Kumeu Brass - Specialists in Parades, Concerts & Private Functions,
Traditional & Modern Music for all occasions.

Kumeu Brass Inc. PO Box 513, Kumeu, West Auckland, New Zealand.

Archive News

(in reverse chronological order)

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Christmas! (2007)

We began the season with the New Lynn parade; we were seated this time rather than marching. It went well, but it was quite a hot day! For the Te Atatu parade and Helensville we were marching, and all went well apart from a temporary reduction of the number of available trombone slides in Helensville. No harm done. With a number of players from the Auxiliary band, we fielded quite a crowd.

The Henderson Baptist carolfest was enjoyed by all, with plenty of chocolate muffins during the break. Claire Bymolt stepped in to conduct, and Sean joined us on

Euphonium. They will be getting married early next year.

The Kumeu Parade was a great success, despite the long 800m course (and that was the shortened version for marching purposes). This was followed by carols by glowstick (easier than candles) in the Huapai Reserve. It was all good fun, but very tiring!

To round off the year, we had an informal mini-concert in Hobsonville Primary, which was Claire Bymolt's last chance to show off the Auxilliary band. They gave a splendid performance, rounded off by a few Christmas numbers from the senior band. The Auxilliary band will be reduced in numbers for next year as a number of players move on to the senior band, but there are plenty of young players waiting in the wings.

Our vigil outside Countdown finished on Christmas Eve, and went very smoothly, thanks to Kate's hard work organising the roster. Highlights included a change of seating arrangement during a cloudburst, and regular visits by Santa and a pirate on stilts. Having played Jingle Bells and Rudolph more times than we can remember, we are all looking forward to a quiet Summer.

Our next event will be at the Mayoral Cycling Challenge in Orewa Reserve (where some of us hope to join in on bicycle too) followed by the Kumeu Show the week after.

Trio of Brass combined concert

Quite a feast; the occasion lasted for three full hours. All three bands gave a performance on their own, followed by a combined performance (with many standing up due to lack of chairs). The hall was virtually full. Kumeu Brass performed some of the pieces from the entertainment contest, and several others. The auxiliary band performed several items, including their contest piece "Champion Challenge" with the composer Stephen Booth listening in the audience. Trusts Waitakere performed a hilarious piece with random players standing up around the band, and another to the (recorded) music of rainforest birds.

Long service awards were given to Peter Whyte (27 years) and Brian Miller (45 years). Brian gave a moving speech dedicating the piece "When a child is born" to the parents of children lost to cancer, in memory of his son.

A very successful occasion all round, and certainly not the last of its kind.

Entertainment Contest

Congratulations to the Auxiliary band (and their compère) who won their section. And well played the senior band, who earned plenty of good coments from the judge. The senior band had a love theme, and the two young compères arrived carrying red roses. I don't believe they were for each other however! Afterwards, we had a small presentation for Peter Logger, who is leaving us to develop his musical career. Brian Miller will be taking us for the combined concert with Waitakere Brass on the 28th October.

National Contest

Full results for the national contest are at http://www.brassnz.co.nz/contests.htm. The markings in general were quite close, and we came second equal in the own choice piece "Oregon" and first for the music in the street march. The Auxilliary band also came a close second, quite an achievement for their first national debut. The street march was a long and tiring 500 metres, the only consolation being that once we'd warmed up, we didn't notice the bitter cold quite so much. It was really quite something to march in line with the cream of New Zealand and Australia. Now we can breathe easily, and prepare for the rest of the year.

ABA Contests

The Auckland Brass Association solos contest held recently at Westlake Boys High School in Takapuna proved to be an exceptionally successful day for Kumeu Brass and Kumeu Brass Auxiliary Band. With a total of 20 entrants Kumeu Auxiliary Band outnumbered all other competing bands in the junior events resulting in some excellent results and narrowly missing winning the award for highest points achieved overall.

Highlights of the performances were the award for Champion aged under 16 – won by Martha Petia, and 3rd place gained in the highly competitive Open Class by Roxanne Haines. All the members of the auxiliary band were encouraged to compete, and it’s worth noting that a number of the classes were only represented by Kumeu Auxiliary band members. The training programme in the Auxiliary band is going from strength to strength, with some potential members having to be turned away due to lack of space.

