Hope this isn't considered 'breaking the rules'...but it is adult learner relevant...

The next two Market Harborough playdays have been booked for Sunday 20th January and 17th February 2008. Fuller details are in the Forum Events area in GMF, or PM either me and/or meerkat.

Is there anything specific already decided that we will be playing?. This will be my first playday so I'll need to find out details like time and venue as we get nearer to the date.

Before my first playday I remember plaguing Barry with PMs about what we'd be playing and which version/arrangement etc, and I remember spending about an hour down at the Music Library with the librarian trying to track down the pieces so that I could practise them We didn't succeed in tracking down any of the pieces, but it doesn't actually matter - I've been to several playdays now and if anyone else is thinking of going, Barry tries to provide people with parts appropriate to their level so that anyone can join in and you definitely don't need to practise them in advance like I tried to do! And it doesn't matter even if you fluff it or fake it Nobody is put on the spot, the idea is just to have an enjoyable time and it's great for sightreading practice.

Having said all this, I'm afraid I won't be able to make either of these dates - the first one I've already booked for a concert in the evening and I wouldn't get back in time, and the second one clashes with a family event

Hope I'll get to meet you on some other occasion Ms Fiddle

where's harborough?

Market Harborough is just south of Leicester - we've used either one of two venues there and I'm not sure which one is booked for Jan and Feb. It has a railway station for anyone wanting to travel by train, and there's good parking at both venues if anyone's travelling by car.

ok, thanks, what instruments can come to playdays? I'm trying to work out whether i might be able to get to one (assuming parents will agree to it)

I think Barry could bring parts for any of the "normal" wind, string or brass instruments. I'm not sure about percussion or piano though....

Hopefully he'll be along before too long to clarify...

*wonders whether recorder counts as 'normal' woodwind*

Yes definitely! There have often been recorder players at MH

ok, well i'll try and come then - just have to get a parent to agree to go to it now *shudders at thought of having to bring parents* I'm sure there must be some way around that rule

I'll look through the b-c music library in the new year!



Almost anything really. Many pieces I have contain piano parts. Percussion would be difficult if no-one has percussion to bring, otherwise, I can probably cater for anything, including all sizes of recorder.

plenty for me to do then

Oops, just spotted this : it'll be the Methodist Church near the bus station unless I post otherwise between now and then

Will come along to the February one if I am proficient enough on Herman by then!

Would be good to see you there!

Thank you!

I have always liked the sound of "Market Harborough"....funny how place names can appeal like that...

Hope it goes well...

Regards

Andrew

Hehe. I suppose it doesn't have the same appeal as I know where it is.

I wish Durham wasn't so far away!

....and times will be 1ish until 5ish in the afternoon.

Thanks for the info.

If you are planning to travel by train please note:

On SUNDAYS, until further notice, services between Leicester and Kettering are being diverted via Melton Mowbray due to engineering work and no trains are running via Market Harborough.

For anyone coming by train from the NORTH (Leeds, Sheffield, Derby, Loughborough) there is a replacement bus service between Leicester and Market Harborough. The bus journey times are shown as 25 minutes; add a 10 minute connection time at Leicester in both directions for most trains.

For anyone travelling from LONDON and the SOUTH, the same applies from/to Kettering, also with a 25 minute bus journey and 10 minute connection times to/from Market Harborough.

From previous experience catch an earlier train to get there and don't rely on catching the expected train on the return!

Aw that's just miserable that is.

Looks like I'll spend more time trekking there and back than I will playing!.

Is the venue far from the railway station?

Takes me about five minutes to walk to the venue from the station.

Aah that's not too bad.

Thanks.

Looks like we've got a few newbies this time, so I'll dig out some of the old Harborough favourites (Hungarian Dance no. 5, Swing Low Sweet Chariot, Radetsky and the like), and I'll put just a couple of new pieces in.

Edit 15/1/08


I'm not going to be able get to MH this time, I may be able to make it in February, not sure yet.

Hopefully the trains will be back to normal before too long which means it will be much more practical to get to MH playdays.


Mandy

Only just seen this - sorry you can't come this time.

