Gwenneth McFarland Flugel Horn
I began learning to play cornet at the age of eight - I suppose it was inevitable that one day I would! My father, David Holland, started at eleven years old on cornet, later moving to Eb bass and eventually conducting. As far as he's concerned, "banding is the most important "b" in life, apart from breathing!" - I recall him saying that to my dance teacher at the end of an exhausting lesson, just before throwing me into the car and whisking me off to a two hour band rehearsal. I was ten years old at the time and was told, well actually bullied by him into thinking that ballet was not for me and I needed to concentrate more on something I might actually be okay at (don't worry, he still doesn't go overboard on complimenting me even now!!!). So I hung up my ballet shoes and put all my efforts into being the cornet player he always wanted me to be.
From a young age (about 2 months old) I was dragged, along with my mother, Andrea, & older sister, Melanie, to concerts, contests & parades to support dad and his ego. I remember setting off very early one Friday morning to travel down to Cornwall for a weeks holiday - but not before "Brass Band Man" had proved his loyalty and love for his band. On the way, we stopped off at Bruche in Warrington so that dad could play with his beloved police band at a passing out parade for police cadets. He left the three of us in the car for a couple of hours with a bag of crisps and a can of coke whilst he attended to his first love.
It was always his wish that my sister & I would one day follow in his footsteps. Melanie is three years older than I am and from the age of six, dad would pull out a battered cornet that was easily 50 years old and try to convince her that it was easy to play. Unfortunately for Melanie, her skinny little arms could only hold it up for about 30 seconds before giving way and dad soon realised that she wasn't old enough or strong enough for cornet and left her alone. When Melanie was ten, dad brought home a tenor horn one evening. I remember our parents telling us not to touch it as it was a sovereign (whatever that meant, but we knew it must be something really special!). After quite a bit of persuasion from Melanie, dad gave in and let her have a quick blow on it. She instantly fell in love as a) she could hold it without dropping it and b) she could actually produce a nice sound out of it. Melanie started to learn immediately and joined Burnley Alliance Band. She stayed there for a few months but, being highly competitive, wanted to join a band that contested. So one Wednesday evening in June 1983, dad took her to a Haslingden & Helmshore Band rehearsal and the rest is history (apart from the fact that we don't mention in front of Melanie that when dad walked in the bandroom, the entire band's faces lit up - until he announced that his waif-like eleven year old wanted to join and not him!). By February 1984, Melanie had already competed in her first contest and was enjoying banding so much that she also joined the junior band as the rest of the senior band's youngsters were already members.
It was at Melanie's first junior band rehearsal that our mother realised that there was also a beginners band - it was now time to put the pressure on me! We left the rehearsal that Tuesday night and for the next 25 minutes, was bullied into having a go myself, but I didn't want dad to know in case I wasn't very good. For the next week (fortunately dad was working evenings), mum & Melanie taught me how to play and read music. The following Tuesday, it was dad's turn to take Melanie to junior band, however he didn't realise that he was also taking his eight year old who could by now play & read some music, and his beloved battered old cornet. Finally, he had a cornet player in the family (sorry Melanie!). Two months later, it was my ninth birthday. As it fell around the same time as the old annual Pontins Contest at Southport which took place every Easter (mum, Melanie & I were there as usual supporting dad and his band), I was told that my birthday present would be a brand new cornet. After 2 hours of deliberation at the trade stands, mum, dad & myself (and the entire cornet rank of the Band Of The Lancashire Constabulary!) finally chose one and the blackmail started. I was told that if I didn't practice everyday, they'd sell my cornet (I don't remember how I ever blagged it, but it was never sold and is now in my loft just waiting for one of my kids!).
In December 1984, I performed my first joint concert with the junior & senior bands at the Public Hall, Haslingden and also played at the senior band's annual Christmas Concert at the Conservative Club, Haslingden. I wasn't supposed to play that evening, but the band's 3rd cornet player, a little boy named Craig (who would one day become my husband) fell ill, and as one of the concert pieces needed a midget to get a few laughs, I was roped in at the eleventh hour (sight reading's pretty scary when you're only nine years old, but your nerves are a lot stronger!). I joined the senior band in the New Year on 3rd cornet (as Craig was promoted to 2nd) and was soon competing in contests like my sister (although I wasn't quite as good as her). I progressed slowly but steadily and moved to 2nd cornet for a while and, very briefly, repiano. At the age of twelve, I was promoted to 3rd man down, and our first contest after that was Buxton in May 1988 where we came 2nd in the 4th Section. At 13, I moved to flugel for a couple of years, but this came to an end in April 1990, when my father was appointed as Musical Director (must have been a distinct lack of conductors around at the time) and promptly moved me back to cornet. By the age of sixteen, I was 2nd man down (or assistant/soon to be principal as I liked to call it!) and bumper-upper/second-fiddle once again to my future husband.
