Open Rehearsal Hailed As A Success

The recently - publicised open rehearsal hosted by the Scottish Co-op Band has been hailed as a success. The event took place in the Couper Institute, Glasgow on Thursday, 19th March, 2009 and during the evening the participating bands had the opportunity to perform the test pieces chosen for the Scottish Championships which were subsequently held at the Caird Hall, Dundee on 21st and 22nd March. Bands which took part were Scottish Co-op, Kirkintilloch Kelvin, Croy Parish, Coalburn Silver and Brass Sounds Inverclyde.

During the course of the Championships at Dundee, the Scottish Co-op's representative at the contest, Robert McCorkell, was approached by the conductors who participated in the rehearsal and by a number of playing members of the bands concerned all of whom were of the unanimous opinion that the event had been a very worthwhile initiative.

The evening's activities were introduced by Mr. Russell Gray who said that he had taken part in a number of open rehearsals in Scandinavia and had found them to be of benefit to those who had participated. During the course of the evening Russell not only conducted the Scottish Co-op Band but also gave the audience an insight into the various test pieces which were performed during the evening and offered his own comments to the other conductors at the conclusion of their bands' performances.

The evening was enhanced by a larger - than - expected audience which consisted not only of members of bands taking part but also of band supporters and other members of the public.

The evening's activities took place in an atmosphere of enjoyment and friendliness and gave the bands an opportunity to perform in front of a real brass band audience which, in its applause, gave each group, in turn, great support and encouragement. All in all, the initiative was well received and, in the opinion of some is one which would bear repeating.

In conclusion, it may be of interest to some to note that of the bands which took part in the rehearsal three, namely, Scottish Co-op, Kirkintilloch Kelvin and Coalburn Silver gained first place in their respective sections while Brass Sounds Inverclyde came second in the fourth section. Four out of five is not bad at all and if the open rehearsal did play even a small part in this success then it really was worthwhile.

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