qathet Concert Band (qCB) gets together every Thursday night in the Brooks Secondary School band room to practice tunes ranging from pop, rock and choral, to Harry Potter-themed arrangements for fun and for performance.
The group always welcomes those who may be newbies, lapsed former band students, or seasoned players, to join them on their journey of playing music together.
The band is currently practicing for an upcoming performance called Brass, Winds and the Legends of Rock and Pop.
"We are going to play pop and rock and roll music; a couple of young rock and roll groups will also join us," said trombone player Shelley Thomson. "I think there's close to 25 [players] right now, and we are always hoping to recruit more, because it's really nice to have a 30-plus [number of people] band."
Thomson said she's played with qCB for close to 20 years, and that the group is comprised of a wide variety of skilled players and those who may be picking up an instrument after a long break.
Brooks music teacher Steven Cramaro is the conductor. He said the band has been practicing a medley of music by The Beatles, The Doors and Led Zeppelin, which will be heard at a free public performance on Sunday, March 9.
"This will be my second full year with [qCB]," said Cramaro. "I actually started playing with them in high school, so most of [the players] are still in the band now."
After high school, Cramaro went to study at University of Victoria.
"We always tend to do one concert that's a little bit more challenging than our previous concert, and then sometimes one that's a little more fun," said Cramaro.
He added that the upcoming performance will be their pops concert of the year. Earlier in the season, Cramaro said qCB worked hard at putting together a diverse concert that was performed successfully.
"We've had kids as young as in high school and I believe our tuba player, Dirk, is the oldest," said Cramaro. "We have a wide range of abilities and ages; everyone is in different parts of their lives and careers."
The band has a few flutists, clarinetists, trombone players and tuba players, and also a bassist and drummer.
“It's fun," said Thomson. "My favourite, actually, is the rehearsals, because we're working together on a common thing."
Brass, Winds and the Legends of Rock and Pop will be performed at Westview Elementary School, located at 3900 Selkirk Avenue. Admission is by donation at the door. For more information, email qathetconcertband@gmailcom.
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