Masterclass with Gary Curtin - 03/10/2010

As part of the Band's 30th anniversary year, a series of master classes was arranged. The first of these was a two-day visit from Gary Curtin, a euphonium player from Cork who now holds the SoloEuphonium position in the Fairey (Geneva) Band, one of the best brass bands in the world

On Saturday the second of October, Gary took the lower brass from the Beginner, Junior, Inter and Senior bands for hour-long sessions each. During this time, he answered any questions they had, giving them lots of advice on how to improve their playing. He taught about the importance of breathing and playing as a section ("If you breathe together, you play together!"), going through some of the pieces currently in the folders and helping the players to improve their performance as a group. Despite the relative brevity of these sessions, everyone picked up a lot of hints and tips, and enjoyed themselves in the process.

On the Sunday, Gary visited each band during their morning rehearsal, giving hints and tips to all the bandians present. After that, it was on to a concert in the hall for band members and parents. During this performance, Gary played a number of pieces that showed off his ability as a euphonium player and earned him huge applause from his rapt audience in the process. He ended with an unbelievable beatboxing tune that demonstrated just what you can do with a euphonium, leaving everybody completely amazed.

Being able to work with a highly-talented musician like Gary was a real privilege, and everyone learnt a lot from his visit. It was a brilliant start to the anniversary master classes - Gary certainly set the bar very high for those following him!

Aisling Deevy, Senior Band Euphonium



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