High school bands go marching to Taichung

Starting tomorrow, school bands from all around Taiwan will come together at Chungshan Hall (台中中山堂) in Taichung to one of the biggest school band competitions in the nation. The 2002 Band Contest, hosted by the Taiwan Band Association, is in its second year, having grown from 19 participants to 51 this year.

"We are really happy at the response, said Yeh Shu-han (葉樹涵), director of the Taiwan Band Association and a trumpeter in the Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, who stressed the importance that band music education could play in education. It is different from training in classical music he said.

Speaking on the difference between band music and classical music training in schools, Yeh suggested that band music could play a larger role. "Playing in a band is different from undergoing classical music training," Yeh said. "There is not as much pressure, and it is also a group activity. Individual skill is not so much the issue. A single person might not be an outstanding player, but the sound of the band can still be good."

The popularity of school band music has grown rapidly over the last 10 years. Toru Miura, a performer with the world renowned Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra, who is among the distinguished panel of international judges who have been invited to judge the competition this year, said that when he first visited Taiwan in 1979, most bands where military bands.

Another judge, Toshio Akiyama, the former chair of the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE), pointed out that while Japan is probably the leader in school band music in Asia, with a total of some 15,000 bands from elementary schools to community bands, Taiwan is not far behind.

"Taiwan is placed to be a leader in band music for the Chinese-speaking world," he said at a press conference yesterday announcing the competition.

This year, the competition has been located in Taichung so that it is easier for students from all over the island. "Last year the competition was held in Taipei," said Wu Ying-wei (吳盈葦) a staffer with the Taipei Band Association, so some schools from the south decided it was too far too come. Next year, we are thinking about holding it in Chiayi.

The competition is divided into junior high and senior high school categories, playing tomorrow and Sunday respectively.

At 7:30pm on each of these days, selections from the competition program will be played by the Youshi Brass Band (幼獅管樂團) and the ROC Army Band (陸軍軍樂隊) conducted by the visiting judges. Entrance to the competition and evening performance are free. For more information, contact the Taipei Band Association at (02) 2377-6791.