BALLYGOWAN FLUTE BAND
Younger Generation
What can we offer our young people?
They can learn to play the instrument or improve their standard under the
individual, or small group, tuition of talented, and usually qualified teachers,
and they will be introduced to a wide range of music (as outlined in our Music
page).
They will have the pleasure of away days - always well supervised. These will be
concerts or contests and may include an overnight stay in another country
(wholly optional) If they don't already own their own instrument (and that could
be a timpani, glockenspiel or a sidedrum), we will provide one of quality. They
will have the opportunity (again wholly optional) to play with one of the
world's finest marching flute bands.
Did you know that when the world famous flautist James Galway
was still only twelve years of age, he won the under-13, under-16 and open solo
in the Northern Ireland's Flute Band League Annual Solos and Small Ensemble
Contest?
No! Then you probably wouldn't know that this feat had never been done before,
and indeed until recently had not been achieved since. Well, records are made to
be broken, and in 2008, 12-year-old Andrew Douglas from Ballygowan Flute Band repeated Jimmy's feat (and
apparently he was even younger than James Galway was at the time.)
Every year many of our young (and not so young) members enter
this competition. There is something for everyone; solos, duets, trios, quartets,
sextets, octets not to forget the percussion section.
Ballygowan traditionally have a good entry and it can be no accident that
successes here throughout the 70s and 80s by a significant percentage of our
members have had a major bearing on the band's development through the last two
decades.
Jonathan Gourley will probably always remember playing in his first major parade on Saturday 29 August 2009 at the Black Preceptory Parade in Crossgar.
He had agreed the target with his father (no pressure!) to have learned all his marches to coincide with Dad's birthday - we have it from a reliable source that the flute and marches went on holiday with him to France. Well done Jonathan; you've made the grade!
Jonathan would be a direct descendant of one of those pioneers
of 1876.
