation is key, thinking boldly outside the box. To Moreland City Band this will mean initially falling outside the standard classic brass band structure. But one hopes that in the end the changes proposed will result in a new meaning for what a brass band is and what it does.

Proposed changes and why:

1. Moreland City Band will throw off the competitive millstone that is around our collective necks. By not competing it will no longer focus our energies naval gazing and must look at new ways and places to perform.


2. With no longer the need to comply with draconian competition rules Moreland City Band will throw out many of constraints brass bands are under. Moreland City Band will look to incorporate new media (video) and instrumentation (voice, computer etc) into its performance repertoire.


3. Moreland City Band will actively pursue new avenues for performance to bring our music into the mainstream of Australian culture and make the MCB cool.

Drumming Classes & Workshops

Soon drumming classes and workshops with Ray Pereira will be run out of the Moreland City Band rehearsal studio Keith Ford Hall on Phoenix Street Brunswick. If your interested, please call 0403 198 223 or checkout www.raypereira.com. For more details click on the image below.

MCB at the Brunswick Music Festival

Today the Moreland City Band performed at the Brunswick Music Festival. Appearing on the community stage at 1.15pm the 25 minute program was the band's first live performance with musical director Pete Mathison and all new public performance focused ensemble.



The ensemble included the debut of the African drum team lead by Jacob Kinniburgh featured in Caravan and Take Five. Can't Take My Eyes Off You was presented as trombone feature with Cameron Lobb playing the solo and Summertime presented as soprano cornet feature, very stylishly played by Rob Savage.

MCB front page news

Tomorrows Moreland Leader newspaper features MCB on the front page. Tessa Hoffman writes about how the band is being forced out of the premises it has occupied for over 70 years by a council land grab.

To read the article checkout the Leader website:
http://moreland-leader.whereilive.com.au/

Band proposes agreement with council

Monday 16 February 2009 at 9.45am
Cr Lambros Tapinos
Mayor of Moreland

Dear Mayor,

Proposed agreement in principle between the Moreland City Band and the City of Moreland

PRELIMINARIES

Thankyou for visiting the Keith Ford hall last Friday and for providing written answers by Council officers to our questions.

Thankyou for reading our correspondence last week from our President, Vice President and the Committee Member delegated to communicate with the Council on this matter concerning the Band's exciting plans to grow the Band and increase and diversify community participation at all levels.

We refer to our undertakings made to you in writing and in good faith at 4.30pm on Friday afternoon whilst we considered our position.

THE FACTS

It is now clear to everyone that :

1. At no time prior to the Council's 2007 decision to proceed with a plan involving the demolition of the Keith Ford hall and expulsion of the band from the site (and consequent loss by the Band of the exclusive use of a purpose-built local community band facility) did Council meet with the Band or in any way foreshadow with the Band such a proposed course of action?

[See Council's Answer to Question 19b-- Frost,11.32am, 13 Feb 09].

2. Council has never offered to provide the Band with exclusive use of an equivalent dedicated local community band facility to the Keith Ford hall.

[See Council's Answer to Question 20--Frost, 11.32am, 13 Feb 09].

3. Council has never prepared a costing or budget-estimate of providing the Band with exclusive use of an equivalent dedicated local community band facility to the Keith Ford hall.

[See Council's Answer to Question 22-- Frost, 11.32am, 13 Feb 09].

4. There would be significant financial savings to Council in terms of shared amenities like toilets, showers, creche, office-space if a local community band hall were to be included in the pool redevelopment. [See Council's Answer to Question 24--Frost, 11.32am, 13 Feb 09].

5. The truly unique feature of the pool site is its historic legacy with the 129 year old Band and the 87 year old Baths which have managed to share this same site for over 70 years providing a shining example of the Brunswick community spirit of sharing, mutual respect and peaceful coexistence.

[See Council's Answer to Questions 8 through 12--Frost, 11.32am, 13 Feb 09]

We believe this inspiring legacy still speaks to us today and in the future.

There has always been an opportunity in the past 70 years for the Band hall to be demolished and the Band expelled.

This has never occurred due to the good sense of the community and we have a duty to previous and future generations to continue the legacy of peaceful co-existence.

The Band has a secure place in the hearts of the community through our faithful service in all our triumphs and disasters and is prepared to once again rally our supporters in the community and generally blow our own horn.

The Band's current online survey of all municipal bands in Australia shows that the vast majority of other muncipal band in Australia has their own dedicated bandroom for the exclusive use of the band (even though some share other amenities like toilets, showers, creche, kitchen, trophy-display space and office-space) for the senior band's rehearsals, junior band rehearsals, adult beginner band rehearsals, instrument-storage, concert-equipment, huge music library compactus, concert-prepearations, concert-loading-and-unloading and band skills workshops, composition workshops, music wellness sessions, drumming workshops and regular meetings of band members and supporters (and regular social events like any footy or cricket club has).

[See our online Questionnaire at http://fs19.formsite.com/tonant/form151381938/index.html and Vice President's request for responses athttp://spitvalve.com.au/viewtopic.php?t=3503&sid=789545aa46ce30269db1478f673aa5c8

COUNCIL'S REQUESTS TO BAND

On Friday Council officers respectfully requested both verbally and in writing to the Committee Members of the Band that

1. Moreland City Band refrain from attempting to jeopardise funding applications for the proposed redevelopment. [See Council's Answer to Questions 26--Frost, 11.32am, 13 Feb 09]

2. Moreland City Band refrain from attempting to create opposition to the proposed redevelopment re YMCA, the manager's of the pool since 1993. [See Council's Answer to Questions 27 --Frost, 11.32am, 13 Feb 09]

3. Moreland City Band refrain from attempting to create opposition to the proposed redevelopment re SOS BANDROOM campaign. [See Council's Answer to Questions 28 --Frost, 11.32am, 13 Feb 09]

BAND'S UNDERTAKINGS

We immediately agreed in good faith to the first request in writing on the same day (Friday 13 February 2009) unless and until we gave Council notice of other intentions and an opportunity for Council to respond. [See letter to Mayor at 4.30pm by email with subject "Thanks and Band undertakes not to contact funding bodies without notice and consultation"]

We have considered both requests at length over the weekend and write today to propose an agreement between us all.