Both bands are preparing in earnest for the national contest to be held in early July. The Auxiliary band has had a piece commissioned by Stephen Booth, carefully designed to bring out their strengths to the fullest. They recently rehearsed the piece with top grade Waitakere Brass, and were impressed to hear the piece in all its glory. Now it will be their turn, along with youth bands from across New Zealand, on 6th July at 2:30pm in Rosmini College, Takapuna.

The senior band has been rehearsing well, and will be playing their test pieces on the 6th July with the other bands of their grade, from 10am onwards, also in Rosmini College. But their proudest moment could be their chance to march through Takapuna in the parade of bands on 7th July at 9:30am. Five years ago they marched through Queen Street, Auckland in the 2002 National Contest, and won their grade. They haven’t had another chance since then, due mainly to the cost of reaching the venues around New Zealand. But this year there will be no excuse! The parade will be a full formal march, unlike the Santa parades which are much more relaxed. Eyes front and careful pacing will be the order of the day.

Come along to see the Kumeu bands, and the cream of New Zealand with them, right here in the North Shore. More details on www.championbrass.org.nz.

Results for the Auckland Brass Association solo contest were as follows:

Special Trophies:

Tuffin Shield (highest points under 11 years) Bethan Kingaby, Kumeu Auxillary Brass

Sullivan Cup (highest points under 16 years) Martha Petia, Kumeu Auxillary Brass

Kumeu Brass would like to acknowledge Creative NZ whose assistance made a large number of our entries possible.

Scarecrow Festival and ANZAC parades

The Scarecrow Festival day was tucked well behind the Kumeu Library, a place few people have ever been. So having the band playing turned out to be a very successful crowd puller, and we quickly had a small crowd milling around the craft stalls and listening to the band. We played through for quite a while with a short lunch break until it poured with rain, and we decided to call it a day.

Picture: Swanson parade stepping off, led by Brian Miller as drum major.

Our first ANZAC parade at Swanson started a little late, but our marching practice last week paid off quite well. It was quite a crowd again, with the addition this time of a Maori welcome (who moved out of the way before the parade reached them). Peter Whyte played the Last Post and Reveille, and also at Helensville. We just made it in time for the Helensville parade, which also went off without incident, followed by a fine lunch provided by the RSA.

with the band leading the parade and providing music during the wreath laying ceremony. Solo cornet player, Peter Whyte, played the Last Post providing a memorable end to the commemorative service.

Kumeu Show - 11th March

A long warm day, but a great concert, and comments like "You're the heart of the show" made it all worthwhile. We played quite a selection, with a wide variety of music. Thanks to all who supported us and even positioned seats nearby so they could listen in comfort. Thanks also to Matua Winery for the loan of the tent; it fitted us nicely.

Our next concert will be on the 14th April for the Scarecrow Festival at Kumeu Library.

24th December

The entire band turned out for the Swanson parade, including the Auxilliary band, plus several outsiders too. We had nearly 30; I didn't manage to count them all. It was quite a spectacle, and a great encouragement to have the youngsters marching too. Afterwards was the carol concert, where we played and played until everyone got tired and went home!

Henderson Baptist Carolfest was packed as usual, with many good comments from the audience afterwards. Kumeu Carols in the Park was a quiet little event but a great occasion, with plenty of mince pies to follow. And this time it didn't rain! Neither did it rain for Henderson Falls Park carols, although a chilly wind did boost the sales of hot chocolate.

Many thanks to all who came to listen and support us at the carolling outside Countdown. Thanks also to the staff of Countdown and the nearby shops, who have been very supportive. We cerrtainly have enough in the collection to pay for running costs for quite some time. After 7 days of Jingle Bells, Rudolph and Hark The Herald, it's time for some new music...

10th December, and getting warm at last.

At the Farmers Parade, Ron Crean (our bass trombonist) collapsed and was rushed to hospital, later suffering a heart attack. He was in good hands, and is recovering well with his newly fitted pacemaker, but probably won't be joining us for the rest of the year at least. He put in a suprise appearance at the Helensville parade, from the comfort of the RSA bar.

