The 9th December was a new departure for the band when we played the sound track music to accompany a screening of The Snowman. This took place in Fairford Leys Church, Aylesbury. Gratifyingly advance tickets were sold out, and extra chairs had to be put out for more people arriving at the door. The Band was joined by Harry Munson to sing Walking in the Air, and the performance was conducted by Brendan Gudgeon.
We had to learn new skills in order to synchronise the music with the film – we had to watch the conductor like a hawk, and Brendan in turn had to pace the music to match the events on the screen. Similarly there was no question of playing any difficult passages more slowly! All in all this was good practise for the Band, and full marks to Brendan not only for rehearsing the Band but also keeping everything together during the performance. We felt a justified sense of achievement when it all went so well.
Our day wasn’t finished there however. An hour after the end of The Snowman the Band moved outside to Hampden Square in order to play for the annual Fairford Leys Carols. Fortunately it wasn’t as cold as some years, and a large crowd had turned out to sing carols with the Band. At the end the crowd sang Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer until Father Christmas arrived in his sleigh with sweets for the children.