Kettle Bridge Concertinas

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Report by John H, picture by Sue.

It was ridiculously early for a Sunday morning when I set off from South East London to drive to East Farleigh. The sun was already well up and I arrived in time to have a quick walk along the banks of the Medway before reaching the hall. It was the first time I had visited since just before Covid struck us, and I thought again how lucky we are to have such an opportunity to sit with fellow EC players in the same room. I wish there was something like Kettle Bridge in London.

I joined a welcoming and relaxed group. Everything had been immaculately planned by Sue and it was easy to know just where to sit and how the workshop would go. Soon we were under the capable guiding hand of our guest conductor for the morning: Ciara Considine. Ciara has a wealth of musical experience, including as conductor of local choirs and orchestras, but she confessed that it was a first for her to be standing in front of fifteen English Concertinas. I was fascinated at how she encouraged us to help her explore the capabilities of our concertinas, and how quickly she brought us together as a performing unit with a few ground rules that didn’t feel like rules at all. There was a good balance in the band too, with two bass players, three baritones and ten assorted trebles.

The next couple of hours were spent working through the four pieces that had been carefully sent out in advance by Sue: Over the Rainbow; Calon Lan; Jamie’s Patrol; and Sheebeg & Sheemore. Ciara did a lot to shape us as a whole unit and to encourage us to see the whole picture. I liked how she shared her thinking on how she was approaching and interpreting each tune, and how this translated into her arrangements. I was relieved to find that I was not the only one who felt apprehensive about the difficulty of some of the passages. There was clearly a range of levels of competence within our group and it seemed that Ciara had ample time for everyone, whatever their level. Although very rewarding, for many of us it was hard work and the half time break provided a welcome relief – many thanks to Val for organising tea, biscuits and delicious home made cakes.

Comments after the event on Ciara’s leadership and teaching included heavy use of the word “brilliant”, with a lot of praise for the balance between fun and challenge. I’m sure that I am not the only one who came away wishing for more.