Unfortunately, there are no trains to MH for the February meet either (buses from Kettering or Leicester)

I think MH station is closed all Sundays and some Saturdays until at least the end of March, having done some research, it seems that major engineering works are needed on that line...

Who have we got for Sunday?

I'll be there.

Prepared to come via Kettering to pick people up from the station if wanted....

yes please

As soon as there is a direct train again from Derby I'll be there, I'm used to being able to get on the St.Pancras train to get to MH direct. It's only just down the road and shouldn't be such a faff to get too, the transfer and the bus just makes it too long a journey for the distance involved at the moment.

That said however I might try and get to the February playday, I could well be desperate for a break from theory revision by then.

I *think* I'm coming...

Problem is that I'm playing in church at 10.00. The service finishes about 10.50, so I'm going to leave straight away and hope I can get there for 1.00. I may be a little late.

No problem andante - see you when you get there

I've put some music together for tomorrow now - looking forward to it.

See you all there!

It was a lovely afternoon's music making - thank you everyone.

Next Harborough playday will be Sunday 17th February - everyone welcome!

Will confirm other dates in due course.

Less than a fortnight 'til the next MH day.

Come, have fun, make music, eat cake.

Just had a PM from meerkat - sadly all available venues in Harborough are pre booked on the 17th February - so between the two of us, we'll find a new date, and let the forum know when we've found said new date.

All being well, I'll find a date in mid- April that suits

I find this a bit surprising. Isn't it usual to book a venue before announcing the event? Had it not been for the absence of trains to MH on a Sunday at present, I would have booked a ticket in advance, and I would not have been able to get a refund. If this is likely to happen with future events I'll think twice about travelling any distance for one.

Cancelling events like this gives a bad impression of forum events. This is the third time that there have been organisational problems at MH, the other two occasions that I know of being October and November. It reflects badly on forum events, which is unfair on other events which do not have organisational problems, because as primrose says, it puts people off going.


The event was announced as "booked" a couple of months ago, and that weekend was therefore not offered as an option for the Leeds playday. This resulted in the Leeds playday taking place the weekend prior to MH, which caused some bad feeling which we now know could have been avoided.

The fact that MH was announced as "booked" back in December could have prevented the Leeds playday from taking place at all, had I thought (as some others did) that there may have been a clash.

I don't want to labour the point because I know meerkat is ill, and meerkat if you see this, you have my every sympathy and good wishes. But surely it would be better to give MH a rest until meerkat is fully recovered, and I can't help wondering whether it is just adding to the pressure on her to keep expecting her to organise these events when she is clearly finding it difficult.

In the meantime, there are people in the south crying out for an ensemble to play with. Wouldn't it be better to see if a playday in the south would be of interest?

It's funny you should mention a playday in the south : barry-clari has this in hand!

I'm off to sunny Braintree (North Essex) in the half term holidays, to get a playday or two sorted out. I have a couple of dates in mind (in the summer), and will be booking at least one day when I'm there.

Following the unfortunate removal of 17/2 from the list of events, I think it wise to put 'TBC' on the only other Harborough event (the bandstand gig of 3/5), and I'll let you all know what meerkat says (or, alternatively, meerkat will let you know what meerkat says!)

I hope you're not implying that skylark is "sniping" at anyone - especially in view of her sympathetic remarks about meerkat.

maybe meerkat is the person to ask whether "it would be better to give MH a rest"?
It would be wrong to assume things wouldn't it?

I'm in pretty constant contact with meerkat - and if anything happens, I'll let people know.

In the meantime, I'm going to ask for this thread to be locked, and thrown into GMF, and I'll start a couple of fresh playday threads (one for meerkat's Harborough playdays, and one for mine and clarinet_michelle's Braintree playdays). I would very much appreciate peace, love 'n' happiness on both threads, thank you everyone!

Hope all your forthcoming events go well Barry

thanks skylark

Hope springs eternal, don't you think?

Thanks Barry. I think this is best. And just in case anyone isn't clear, basically, I've been through a major divorce and a major accident (resulting in a lasting closed head injury) this year. I usually manage some basic organisation without too much hassle, but not at the moment. my concentration and memory are both very poor at the moment (though improving all the time). Barry's been very kind in keeping things ticking over, and I do appreciate it very much.