Symphonic Band

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Second Chances Symphonic Band
Objectives Page
2025 Winter Season
Week 9
Wednesday, March 12, 2025 at 7pm
Location: Aurora North End Parish Church
5666 Sebastian Street, Halifax

Objectives for this rehearsal include:

Warm Up: we will begin by playing a random Concert Scale
Sight Reading:
Lincolnshire Posy mvt.6: we will start right where we left off last week, our biggest problem while playing this piece thus far has been maintaining the tempo, especially when the style changes @50. We will introduce the new alto sax parts that I have been transposing from French Horn
Three Ayres, mvt2: explain and work the two moments of pause (railway tracks). We will adopt the same idea as we are using in Perthshire… thinking of the bar as a 4/4 measure instead
Irish Rhapsody: clean up transition @29, work moving parts during melodic sustains @69 then again through @78, rehearse fp @89,… we want to hear the alto and horn parts, work transition into @95, crescendo into @125, transition @135… we need the bass clarinet and bassons @137, run trpt and trbn @147, can we maintain the tempo at @166? Run @182 slowly and listen to all the entries, run the rit leading into the Allargando @226
Ancient Airs of Ireland: will clean up the opening section to @8… this will involve mostly percussion, then we will run @8-20 without the flute soloist… notice the two Rits and the Slower section, can we clean up the SD and Tom parts @20, starting @22 the melody is a unison part, then when it is joined by additional players @26 it is still unison… we can’t diagree on the rhythm, will run melody lines @30 for rhythmic/grace note accuracy, are all the inner parts @34 moving together? @38 – Trpts… articulations and rhythmic accuracy, inner parts @42 for rhythmic accuracy, picc and alto sax solos starting @46, work @50 thru transition into @55 a few times, we’ve spoken about the rhythmic part @58 for melody, don’t let the 2/4 measure throw you off
IF TIME: Bond… James Bond: will start with a focus on Goldfinger… we will be pulling it apart and having each part played separately before putting it back together, can we improve the wah-wahs in the trumpet part? will practice the accel into @79 a few times (especially 2 bars before the change), bar 79-80… sixteenth note lines are passed from part to part, will run lower voices @89, run melodic rhythm @95

SYMPHONIC BAND: WINTER 2025 REPERTOIRE
1. Ancient Airs of Ireland (Michael Sweeney)
2. Blackwater (Fergal Carrol)
3. Bond… James Bond (arr. Stephen Bulla)
4. Irish Rhapsody (Clare Grundman)
5. Loch Lomond (Frank Ticheli)
6. Lincolnshire Posy (Percy Grainger)
– we will begin with mvt.6 The Lost Lady Found
7. Perthshire Majesty (Samuel R Hazo)
8. Three Ayres from Gloucester (Hugh Stuart)

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Second Chances Symphonic Band
Objectives Page
2025 Winter Season
Week 8
Wednesday, March 5, 2025 at 7pm
Location: Aurora North End Parish Church
5666 Sebastian Street, Halifax

Objectives for this rehearsal include:

Warm Up: we will begin by playing a random Concert Scale
Sight Reading: Amazing Grace – Frank Ticheli
Pershire Majesty: we are going to try slightly longer pauses between each entry of the soprano sax during opening, more bass clarinet @10 please, work 2 bars before @17… full band cresc then decresc with some instruments approaching niente, lets identify the four instruments that DON’T disappear but instead lead into @17, are we ending together @24? Run @25 first with just dotted halfs, then add quarter note lines. special focus @31 for cresc and eighth note parts to forte then the same voices eighth note parts to piano, decision made @42 = railway tracks… think of a bar of 4 with beat four as a quarter rest, remember the full stop before @61, we are inserting railway tracks before @65… this means the last four bars will FEEL like they are in 4/4 time with beat four being silence… it will also be slowing down.
Bond… James Bond: as before, we will start at the end and work backwards. We will run the 3/4 to end… then 2nd ending to the end. Then move back to @144 to the end. Once we have this secure, then we will jump back to @129 and work the accelerando into @144 a few times. Then back to the beginning to start working there.
Lincolnshire Posy mvt.6: our biggest problem while playing this piece is maintaining the tempo, especially when the style changes @50. We will introduce the new alto sax parts that are being transposed from French Horn
Three Ayres, mvt2: explain and work the two moments of pause (railway tracks). We will adopt the same idea as we are using in Perthshire… thinking of the bar as a 4/4 measure instead
Irish Rhapsody: clean up transition @29, work moving parts during melodic sustains @69 then again through @78, rehearse fp @89,… we want to hear the alto and horn parts, work transition into @95, crescendo into @125, transition @135… we need the bass clarinet and bassons @137, run trpt and trbn @147, can we maintain the tempo at @166? Run @182 slowly and listen to all the entries, run the rit leading into the Allargando @226
IF TIME: Ancient Airs of Ireland: read through only