Both Te Atatu and Helensville were in glorious sunshine for their Christmas parades. We were boosted by members of the auxilliary band and a few others, and put in a real good show. One parade left in Swanson on the 15th.

We had our first session carolling outside Westgate Countdown this week; more to follow from the 18th onwards.

26th November - A varied start to the season.

New Lynn parade was threatened by heavy rain, but it cleared up for long enough for us to do the parade. It was the world premiere of our new Christmas march, compiled by our training director Claire Bymolt. Glen Eden was also rather wet, but went off very well, and we were all glad to get home and dry off.

Paul Murray, our previous president, passed away after a long battle with cancer. His funeral was on Friday 24th November. Upon his coffin was laid a cornet, a fishing rod, a pack of playing cards, and an arrangement of vegetables, representing his life and loves. Kumeu Brass joined the Devonport band to play some hymns and the last post, and a glorious solo of Last Of The Summer Wine.. Afterwards, we all went to pay our respects and to lay a bottlebrush flower next to the carrots.

The Farmers parade was as fun as ever, with a lot of audience participation and some hearty cheers whenever we played Jingle Bells. For the first time, we teamed up with the army of red shirts to sing a carol. We had to finish early due to one member collapsing in the heat.

29th October 2006 - Many thanks to all of you who supported us at our concert on the 28th (and helped themselves to the scones, jam and cream) - we had quite a crowd. Both bands performed - the Auxilliary and the Senior band. The Auxilliary band had a movies theme, with music ranging from a theme from Lord of the Rings, to the Scooby Doo tune. The Senior band had quite a varied programme, finishing with Copa Cabana and Instant Concert, the old well worn favourite with at least 30 different tunes woven into it. The auxilliary band joined us for that last piece, and made sure it went down with a swing.

The Auxillary Band are preparing for the Auckland Brass Association contest on the 10th November, where they will be competing in the entertainment section.

The Christmas parade season begins on the 18th November at Glen Eden. Watch our Events page for any last minute changes and additions (there are still some in the pipeline).

13th August, 2006 - The AGM / concert / dinner was well attended, and all went smoothly. Paul Murray handed over the role of President to Sean Whyte, and a couple of new members were added to the committee. Both bands gave a short performance of their latest works, followed by an informal dinner back in the hall.

Our Christmas season is already looking full, and this year it looks likely that we will be able to rejoin the Kumeu parade, which we weren't able to last year due to a clash of committments.

I must draw attention to the formation of a new band within out midst. Certain of the more ... experienced members of the band have been meeting on a Thursday afternoon for a practice for quite a number of months. This was initially to provide extra rehearsals for the contests last year. However, they have now began to study some new pieces of their own, and have announced the formation of the Kumeu OFE (Old Fellas Ensemble, or words to that effect). All are welcome (but don't let the old boys scare you off).

The ABA contests

The band came third in the traditional contest, behind two C grade bands. A reasonable performance considering the number of changes recently, and a tribute to the new conductor Peter Logger. It was his first experience of a New Zealand brass contest, and one of the first performances after moving from his native Holland.

An astounding result, particularly for the Auxilliary band, in the solo contest. A large number won trophies in the contest, and collectively they swamped most of the sections they entered.

Congratulations to all the brave soloists - here are the results for Kumeu Brass:

Under 13 Slow - Martha Petia 2nd place

Under 13 Not Slow - Martha Petia 1st place, Reuben Rakena 2nd place, Joshua
Tagaloa 3rd place

Under 16 Restricted (i.e. recent beginners)- Mason McQuinn-Taylor 2nd Place

Under 16 Not Slow - Kereta Petia 2nd place

Under 19 Slow - Joshua Finlay 1st place

Under 16 Percussion - Dylan Laverick 1st place, Mitchell Borger 2nd place

Over 16 Restricted - Nicholas Taylor 1st place, Helen Beech 2nd place

Under 16 Duet - Joshua and Trent Tagaloa 1st place, Kereta and Martha Petia
2nd place

Under 19 Duet - Joshua Finlay and Nicholas Taylor 1st place

Tuffin Shield for highest points awarded to a competitor under the age of 11
- Reuben Rakena

