Pomp & Circumstance

It’s been a hectic three months now from the frantic festa season and as we now reach for the last few remaining feasts we can already draw some pictures of what was the general idea of the outcome of these feasts, from the musical and organisation aspect of the wind band clubs.

As a first, everyone is the best, either in his own village, or in the area, or even claims to be the best in Malta. Although it makes me smile when hearing this, it is obvious that everyone is happy and boosts about his activities, his doings his artistic decoration and what was done during feast time. One thing that no one boosts about is the level of performance of its wind band, and in a way it makes complete sense. Let us face it, how many band clubs perform a concert with at least half of the musicians being their own home grown ones? Really and truly, I can say that, and I think I am being generous, only 25% of wind bands have the luxury to hold a concert with more than half of the musicians being their own home grown ones. It is in fact, all goes down, to the level of who you choose to engage to play with you, the selection of music, some good two maybe three (if you are lucky) rehearsals, maybe do something different, and there you go, you have a big fat concert which will be talked about for a couple of hours maybe a day or two, and it is all gone and forgotten. Of course, it is of huge importance to have a solid performance and let the audience engage with you and with what was prepared with the hope that they will talk and maybe interest themselves or some friends or whoever to try and start learning music. In reality, the concert is another way to promote the wind band, so as said, it is of great importance. It would be great, if we can go back in time, and start having the weekly rehearsals and build our own wind band and then I am pretty sure that we will include the wind band concert and musicality in our chants and be proud of both being part of the club and being a musician in its wind band.

Having said that, I am looking forward for my own festa now, which will start as from next Saturday and end on the 8th of September, and I am pretty sure we will yet again dominate and be the best in… whatever we do that we do!