by RDTC

Cromer Carnival Week 2014

October 9, 2014 in Recent Highlights by RDTC

The band love Cromer. It’s a chance to bond and get to know each other

After loading up the coach and minibus we arrived at Comer Junior School on monday afternoon. While the dinner ladies (Kelly, Heidi and Steve) cooked up the first meal of the week, everyone had to blow up their airbeds and unpack. Then the games and (controlled) chaos begun! The band were set up into 4 teams where they compete for points in various games – They also have duties of washing up and tidying the hall, which is of course the favourite.

On tuesday morning, we had a somewhat relaxed rehearsal for the concert we were due to perform that evening in the Church. In between shows, we were set various tasks such as the “match box challenge” and had some free time in the town while our lovely welfare staff made us lunch. While in town we had a run through some of the musical pieces at the beautiful Church that the concert was in. The concert went very well and afterwards it was back to the school for more fun and games, including seeing how fast you can eat a doughnut with no hands!

Wednesday was carnival day and we had an area performance to do. We marched the carnival Queen up to the carnival field then around the arena. We played various marches and “crowd pleasers” to boost the excitement and we were given a great reception. When doing arena performances to the public, we always select a march where the children in the crowd can come into the arena and march behind the band, which is great fun for everyone and makes a counter march tricky. One lucky person from the audience even got selected to take over the Drum Major position, and wear one of our hats! Wednesday evening was when we had the main carnival around the town. Thousands of people flocked to the streets of Cromer from all over the country to watch the carnival. It’s exciting for us to watch all of the different floats up at the carnival field before we set off.

On thursday we had the torchlight parade in the evening – So a whole day for team activities. We had the task of making our own hats for the parade as we don’t wear our full uniform for that parade. People also made good use of glow sticks on their instruments and hats which is one of the favourite parts of the carnival. All lit up with the three best floats of the carnival following us, we marched around the town for one last time before reaching the carnival field for the annual firework display which ends the carnival week. People are invited to walk behind the floats with their flashing accessories and glow sticks.

After an amazing fireworks display, it’s back to the Junior School for more games and challenged followed by bed time in preparation for packing and going home on Friday morning

Author: Claire Roseberry, Cornet Section.

by RDTC

Colchester Military Tournament 2014

July 15, 2014 in Recent Highlights by RDTC

The band were delighted to be a part of the Colchester Military Tournament 2014, returning for the second year in a row. This year the band would be playing with The Band of The Brigade of Gurkhas and later taking part in a massed bands performance alongside:

  • The Band of The Brigade of Gurkhas
  • The Royal British Legion Youth Band & Corps of Drums Romford
  • The Band of The Parachute Regiment
  • The Band of the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment
  • The Lowland Band of The Royal Regiment Of Scotland

With the event running over Saturday and Sunday, the bands involvement began on Friday with us setting out in the afternoon to reach Colchester for a rehearsal with all of the bands involved. The journey wasn’t without its “entertainment” – just after passing Chelmsford we had to pull over…. the coach had died and we were stuck in a lay-by. After a 90 minute wait for a replacement coach we were on our way, again, to Colchester. Arriving late, the band jumped straight into action got on with the job and within a matter of minutes, all involved had forgotten that we were less rehearsed – it certainly didn’t show.

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Saturday morning, and it was an early start to be up and travel over to The Abbey Field where the event was being held, although the weather wasn’t looking too promising. With the rain just about holding off for most of the day, the band had 2 performances in the morning – A display with The Band of The Brigade of Gurkhas and later a finale Massed Bands performance – and a second 2 in the afternoon (a repeat of the morning performances). At this point, it seems important to mention that the Ghurkhas march at 140 beats per minute (BPM) compared with the usual 120bpm – its safe to say we had a challenge on our hands, although our prior rehearsals had pushed us past that speed to make sure it wasn’t a shock on the day.

 

The event itself attracted thousands of spectators over the weekend and some of the other fun at the Tournament included:

  • Red Devils Free-Fall Parachute Display Team
  • Essex Dog Display Team
  • Massed Pipes & Drums
  • World War 1 Re-enactment
  • Imps Motorcycle Display Team
  • World War 2 Re-enactment
  • Bolddog Lings Freestyle Motocross Team
  • Variety of Live Music
  • Trade Stands & Additional Attractions

Sunday followed much the same pattern but with a slightly improvement in the weather, and each performance from all of the bands were progressively sharper each time. Although it was slightly tiring with the 4 performances each day, and a rough start to the trip, it was certainly thoroughly enjoyed by all.

RDTC

by RDTC

Carshalton Carnival – Rio Carnival – comes to Carshalton

June 15, 2014 in Recent Highlights by RDTC

The band returned for another year at the Carshalton Carnival which was this year themed around the Rio Carnival.

The full set of images can be found on our Facebook Page

by RDTC

Samantha Barrand appointed as the bands Musical Director

June 7, 2014 in Recent Highlights by RDTC

The band are delighted to announce that Sam Barrand has accepted the invitation to be the band’s Musical Director.  Sam has been working with the band since the new year and bring a wealth of musical knowledge and expertise to the band.   Band Director Paul Binder said ” not only does she conduct and teach at the band, she is a talented and enthusiastic musician who has written and arranged music for the band for forthcoming performances.  She is popular with the band members and is a valued and welcome addition to the staff. ”

Samantha Barrand, BA (Hons.) Music, A.V.C.M. (Hons.)