Conductors Cup (worked out using 3 points for a first placing, 2 points for
a 2nd placing and 1 point for a 3rd placing)- Kumeu Brass

ANZAC day, 25th April 2006

Against all odds, and localised flooding, it didn't rain. Everything went according to plan, although our tuba arrived in Helensville about 20 metres too late. But I'm told the crowds were all singing along to our "1914" medley. This year is the year of the veteran, and we honoured the veterans of all conflicts, not just the two world wars. Here's a photo of the Helensville parade, complete with last minute tuba:

The Youth Camp

On the weekend of the 7th-9th of April, 18 young brass and percussionists from Kumeu Brass attended the Auckland Bands Association Youth Camp at Camp Adair in Hunua. Their attendance at the camp was made possible with the assistance of the Rodney Community Arts Council Creative Communities Scheme

The students from Kumeu Brass joined with 30 other brass and percussionists from various Auckland bands to create a massed band, with players of between 8 and 18 years old.Intensive rehearsals began at 9am on Saturday morning, with the band tackling some fun but challenging music in a variety of styles. With a total of 5 rehearsals during the day, the band was worked hard to get the music up to standard to play at the mini-concert held at the conclusion of the camp.

But it wasn't all hard work. Other highlights from the camp included a round-robin social basketball tournament, as well as a variety of other team games, designed to encourage cooperation between members of the band.Overall the students from Kumeu Brass had a great time, and learnt a great deal from the experience.

Some photos on the Auxilliary Band page

The Kumeu Show, 2006

A rather wet morning turned into a fine and sunny afternoon. We played our usual four slots on the Sunday, taking turns next to a team of young acrobats from the Kumeu Kid's Circus. It all went really well. It was the first chance to see our new conductor Peter Logger take a concert. Peter has been with us for a couple of months (after finding us on the website). Kerry wood is still in touch with the band, but had to step down due to work commitments.

Carols by Countdown

We only had three days carolling this year, but the response was good, and made it worth the hundreds of carols we must have played. Now at last we can rest for the year! A merry Christmas to you all.

Carols by Candlelight

This had to move indoors due to the weather, but still went down tremendously well. The conductor, the MC and the preacher competed for the worst jokes, and everyone enjoyed it immensely.

The Christmas Concert

A real good concert, and we had to put out more chairs to seat everyone. The auxulliary band played several pieces too, and everyone enjoyed the Christmas theme. There were several solos, including Buglers' Holiday, played by our conductor, Kerry. And it's always good to meet with our crowd of supporters afterwards.

The Swanson Carols

This event was in place of the Swanson parade, which had had to be cancelled. We were up on the dec in front of the Swanson railway station, along with a small choir and a clown. We spent a happy hour and a half performing carols, and trying to catch each other out. For example, we played the introduction to Jingle Bells at three times the normal speed, we held the last note of another introduction as long as possible, and during one carol we slowed righe down. The clown walked over and tried to speed us up. Then he left, and we slowed down again. The choir did get their own back during God Rest Ye Merry, where they sang two extra verses that we didn't know about...

The Henderson Baptist Carol Concert

Apparently they say we're sounding better every year. A packed church, and at least 25 different carols, by ourselves, the youth band and the church band. And the audience, of course. Well enjoyed by all.

Parades

Glen Eden was fine and sunny, but not too hot. New Lynn was freezing cold, with a strong wind, and dark clouds everywhere. But the weather held for us, and once we'd got warmed up, it went really well.

The Auckland (Farmers) parade had us providing pre-parade entertainment as usual, but there were so many groups performing that it was difficult to find a quiet spot! But we had plenty of opportunity, and must have gone through the book twice.

Last year the Te Atatu parade was rained off, but this year it was warm and sunny as we led the parade through the town. Helensville was even hotter, but we still managed to play in tune... All in all it's been a really good parade season - no mishaps, a good performance, and plenty of fun.

Auckland Brass Association Contest, 2005

Kumeu competed in the traditional contest on Saturday, against three other bands, all of them higher grade than us. We won!. We came first in all but the hymn, and came first overall. Below us were all C grade bands. This is encouraging for us, since we're currently D grade!