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Second Chances Symphonic Band
Objectives Page
2025 Winter Season
Week 7
Wednesday, February 26, 2025 at 7pm
Location: Aurora North End Parish Church
5666 Sebastian Street, Halifax

Objectives for this rehearsal include:

Warm Up: we will begin by playing C Concert Scale
Sight Reading: no sight reading tonight… we are going to do a quick warm up and get right ‘down to business’
Blackwater: read through only
Ancient Airs of Ireland: we’ll start by reviewing the work we did last time (roughly from @148 to the end), then we will run the accel at @109 a few times before rehearsing Song of the Chanter. Once this is solid with transitions, we will jump back to the beginning.
Three Ayres, all 3 movements – read through only
Loch Lomond: will work on @82 to the end, balancing the two separate melodies being played a the same time. We will clean up any issues with the ending. Then back to the beginning, working our way through and correcting anything that comes up as we go.
Irish Rhapsody: will start at the beginning and working through the piece, focus will be on transitions and style
IF TIME: Lincolnshire Posy mvt.6: read through only

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Second Chances Symphonic Band
Objectives Page
2025 Winter Season
Week 6
Wednesday, February 19, 2025 at 7pm
Location: Aurora North End Parish Church
5666 Sebastian Street, Halifax

FOR MORE INFORMATION about the symphonic band, contact the executive director of the Second Chances Music Program, Chris Ward at eloboesolo@gmail.com

Objectives for this rehearsal include:

Warm Up: we will begin by playing C Concert Scale
Sight Reading: John Williams: Movie Adventures (arr. Michael Sweeney)… we will be printing copies… available now on the download resources page. There will be no need to return them, as we might be using the music for the summer season
Three Ayres, all 3 movements – will be starting at the beginning and digging into this piece, focus will be on style, balance and rhythm
Perthshire Majesty: read through only, remember the many different kinds of pauses
Blackwater: will continue working through the transition into 5/4 a few times. Then we will focus our remaining rehearsal time on @139 to the end.
Ancient Airs of Ireland: we’ll start by reviewing the work we did last time (roughly from @148 to the end), then we will run the accel at @109 a few times before rehearsing Song of the Chanter. Once this is solid with transitions, we will jump back to the beginning.
Irish Rhapsody: full read through only

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Second Chances Symphonic Band
Objectives Page
2025 Winter Season
Week 5
Wednesday, February 12, 2025 at 7pm
Location: Aurora North End Parish Church
5666 Sebastian Street, Halifax

FOR MORE INFORMATION about the symphonic band, contact the executive director of the Second Chances Music Program, Chris Ward at eloboesolo@gmail.com

Objectives for this rehearsal include:

Warm Up: we will begin by playing C Concert Scale
Sight Reading: Kronos (Robert W Smith)… we will be using ‘originals’. Please remember to return your parts before the end of the rehearsal
Perthshire Majesty: read through, then we will get into some of ‘the weeds’ with this piece
Irish Rhapsody: focus will be on @95 to the end this evening
Blackwater: review the work we did three weeks ago (beginning to roughly @128) then work through the transition into 5/4 a few times. Then we will focus our remaining rehearsal time on @139 to the end.
Ancient Airs of Ireland: we’ll start by reviewing the work we did last time (roughly from @148 to the end), then we will run the accel at @109 a few times before rehearsing Song of the Chanter. Once this is solid with transitions, we will jump back to the beginning.

