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PAGE 8, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1976, WHITBY FREE PRESS Brass Band an institution by BRIAN WINTER Staff Writer Everyone loves a parade, it is said, and any parade in the Town of Whitby in the past 100 years has likely been led by the Whitby Brass Band. The Whitby Brass Band is something of an institution in this town. Its origiis date back to the early 1850s, but it received its most recent rejuvenation in 1955, when the Whitby Police Association reorganized the band, after the old Whitby Citizens' Band had disbanded during the Second World War. The Whitby Brass Band is an active community organization, with three divisions, a senior, junior, and beginners band, which meet weekly at Heydenshore Pavillion for practices. The senior band, at present has 38 members aged 16 to 76, six of whom are wornen. The band is a family affair, .for there are seven nembers of the Church family in the band, four members of the Shaw family, and three each from the Brown and Sager- mann families. The bandrnaster is Stanley Redfearn, who started out as junior directo~rin 1957, and became .bandmaster after the death of Eric Clarke in 1966. The band does about 30 performances a year on the average, says President Curtis Brown, the longest serving member of the band, although in one year there were 52 jobs from April to October alone. The following is only a partial list of the engagements the Whitby Brass Band had in 1975: the County Town Carnival parade and variety show, 3oy Scout parades, St. John Ambulance parade, Remembrance Day church parade and cenotaph service, and Strawberry Festival at St. John's Anglican Church, in Whitby; Santa Claus parades at Beaverton, Bow- manville and Whitby; two parades at the World Plowing Match at Oshawa; concerts at Ontario Place and Scar- borough Town Centre; a concert at Bowmanville with the Courtice Secondary School Band; and a perfor- mance at the Lions Interqa. tional convention at Hamilton. COMPETITIONS In addition to its parades and concerts, the Whitby Brass Band has been a regular competitor at the Canadian National Exhibition and Greater Toronto Kiwanis Music Festival competitors for many years. In 1967, 1969, 1970 and 1971, the senior band won the brass band competition at the CNE and received the righlt to keep the trophy, having won it three times. In these competitions Whitby's band was up against bands; from Orillia, Weston, Oshawa and Buffalo. At the Kiwanis Music Festivals, the Whitby Senior Band won second prize in its class in 1964, 1965, 1966, and 1968, and first prize in 1967, 1970, 1971 and 1975. It will be compe ting again this year onFeb. 20. For these competitions, the band must play what is called a test piece and is judged upon it. In the Kiwanis Festival it can choose its own test piece, but in the CNE competition, the band is given a piece to play. The senior band-also won first prize in the Lions Con- vention parade at Kingston in 1971, in competition with 50 other bands. The band has been going to the Lions convention for 10 years, but. costs are too prohibitive for it to attend this year's convention which is in Quebec City. The Whitby Brass Band was in the Niagara Grape and Wine Festival parade in St. Catherines in 1971 and 1972, and has represented Whitby in numerous com- munities in Ontario during the past 20 years. Plans for 1976 include a concert to mark the 150th anniversary of St. Mark's United Church, in April, and a concert at the opening of Hutchison Park, also in April. According to Mr. Brown, the town is interested in having a number of band concerts in the parks this year. JUNIOR BAND In 1960 the junior band was formed to act as a feeder for the senior band. About three quarters of the senior band members have come up through lithe ranks from the junior and beginners' bands which have their own training program. says Mr. Brown. The junior band has 12 members, both boys and girls, aged 12 to 16. The band- rnaster, Danny Foster is being succeeded by Ian Redfearn at the end of February. *TUESDAY FAMILY SPECIAL• I:REERI When you buy a Thrift Box* (one whole chicken) at the regular price of $4.25, you get FREE 8 fl. oz. Salad French Fries for 3 . . .. ttu|(cky Fied 6cka Colonel Sanders and his boys rnake it "finger li ck n good OVER 100 LOCATIONS IN ONTARIO-SEE YOUR PHONE BOOK FOR THE ONE NEAREST YOU. Bandmaster Stan Redfearn conducts a Thursday practice of the senior brass band at Heydenshore Pavillion, as the band gets ready its entry for-the Greater Toronto Kiwanis Music Festival Feb. 20. Mr. Redfearn sings along with the band and exerts a spirit of enthusiasm into the band members. The junior band has done well as the senior band in competitions, having won the class three challenge trophy at the CNEin 1966, 1970 and 1971, and in the Kiwanis Music Festival it came third in class C in 1964, second in class C in 1965, second in class B in 1966, and first in class B in 1971 and 1973. There is a constant reor- ganizing and getting of new members, says Mr. Brown. "The kids in our band do really well in music at school". Thé beginners band, under the direction of Danielle Wenstrom, a resident of West Lynde, consists of 15 youngsters aged 10 to 12. alt-hough lanyone over the age of 1 Ois accepted. The beginners are taught to read music on a black- board and practice easy pieces on the instruments. Beginners are accepted only in September so tlhey can get a full year's training progranm. The facilities 'for the Whitby Brass Band have improved considerably over the past few years. In the early days after its rejuvena- tion in 1955, the band met in a back room at the old town hall, and later it was allowed use of the third floor of the Allin's Drug Store building at the Four Corners, free of c'arge. When Heydenshore Pavil- lion was built in 1971, the band asked for space and was provided with an upstairs' room which the band mem- bers supplied with furnish- ings, panelling and lighting. The senior band meets for a two-hour practice session every Thursday night, and sonetimes on Sundays, and the junior and beginners bands meet on Tuesday nights. Every member, however, is expected to practice his instrument at home for a half hour each day. "This band is one of the best in Ontario and probably more active than the average band", says Mr. Brown. "We Free Press Photo These members of the Whitby Brass Band look intently at their music as they play a piece they are practicing for the Kiwanis Music Festival. The band has been a first-prize winner at the festival for several years and Ihas high hopes for success again this year. love getting out to do a job. If we didn't like it, we wouldn't do it". The Whitby Brass Band has played at communities as far west as Windsor, as far east as Cornwall and as far north as Honey Harbor on Georgian Bay. Two of the highlights for the band in its last 20 years, according to Mr. Brown were the winning of the CNE trophy three times, and the good public response to the variety show at the arena during the County Town carnival, of which the band is an integral part. Mr. Brown says he is plensed with the Town of Whitby's support for the band, particularly following its concert at the opening of the Iroquois Park swim- ming pool last December. The band gets a grant of about $8,000 a year from Free Press Photo the town, wtich just covers operating expenses. Accord- ing to . Mr. Brown, these operating expenses include $2,500 for the rent of the hall, $300 for sheet music, $1,000 for instrument repair, $1,000 for new instruments, $300 for com- petition expenses, *and the remainder covers insurance, auditor's fees, cleaning materials, and salaries to the bandrnasters. The band does not charge for playing anywhere in the Durham Region,-unless hired by a profit-making organiza- tion. The 1976 executive for the Whitby Brass Band consists of Curtis Brown, president; Wayne Church, vice president; Rex Hopkins, treasurer; Allan Black, secretary; and Morley Smith, Grant Brown, Gill Ball, Joyce Shaw and Randy Chuîrch. directors. OSHAWA 723-2259 Come see the fabulous LARRY BAGLEY at the CONN THEATRE CONSOLE ORGAN February 20,- 1976 , 7:30 pm PETERSEN MUSIC CO. 390 KING ST. W. ý iiiii. - 1 il 1 Nq'ijmlý IMI 1 1 1 1