And congratulations to our auxilliary band too, who also won in their section! This is especially good since this is the first time ever in a contest. The band is very young, and started essentially from nothing about two years ago.

On Sunday we gave a fine performance in the entertainment contest, with much sarcasm from the compère, some careful choreography, and loud singing from the beggars In A Persian Market.We came fourth overall - maybe we need a little more work on the singing...

Our last playout with Belinda, who found us through the website. She's going to concentrate on her studies, on top of her job as well.

Congratulations Josh!

Joshua Finlay, our 1st Baritone, has just been selected for the New Zealand Secondary Schools Brass Band. His first concert was on 24th July, just six days after starting. The band has been on a camp at Drury to rehearse.

Funeral of Dave Beech, our longstanding euphonium player - Monday 20th June

It had been a shock when Dave fell from scaffolding, and broke his pelvis. It was even more of a shock when he later died of a resulting blood clot. The entire band turned out on a sunny Monday morning, along with several from Auckland City Brass, and the Artilliery band. We played hymns outside, then went inside for the service. Dave always lived life to the full, and it was an eye opener to hear of his travels and his hair raising (and eyebrow singeing) youth. We played the "Last of the Summer Wine" theme, one of his favourite programmes, as he was carried out. It will be a while before we can pick up the pieces, and match all the hard work he did for the band.

Combined concert with North Shore Brass, 6th June

The Pohlen Cup contest in Matamata, 15th May

As usual, we won! A fine performance earned us first place in three out of four of our pieces, and we only missed out the other piece by one point. We'll be playing these pieces with North Shore Brass in the concert on the 30th May.

ANZAC Day

We marched in Swanson and Helensville, and played the hymns for both services. The Helensville hall was standing room only; with speeches by local councillors, officers and clergy. Everyone stood for the National anthem, including the band. The band then sat down to play. The congregation sat down, and stood up again seconds later to sing...

Auxiliary band mini concert, 15th April

Designed as an encouragement to our developing learners, this brief concert went unusually well, with the hall packed to the back with parents and friends. They played a selection of simplified pieces, the longest selection that they have ever performed. They sounded remarkably together despite some difficult harmonies. It was also an occasion to show off the nine shiny new instruments that have recently been puchased courtesy of the Caversham foundation. Photos to follow...

Kumeu Show 13th March

After much negotiation, we secured a spot opposite the sheep shearing demonstration, and alternated with them to keep the crowds entertained through the day. It was also our first opportunity to show off our new blue polo shirts; provided to us courtesy of the Caversham foundation.

Hibiscus Hospice Garden Open Day - 6th March

Our first concert of the year was a low key occasion, providing background music in a large and peaceful garden in Dairy Flat. Thanks to the people who crossed the lawns to say thank you, and our apologies to the ones who were upset to find that they were too late to hear us. We played a selection of popular tunes, including a number of golden oldies that may make another appearance later in the year.

Carolling, 15th December onwards

The weather is being suprisingly Christmassy, and if it continues in this manner, it may snow soon. We have shelter from the rain, but not the wind and cold. Many thanks to all those who have donated already as they passed us by. We promise to play a wide variety of popular and not so popular carols, and if they're in alphabetical order, it makes them easier to find.

At last, a quiet Christmas and a chance to recover. See us next year at our regular spot in the Kumeu Show!

Carols in the Park - 22nd December 2004

Due to the unseasonable weather, this became Carols in the Baptist Church next door. However, undefeated, we put on a well practised concert of carols and other pieces, including the final performance of our Christmas march. A tradition set to continue next year, depending on the weather...

Te Atatu - 12th December 2004

Christmas Concert, 11th December 2004

Kumeu, 10th December 2004

By far the longest march this season, and probably the coldest. A blasting sou-wester sent us on our way, and the bubble truck showered us with bubbles from behind. The parade set a slow pace, and we had to stop at regular intervals in order to let them catch up. We played the march at least 8 times, and were kept going by the hearty (or is that hardy) local support, who cheered us on and yelled support as we went. As an encore, we walked back up the street to play some carols before heading home, weary but satisfied.

