I have officially been in South Africa for a year now. It’s hard to believe, but my work with the Field Band Foundation has come to an end and my Fulbright is officially over. I will be writing a concluding post in the next few days, but first I’d like to write a bit about the 2008 Field Band Championships.
As you may recall from last year, the National Championships is the culminating event held each year for the many bands that comprise the Field Band Foundation. The groups come to Johannesburg from all over the country to compete for top honors in several different categories. Each band has to put a twelve-minute show together and compete in one of two divisions: the First Division or the Premiere Division. The First Division is for younger bands and low-scoring groups from the previous year’s Premiere Division competition. The Premiere Division is for the top bands. Also, as part of the two-day event, there is a solo and ensemble competition and a “prescribed piece” competition in which the bands perform a set piece composed for the event.
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