Samantha first began studying music at The Ursuline Preparatory School in Brentwood, where she learnt recorder and piano. She later developed this musical interest by taking up the violin, saxophone and drums at The Cooper’s Company & Coborn School, in Upminster where she was awarded a Jack Petchy Award for Music in 2009.

In June 2013 Samantha graduated from Colchester Institute with her BA (Hons.) in Music. Whilst in her second year studying at Colchester she was a winner of the Concerto Competition.

Throughout her time at school and university Samantha has been a part of many different musical ensembles as a performer and conductor, ranging from playing for musicals, saxophone quartet ‘One Screw Loose’, Dixie group ‘TradJazzled’ and larger scale organizations such as Symphonic Wind Orchestras and other local youth bands.

Sam Barrand

Sam Barrand

In September 2013 Samantha began her Master’s in Music at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London, where she has been awarded one of the college’s postgraduate woodwind scholarships. She currently studies with some of the top musical professionals in the country.

Samantha’s passion for music and helping others around her develop their abilities further led her to begin working with the Romford Drum & Trumpet Corps as a conductor in January 2014. The Romford Drum & Trumpet Corps ensures it gives its members the best help to nurture the talent within the youth band. In May 2014 the band gave Samantha the title of Musical Director which she was delighted to accept and looks forward to the future working with the band.

by RDTC

The London Marathon 2014

May 13, 2014 in Recent Highlights by RDTC

The Romford Drum and Trumpet Corps took up their usual position at mile 23 of the Marathon, in front of The Tower of London, to encourage the runners and entertain spectators for the day. With the weather on our side and some new pieces lined up, the day was thoroughly enjoyed all round.

The day started off with the usual hurdle of setting up the marquee – it seems to be an unwritten rule that 1 piece goes missing each year and the poles change lengths. A few hits and misses later, we got there although the weather was on our side this year and gave us some much welcomed shade. The band kicked off in time to play for the elite runners passing through and continued for the rest of the day giving a much needed boost for many of the runners. An in between pieces we carried on the good spirits by cheering on the names of any of the runners who looked like they needed some help.

We spotted a marching band taking part in the marathon this year (with instruments) which has given us an idea for some point in the future…..

by RDTC

17th Annual Rorke’s Drift Concert

February 25, 2014 in Recent Highlights by RDTC

The Romford Drum and Trumpet Corps was delighted to be invited along as a guest band at this year’s Rorke’s Drift Concert in at the Theatr Brycheiniog in Brecon, Wales – The 17th Annual Concert to be precise.

Massed Bands

Massed Bands

The trip started out for the Band on Thursday evening with some rehearsals and social time over the next few days, ready for Saturday night’s performance at the Theatr Brycheiniog. The performance included approximately 160 young musicians as part of a massed band of the Army Cadet Force (ACF), hosted by the ACF band of the Gwent and Powys ACF.

Daisie Foreman

Daisie Foreman

 

The performance opened with the English and Welsh National Anthems before the programme moved towards some fantastic pieces of music including: “A Selection from Mary Poppins”, “Colonel Bogey”, “The Simpsons”, “The Gael”, “The Edge of Glory”, “Solitaire” and “High on a Hill”. The programme also featured “Feeling Good” (as made famous by Nina Simone, and later recorded by Michael Buble) with an absolutely outstanding Trumpet solo from our very own Daisie Foreman.

Massed Bands

 

 

 

Of course, no performance of ours is complete without a display by our drum section which this time, encompassed 3 of their best tattoos and was enhanced with a light display and pyrotechnics!

 

by RDTC

Presentation Evening 2014

February 6, 2014 in Recent Highlights by RDTC

A fantastic night held at Emerson Park School, where the band played a programme of some of the best and most recent pieces they’ve been working on, including a performance from The Academy. Our “Oscar style” awards then followed, reviewing some of the highs and lows of 2013 and of course, the awards themselves!

We took a look over some of the best events of 2014 including Disneyland Paris, Horse Guards Parade and as always, the Lord Mayors Show, London

Our Full List of Winners:

  • The Presidents Award – Daisie Foreman
  • 5 Year Service Award – Billy Griffiths, Niamh Gray
  • 15 Year Service Award – Jonathan Buttifant
  • The Drum Section Award – Niamh Gray
  • The Best Newcomer Award (The Gordon Marchant Memorial Trophy) – Katie Nurden
  • The Music School Pupil Of The Year – Jessica Squibb
  • The Wind Section Award – Sammy Rees
  • The Academy Attendance Award – Scarlett Gray
  • The Band Attendance Award – Luke Munro, Robert Carey
  • The Band Personality Of The Year Award – Devon Cressy
  • The Acadaemy Member Of The Year (Pam Evans Memorial Trophy) – Jamie Widdop
  • The Band Member Of The Year (Dick Bouchard MBE Memorial Trophy) – Luke Munro
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Dick Bouchard MBE Memorial Concert

January 4, 2014 in Recent Highlights by admin