The band again started to compete in contests in November 1994 and after a disappointing 6th at our first contest, we steadily regained our confidence on the contesting stage and our next three results were 3rd, 2nd and 5th. I remained assistant principal until September 1996, when Craig eventually came to his senses and stepped down. Finally, a chance to prove to my father how good I was! My first contest as principal cornet was a success - the band won their first contest for over a decade and it was so nice to rub Craig's rather large nose in it! The following March, we entered the North West Area Regional Contest at Blackpool for the first ever time and only finished 9th out of 18, but undeterred, returned the following year, gaining a second place and qualification to the National Finals at Harrogate in September (by this point, my nemesis, Craig, had been demoted to Glock!!!). At the time I thought it was the highlight of my brass banding career, but that was to come a couple of months later. In May 1998, we competed in the 4th Section at Wigan Contest. We played Peter Graham's "Dimensions" and although I thought we were awful (I actually came off-stage and claimed I'd never been so embarrassed in all my life!!!), I was to be proved very wrong as we were awarded 1st prize with 189 points - 13 points clear of the 2nd placed band. The adjudicator's remarks were unbelievable. When commenting on my solo, David King wrote "K - an excellent cornetist with a singing tone", earning me the nickname "Kay". I had finally proved to my father that I was a good cornet player and realised that my work here was done.
I decided that I needed to take some "time out" but would fulfil all our forthcoming contests and concerts. After competing at the National Finals in Harrogate in September 1998, where we again were awarded 2nd place, Manchester District Contest in November and performing at our Christmas concerts, I hung up my cornet (next to my ballet shoes!) and embarked on a "sebbatical" from brass banding. My new found freedom was short-lived as I was pressured into keeping my lip in (just in case!) and blackmailed (by now my parents were in no position to sell my cornet, so they threatened to cut me out of their will!!!) into playing principal cornet at major events over the next six months. This included 4 contests, Whit Friday and our high-profile "Lottery Concert". By June, I was once again starting to enjoy a life without brass bands. July came and went - very slowly - and by August I realised I was completely bored, I missed my family and friends and so I returned to the band and my beloved end seat!
I have been with the band on principal cornet ever since and have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of a little village band that had just eight players in 1990 and had fallen off the contest radar, to currently being in the 1st Section. I am so proud of what the band has accomplished over the years, and thrilled that it has been under the direction of my own father, and am honoured that my sister and husband have been the most amazing "bumper-uppers" to me, and it's all because of my mum's motivation when I was an eight year old! My favourite moments in banding have been achieving success on the contest stage and the many prizes we have won over the years at the Whit Friday March Contests, gaining promotion 3 times in less than 10 years and a couple of memorable band trips to Bocholt, Germany in 1998 and 1999. I have enjoyed playing some wonderful cornet solo's, my favourite's being Rusalka's Song To The Moon and an arrangement of "The Way You Look Tonight", especially commissioned for me by my husband and arranged by one of his old Towcester Studio Band colleagues, Colin Bugby. I have only ever been a member of Haslingden & Helmshore Band and never really wanted to move on, but I have enjoyed playing with many other bands over the years including The Band Of The Lancashire Constabulary, Blackburn & Darwen Band, Skipton Properties Band, Wire Brass & Towcester Studio Band (Northants) amongst others.
But I realised in late 2006, with the arrival (and return) of some excellent players, it was time for a change. I also wanted to concentrate a little more on my own family. In October 2003, I finally married my nemesis and childhood sweetheart Craig. Our daughter, Jenifer Kay (he picked her first name, so it was only fair that I was allowed to choose her middle name!!!), was born in September 2004. I therefore decided to retire (or jump before I was pushed) as principal cornet at the end of 2006, after a wonderful 10 year stint. So this time, I hung up my ego and, unfortunately, was replaced by yes, you've guessed it - Craig!!! Aaaaaarrrrgggggghhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
