I have over recent weeks shared stuff about the Glasgow Schools camps and the Wessex Youth Orchestra tour – today it is the turn of the Scottish Salvation Army music camps. Many of my facebook friends appear in this little video 😉
There are many stories that could be told (!!) but I’ll restrict myself to two – one for each of the pieces on the soundtrack, The first of them is Phil Catelinet’s “The Gates of the Morning” which was the camp song in 1970 – my only camp as a student i returned for a few years after that on the staff.
Each morning one the things that everyone was involved in was music theory classes – these ranged from simple through a range of levels so that each year, as people returned to camp they could progress their knowledge. In their wisdom they decided that – because I already had my music “Higher” exam pass it didn’t make sense for me to do any of the standard courses – so I was assigned “Brass Band Scoring”.
My task for the week was to score the camp song for band accompaniment. This was then used at the final festival on the Saturday. The recording that I have found is in a VERY different style to that used at Camp – it was much more martial and ‘glorious’. I think that the only addition to my score was that they decided that it would be good for the bass player to play an equivalent of the “ba dumm tss” that drummers use to indicate a punchline. I was secretly pleased when the bass player messed that up on the performance – should have stuck with my original😃
The second bit of music is Norman Bearcroft’s arrangement of “Simply Trusting”. One of the years that I was on the staff I spent the week “enjoying” the luxury of playing second horn which was certainly not stretching me too much. At the end of the week it was discovered that of the three euphonium players who were in the A Band – two of them (the top two) were not able to stay for the Sunday when, traditionally, the band went to do the meetings at one of the scottish Corps.
So it was decided that it would be a good idea for me to help out the young man on Euphonium at Parkhead on that Sunday. I was – obviously – sight reading much of this – and I had never played Euphonium ‘seriously’ before then – so it was an interesting day 😃 I seem to remember that our “big piece” was the last movement of “Themes from the New World Symphony”!
We got to the wind-up and it was passed round the Band that we would do the band song – this arrangement of Simply Trusting – and my young Euphonium partner was adamant that he wasn’t going to try that particular part…. (wonder if he remembers that?)
Hope a few of you enjoy the pictures.
Scottish SA Music Camp
Comments :
Linda Steel
The photos bring back so many happy memories of the fun we had at Music Camp (not school) over the years. Lovely to see again so many of those who are so sadly no longer with us but what an impact they made in our lives. Thanks for the memory, George. 🙂
Brian Milligan
Norman Bearcroft was the special guest at the 1968 music school and Trusting as the Moments Fly was the camp song. As with nearly every year euphonium was a problem. Paul Archibald was taken of solo and put on euphonium and I took Paul’s place. So at the camp festival the song was sung with Paul and I playing in the ensemble with his brother John and a lad called Norman(Norrie) from Rutherglen. I will try and share with Ken Milligan, Ian’s son. I the first photo June did not recognise my aunt, Agnes Milligan or my cousin Ian’s wife Margaret sitting in the front row.
Ivor Telfer
Great memories – thanks George
Brian Johnson
Happy days! We had so much fun. Particularly enjoyed being English in a foreign country! 😀
Terry Hudson
We’ve all passed a lot of water since those halcyon days 😉
Gordon Muir
Thanks George these photos are from nearly 50 years ago
Karen Hanover
Great memories, think some are more than 50years. Recognise lots of faces maybe not the names. Hope you are well.
George McConnell
Think they date from 1969 to 1973
David Henderson
Thanks George. Epic photos and great memories.
Colin Sneade
I remember the Scotland v England football match. I managed to tackle Terry Dawn Hudson, and send him through a huge puddle of mud…then him chasing me around Broomlees camp for the next 20 mins….good times 😂😂😂
Joy Lawrence
Some great photos and many happy memories:). Xx
Terry Hudson
hey, Joy! Is that you in one of those pix??
Joy Lawrence
it most certainly is!!!! I almost didn’t recognise me 😃
Robin Thompson
Happy Days !!!
Brian Deans
Great times George!
I remember going to Parkhead and being billeted with their bass trombone John McDermott.
Can’t remember if I was on Euph or Trombone as I was just swapping over at that time because RSAMD juniors wouldn’t accept a devil’s instrument 🙄
George McConnell
you were not on euphonium (if I remember correctly!!)
Brian Deans
That’s a relief! I wouldn’t want to have been responsible for a major embarrassment in your banding career. 😛
George McConnell
No embarrassment 😁 I nailed it – and I don’t expect anyone remembers well enough to disagree 😂😂
Alan Partington
Thanks for the memories George – even if they remind me of my dreadful hair! I don’t have to worry about that now. I remember your dad with great fondness and the fun we had in, and out, of rehearsals. I have most of these pictures but it was a good reminder of those days.
Janine Taylor
Lots of faces that I recognise!