NUSWS Masterclass with Dr John Lynch
it was a memorable evening as NUSWS welcomes Dr John Lynch for a masterclass workshop. Dr Lynch is the Director of Bands for the University of Kansas (biography
here)
besides teaching the band some concepts, such as beat tuning, posture, and sound production, Dr Lynch also went through with the band some of the Da Capo repertoire, such as Kirkpatrick Fanfare, Fantasia and Sea Songs. Dr Lynch taught the members the importance of playing together as an ensemble and interpreting the music together and not as individuals. the band needs to listen out to each other and create music as a band instead of playing individually. in summary, he described the band as having good individual players, but has some way to go before becoming a good ensemble. '
potential is the word', he said.
all in all, it was an enlightening event. pity the attendance was down, due to the holiday season. perhaps such masterclasses should be held at a better period next time to avoid a low attendance rate, and so that more people could benefit.