BAND's REQUESTS TO COUNCIL

For our part, the Band respectfully requests that

1. Council refrain from excluding a bandroom from the concept plans to be prepared and presented to Council at its Meeting on 11 March.

2. Council instruct the project architects BHA to prepare concept plans in terms of our letter to Jim Stewart (at 4.35pm on Thursday 12 February 2009) and our List of Requirements (today, from our Vice President) for presentation to that Council meeting.

[See Council's Answer to Questions 22 and 24--Frost, 11.32am, 13 Feb 09]

3. Council undertakes in writing to provide the Band with the exclusive use of an equivalent dedicated local community band facility to the Keith Ford hall whether a new building or a renovated old one.

[See Council's Answer to Questions 22--Frost, 11.32am, 13 Feb 09-- which makes clear that several other community groups have the exclusive use of their facilities].

COMMON GROUND

Everyone agrees that the pools and changing rooms need urgent and substantial repairs and upgrades and that these are the clear priorities requiring some redevelopment on the site within heritage limitations.

And of course we understand that there are competing priorities based on community consultation.

Several of our members are longstanding members of the pool as are many local musicians, artists, actors, writers and film and tv makers.

We have already received expressions of support from this community and also from many different "demographics" who all suggest it is possible to provide room for aerobic and other classes whilst accomodating the Bandroom.

We believe the general community will also support and confirm that this is "the most cost effective and efficient use of community resources". [See Council's Answer to Questions 22 and 24 --Frost, 11.32am, 13 Feb 09]

PROPOSED AGREEMENT

If the Council is prepared to agree to our three requests above, we will agree to Council's three requests above.

TIMING AND URGENCY

Because funding announcements are imminent ("by the end of February") time is of the essence here from the Band's perspective.

Accordingly we are today giving notice that we intend to deliver at 9am tomorrow, Tuesday 17 February 2009, letters to the Prime Minister, Premier and the other State and Federal Ministers as well as the YMCA state, national and international boards and other peak government bodies (including local government), unions, professional associations and businesses (including commercial gym chains and operators in Moreland).

If we receive Council's agreement to our three requests by close of business today, we undertake not to proceed with the delivery of such letters unless the agreement is breached in spirit or letter by the Council, and then only with proper notice to Council and an opportunity for Council to respond.

Further, if we receive Council's agreement to our three requests by close of business today we also undertake not to take any further steps in opposition to the redevelopment unless the agreement is breached in spirit or letter by the Council, and then only with proper notice to Council and an opportunity for Council to respond.

We note that Council has been aware of our position since Question Time at the Council Meeting last Wednesday 11 February 2009 and relevant Council officers since consultation and correspondence from Wednesday 4 February 2009.

EXTENSION OF TIME

However we understand that Council may need more time than today to consider the agreement proposed. Should this be the case, if Council responds asap with a suggested extension of time we would consider this and respond promptly. But we ask the Council to bear in mind that the best timing from our perspective to implement our plans re delivery of letters as described above is of course immediately. As musicians we know that timing is everything.

REQUIREMENTS

We note also that our requirements have been known to Council since our then President outlined them in October 2007 to a relevant Council officer. Our Vice President is finalising a detailed list of requirements after collating the above-mentioned online survey which will be forwarded today.

Our main requirement however is a healthy, cheerful and constructive relationship of mutual respect between Council and Council officers and the Band and its members.

We are confident this is also Council's sincere wish.

LAST THOUGHTS

We note that the Coburg Tigers, the local peak footy team, recently abandoned Moreland (despite its local history and fans and Council's support in developing its own facilities) to move to magnificent facilities provided by a much more affluent newer outer-suburban Council.

The Band has no intention of relocating in this way and would never consider it. This is our home. Always was, always will be. As we said at the Council Meeting last week: "We are not going anywhere". Or as the song says: "We shall not be moved".

We note the Coburg Tigers affiliation with the AFL and we ask Council to note our affiliation with the Victorian Bands League and the National Band Council of Australia.

As musicians our sensitivity is a key attribute for good music-making. We also as sensitive musicians thrive on applause and encouragement. And as experienced live players we seem to perform best under pressure.

We hope you will demonstrate that you do really value our lifetimes of skills and daily practice and regular voluntary community service by agreeing to our proposal.

Yours in harmony,

......................................
Howard Norsetter, PRESIDENT

.....................................
Peter Matheson, MUSIC DIRECTOR

......................................
Joseph Williams, YOUTH BAND DIRECTOR

..................................
Grace Bongiovanni, YOUTH BAND REPRESENTATIVE

.....................................
Patrick Stapleton, PLAYER REPRESENTATIVE and VICE PRESIDENT

..................................
Rachel Hearfield, TREASURER

.....................................
Cathy Connor, MUSIC LIBRARIAN and PUBLIC OFFICER

....................................
Len Lindon, CUSTODIAN OF BAND INSTRUMENTS
and Committee Member delegated to communicate with
Moreland Council on the Baths redevelopment issue.

Moreland City Band
"1882-2009 and beyond"
21 Phoenix St
Brunswick VIC 3956
website http://www.morelandcityband.com.au/
email info@morelandcityband.com.au/