BRASS BANDS.

New Zealand Listener, Volume 20, Issue 505, 25 February 1949, Page 5

BRASS BANDS.

Sir-I beg to express my regret at the most inadequate coverage given by your journal to the New Zealand Brass Bands annual contest at Auckland, This is a most important event to thousands of bandsmen throughout New Zealand, yet I was unable to find one small reference to the contest in any of your columns, As this takes place only once a year and many bandsmen are unable to attend, some sort of preview in regard to this event should surely have been forthcoming and would have been appreciated by the bandsmen staying at home. As a matter of fact, a column every week devoted to brass band affairs would be read avidly by your bandsmen subscribers, Reporting of brass band matters is very poor throughout the Press of New Zealand, but a journal like The Listener devoted to broadcasting programmes and the people who go to make them would be the most logical place to find reference to such an occasion. In no musical sphere will one find a keener musician than a bandsman; in fact, many musicians could well emulate his keenness and his team work, It is unfortunately true that the bandsman is looked down upon. Why? Are there too many "waterside bands" and are they socially inferior to violinis cellists, harpists, and so forth? I think not, yet they are practically ignored. My complaint also concerns the NZBS. Last Sunday I, in common with many more, was listening and enjoying the Hymn Test when the commentator stated there may be time for one more band before the Children’s Service commenced at 5 o’clock. Why could not this service, being of purely local interest, have been diverted to LYC or 1YD so that listeners as far away ay the South Island could have ,heard their bands competing on the more powerful 1YA? Why do not the Broadcasting authorities let us hear the "A" and "B" grade tests in their entirety and divert the normal programme to the smaller stations? This is what happens when Parliament is sitting in Wellington, and I think most people will agree that a band contest is much more educational and cultural than listening to Parliament night after night for weeks. I would conclude, Sir, with a plea for more news about the bands and a little more support for the bandsman and his activities. If the coverage was on a par with his keenness and unselfishness, you would have room for nothing else in your otherwise excellent journal,

BAND CONDUCTOR

(Masterton).

(We refer to this letter in our leading article -Ed.)