I used to be a member of the BDRS many years ago, but for reasons I forget (possibly student poverty), I let my membership slip. Now I'm considering joining again, especially as their annual convention is coming up quite near me, and I'd save a whole fiver on the fee!

But I'd be generally interested to hear whether anyone out there thinks it's worth the money joining. (Let's face it, I could afford the extra fiver to go their day, if people think it's not worth joining the organisation on the whole...) What do you get for your membership fee?

Hello Claire,

I am a member of the BDRS and The IDRS, to be honest and I hate to say this I don't get a whole lot from the BDRS apart from my quarterly journal which though interesting doesn't exactely spark my inspiration button, and of course the annual conference, this year Alex Klien is giving Masterclass which will be interesting. What they atually do for the members is to me at least a total mystery. If its pnly going to cost you an extra Fiver to attend the conference in April I would chance it and see what you think. You do get 10% off things in about 4 places so that might help but seeing as Howarths give me that anyway I am struggling to find a reason to remain apart from supporting the Double Reed Society.

Now the IDRS is a whole different story, needless to say its based in the USA but it is very lively, the membership secretary Mrs Hooks is a poppet and very helpful, they seem to do an huge amount, courses, competitions, workshops the IDRS world conference which moves around the globe each year, I believe its in Leeds next year so that at least has to be worth seeing.

Pound for pound or Dollar for Dollar I feel that the IDRS is far more worth the money...I am hoping that the BDRS might surprise me one day and if nothing else I will continue my membership to support it...I have a nagging suspicion that most of the members are people from the professions who if the journal is anything to go by will be stuffy. Please prove me wrong someone, I would love to meet a fellow live wire as a kindred spirit within the BDRS...I Live in constant hope...but I have been warned from the inside so to speak that most of the members are just as I feared...lots of money and sparkling Oboe D'amore's...I am planning on keeping a very low profile at the conference and not upsetting the applecart...I know I should give them a shake and a wake up call but I really don't want to be the one to do this.. What the American Mr. Klien will make of the conference I shudder to think...

Go to the conference Claire and pay the extra fiver, if you decide to join up afterwards well thats up to you. You don't say why you are considering re-joining, I know you teach so maybe you could get some decent articles written about teaching the young ones printed...God knows the journal could do with a bit of life in it. Both of the people they wrote about this quarter and last are dead, one of course was William Waterhouse the distinguished Bassoonist who died so tragically last year...However what about Oboists of the Now, the young ones, the up and coming, lets get some action going here and support the ones who need it, not always writing about the established Oboists or ones from days gone by...they mean nothing to the younger players...

Enough of a rant from me...

Andrew

Hi Andrew,

Thanks for the rant! Well okay, I'll splash out the extra fiver then and decide later. You're right, I'd be joining because I teach and therefore wondered if it'd be useful. Maybe I'll look at the IDRS instead - does that also give you a discount in Howarths?!

I'm currently a member of neither, but if I had to, I'd choose the IDRS, simply because whenever I find interesting pieces of information on the net, it's usually the IDRS and not the BDRS that's mentioned.

Steve

Your welcome Claire, I may see you there then...The BDRS magazine does do a pull out section for the younger players but it only came out once as far as I can see there was nothing in this quarters journal so that may prove to have been a bit of a non starter. Like stephen says the IDRS always seems to get the credits...WHY I wonder, maybe it's because they actually do something. I have a horrible suspicion that the BDRS is more of a committee with a very select "In Crowd" but I live in hope that I will be proved wrong, I could be completely getting it all the wrong way round... it wouldn't be the first time. I may arrive at Kneller Hall and find that they have pulled all the stops out (funny to use an Organists phrase in an Oboe thread)...so fingers crossed. I did hear yesterday that the annual conference is very good..so I am more optimistic. I am not sure if the IDRS will get you discounts at Howarths but if you tell Howarths that you are a teacher and point out how much business they can get from you and your pupils I am sure you will get the 10% regardless. Speak with Nigel Clarke or Mike Britten and put your case across they are very obliging.

See you at Kneller Hall.

Regards

Andrew

I'm a BDRS member but I have to agree with Andrew here, that the society as a whole seems very stuffy and full of people who you'd imagine smell like very old library books (apologies to those who don't ).

I'm going to be writing an article (A tale of two oboes....) for the next issue of DRN. I've been told it will get published, but you never quite know with DRN. The content of the magazine can be very hit and miss, sometimes there's a few interesting articles but much of the time it's incredibly dry. Personally, I've enjoyed the last two issues, as they've contained articles on Terence MacDonagh, the oboist who taught many of the current generation of top orchestral and solo oboists. I also have a personal interest in Terry's work, as I own both his Howarth oboes.

I'm hoping to go to the annual convention this year as it's no more than 15 minutes away from me, but the 27th April is also my mother's birthday and since it's Sunday I'm not quite sure how I'm going to explain to her that an annual convention for oboists/bassoonists is more important than spending the day with her. (No, I'm not taking her with me, she's not into music and the result would be a miserable day for us both).

I'll hopefully see you there Amanda...just tell your mother that you are doing your bit for care in the community and looking after me...

regards

Andrew