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Second Chances Symphonic Band
Objectives Page
2025 Winter Season
Week 4
Wednesday, February 5, 2025 at 7pm
Location: Aurora North End Parish Church
5666 Sebastian Street, Halifax

FOR MORE INFORMATION about the symphonic band, contact the executive director of the Second Chances Music Program, Chris Ward at eloboesolo@gmail.com

Objectives for this rehearsal include:

Warm Up: we will begin by playing C Concert Scale
Sight Reading:
mvt.6 Lost Lady Found: read through followed by a more in depth look at rhythms. @18-34 we will remove melody and work with inner parts, then add melody back in. @34-50 need to look at the FHrn and Btn parts, then add bassoon and tuba parts. @50 is more horizontal playing… don’t slow tempo, melody is picc and alto clarinet. @66-82 look at inner parts separately. @82 look at parts labeled ‘to the fore’, these should be heard above all others. @98 horn part is isolated… perhaps I will need to double this in the trumpets (stay tuned for that). @122 rhythms here are tricky. @130 dotted half notes should be bell-like. We will rehearse the transition back into three 5 measures from the end.
James Bond: read through first, then we will start at the end and work backwards. We will focus on the 3/4 to end… then 2nd ending to the end. Then move back to @144 to the end. Once we have this secure, then we will jump back to @137 and work the accelerando into @144 a few times. Then back again to @129 Live and Let Die, while focusing on the transition into ‘double time’ at @132.
IF TIME: we will continue working backward to include Skyfall
Loch Lomond: read through, then we will start from the beginning and work through details. Focus will be on rhythms, notes, balance and dynamics.
IF TIME: Three Ayres mvt1: read through, then working on rhythm, balance and style.

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Second Chances Symphonic Band
Objectives Page
2025 Winter Season
Week 3
Wednesday, January 29, 2025 at 7pm
Location: Aurora North End Parish Church
5666 Sebastian Street, Halifax

FOR MORE INFORMATION about the symphonic band, contact the executive director of the Second Chances Music Program, Chris Ward at eloboesolo@gmail.com

Objectives for this rehearsal include:

Rehearsal was cancelled due to bad weather

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Second Chances Symphonic Band
Objectives Page
2025 Winter Season
Week 2
Wednesday, January 22, 2025 at 7pm
Location: Aurora North End Parish Church
5666 Sebastian Street, Halifax

FOR MORE INFORMATION about the symphonic band, contact the executive director of the Second Chances Music Program, Chris Ward at eloboesolo@gmail.com

Objectives for this rehearsal include:

Warm Up: we will begin by playing C Concert Scale
Sight Reading: Perthshire Majesty
Irish Rhapsody: read through followed by a more in depth look at transitions, tempos and style. We will be focusing primarily on correct rhythms.
Blackwater: read through first, then we will start at the beginning and dig into this work
Ancient Airs of Ireland: read through, then we will start from the end and work backwards. We will clean up the last 8 measures, then include the two bars of slower 4, then jump back to the beginning of the 6/8 section @148, the tune entitled Behind the Bush in the Garden. IF TIME: we will also look at the Song of the Chanter section beginning @109

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Second Chances Symphonic Band
Objectives Page
2025 Winter Season
Week 1 – Reading Session
Wednesday, January 15, 2025 at 7pm
Location: Aurora North End Parish Church
5666 Sebastian Street, Halifax

FOR MORE INFORMATION about the symphonic band, contact the executive director of the Second Chances Music Program, Chris Ward at eloboesolo@gmail.com

Objectives for the Reading Session include:

Warm Up: we will begin by playing C Concert Scale
Irish Rhapsody: read through
Ancient Airs of Ireland: read through
Blackwater: read through
Lincolnshire Posy mvt.6: read through
Perthshire Majesty: read through
Bond… James Bond: read through
Loch Lomond: read through
Three Ayres: read through

FEES for Winter 2025:
In January each member of the Second Chances Symphonic Band will be asked to pay the winter season’s registration fee.

$175 registration fee (1st group)
$90 registration fee (for any additional group)
$50 registration fee for a student currently in high school or attending a recognized post secondary institution

Halifax Community Band Festival
Also, don’t forget about our very own Halifax Community Band Festival being held at Mount Saint Vincent University on May 23rd through 25th 2025! This is the weekend we host players from various different community bands from all over the Maritime provinces for a fellowship of music making and networking. Make sure you mark it on your calendar! Its a great chance to learn from great guest conductors and meet new friends who love to play as well!
website: https://www.secondchancesband-ns.com/hfx-band-fest/

Second Chances Community Music Society of Nova Scotia

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This is your second chance to learn an instrument or sing in a choir, and to perform in a community music ensemble!