Henderson Baptist Carolfest, 5th December 2004

A packed programme of carols and carol arrangements went down really well in the packed church hall. The church provided several items of their own, and then asked us to perform a couple of items to finish. We played Snoopy's Christmas, and it went down a treat. They were clapping and stamping from bar three onwards. We got quite a cheer at the end.

Helensville, 4th December 2004

It was raining first thing in the morning, and it rained all day. Did that stop us? Of course not. We marched through Helensville, proudly but wearily playing our Christmas March, as the music got wet and the crowd bravely cheered. The bandmaster carefully wheeled us under the canopy of a nearby petrol station to let the parade pass and turn round, and then we set off back along the road for a final dampening before heading home.

New Lynn and Queen Street - 27th and 28th November 2004

A cold and wet morning in Henderson left Kumeu Brass cowering in a nearby caravan. Fortunately the rain began to ease off just before the start, and we set off marching through the drizzle. Then we had to stop for a while as the rest of the parade was still hiding from the rain. During which time all our instruments dropped rapidly in temperature, and our first play through the march was a little shaky. The second was much better, and was reportedly quite impressive as we entered the home straight.

Queen Street (Auckland) was packed with up to 100,000 people, and for once the weather was dry and not too hot. We played some carols in the street for an hour or so, and then got the nod from the policeman to move on. Got a round of applause as we left.

The author now has a blister due to marching in new shoes. His music is a little curled due to getting wet.

Swanson and Glen Eden parades - 20th November 2004

A hot and sunny afternoon left Waitakere Brass hiding under the trees. But not Kumeu. We just got sunburnt instead. We led the parade through Swanson, proudly playing our Christmas march for the first time. Partway through, the author's shoes broke and had to be mended with a piece of Christmas decoration.

Then we had just enough time to spare to get to the parade at Glen Eden, hampered by the closing of the only road through Swanson. This time we took the rear, nobody's shoes broke and the bass drum played an impromptu solo when nobody was watching. There followed a few carols in the car park, and some more in the shade of Hammer Hardware, before we left, somewhat tired and thirsty!

The Coatesville Primary Schools Guy Fawkes - 13th November 2004

A small crowd of children gathered round the band tent as we played Teddy Bears Picnic and Baa Baa Black Sheep. It went down really well, although we should have remembered to bring our teddy bears with us like the conductor told us to. It was a fun evening, and we generally took turns with the announcer making noise during the proceedings...

It was a sad day too, since it was our last concert with Malcolm Gapes as conductor. We wish him all the best for the future, and especially for his marriage to Trish early next year.

The Auckland Brass Contest - 16th October 2004

A small group of big strong men, and not so big strong men, gathered at the Waitakere band hall to help shift all the percussion equipment to the Avondale College, where the contest was to be held. It filled the truck, almost to the roof. Then we had to shift it all out at the other end. Fortunately the college had a proper delivery entrance, otherwise your good president might not have lasted the day.

A nervous group of brass players gathered at the college that afternoon. We didn't have long to wait; we were playing second. Time for a quick rehearsal, and then into the hall.

It all went smoothly, apart from when the author removed his mute and clonked a nearby trombone, Fortunately we weren't marked for excessive percussion. We came fourth overall, and third in the march (about which he had very little negative to say) which was quite impressive considering we were short of players and up against some of the best bands in the region.

The catering went smoothly on Saturday, and briskly on Sunday as the world turned out to hear the Entertainment Contest. They had so many orders for food, that they had to make several trips out to buy some more!

And whose knee was Althea stroking anyway?

The Movie Theme Concert

A new venture for us - a collection of movie themes and excerpts, played in time to clips from the movies played on a big screen. Could we do it? Thanks to long hours spent by Debbie (our soprano cornet) carefully editing and compiling the video clips (she saw more movies in one week than she had in years) we managed perfect timing in all but a couple of the pieces. You could feel the drama of the moment as the planes touched town in Dambusters, and the deep emotion of the scenes from Braveheart. It really caught the moment.

Our auxilliary band put in a fine performance of modern themes too, with Disney themes and other pieces to complement.

Quite an evening.