THE Gawler Town Band is both young and old but comes together for a love of music.
Under the leadership of 23-year-old Conor Roche, who took over as bandmaster almost two years ago, the Gawler Town Band has reached a membership of 34 – the highest in its 160-year history.
Its makeup now also includes several young people, who are each bringing great enthusiasm and a liveliness to band performances.
Mr Roche said the youngest player is just 14, while the eldest is in their 70s, with all members being able to learn off each other.
“We have the youth and enthusiasm of the younger members and then the age and experience of the players who have played all this music before – they know what they are doing, they know the inside tips and tricks of how to get through it,” he said.
“But the one thing that brings us all together is we all really love music and we like playing.”
Mr Roche, joined the Gawler Town Band as a saxophone player five years ago, at the suggestion of his former music teacher and past bandmaster Bruce Raymond.
Once he took over as bandmaster Mr Roche was able to use his contacts at Trinity College to approach younger music players there.
He also recruited his younger brother and alto saxophone player Kieran, now 17, to the band, who in turn enticed his Xavier College classmates.
Kieran said it has become a fun group to hang out with, while the age differences help with skill development.
“I’m friends with everyone in the band so it’s catching up with people you get along with and having a lot of fun,” he said.
“A lot of members have experience from other bands because they’ve been playing for so long, so they can give you tips and tricks and it’s really good to be able to pick up some skills from them.”
Year 12 Trinity College student Jade Hancock, has been in the Gawler Town Band for two years and said it helps her keep the balance between study and social activities.
“I’ve played at the Gawler Carols twice now and it’s been a lot of fun,” she said.
“I’ve also found that being able to read music has helped me a lot in other subjects, with things like literacy and numeracy, and I’m doing my research project on music as well.”
The Gawler Town Band’s upcoming performances include the Gawler Relay For Life opening ceremony, on Saturday, March 28, and the Gawler ANZAC Day ceremony, at Pioneer Park.
Later in the year they will be hosting their own ‘stage and screen’ concert.