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THE ALLEYNIAN 710
BOLD AS BRASS
Rory Gurney (Year 10) recalls two delightful events involving the College’s brass players
The Slow Song Competition has become a Dulwich College favourite. Brass students are invited to practise six short pieces, knowing that they will be asked to play one at random on the day. All brass players can participate, no matter their instrument. The pieces might on first sight appear simple, but this is deceptive: two of the pieces selected this year were ‘Jupiter’ from The Planets and ‘Jerusalem’, neither of them easy to play. As most of the pieces are very well known, and carry emotional attachment for some, paying close attention to expression is crucial. More than 20 people took part, and the standard was impressive. The well- deserved winner was George Good (Year 13), with Bertie Poullis (Year 10), George Ayres (Year 7 - one of
the youngest competitors) and me being highly commended. It was a competition that I would recommend every brass player takes part in, and was very enjoyable. During the Spring term, the Dulwich College Brass Consort (George Good, Matthew Shapiro, Max Collins, Will Carter and I) went on a trip to St Michael’s College in Bermondsey to demonstrate the capabilities of brass instruments to beginner musicians. We played a selection of pieces to the welcoming audience, and Mx Smith gave a brief history of the brass instruments as well. It was a fun day out and a good opportunity to perform in front of a crowd. We then invited them to ask us any questions they had about our instruments, as well as offering our own tips.
THE PIECES MIGHT ON FIRST SIGHT APPEAR SIMPLE, BUT THIS IS DECEPTIVE
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