Dad's Concert

Yesterday, I went to my dad's brass band concert.  There's a may be some new words in that last sentence so let's go over them.

A "band" is a group of people who make music.  It can be something like this:


Or something like this:




"Brass" means a kind of instrument.  "Brass" instruments are in a group together because you play differently from other instruments.  With "brass" instruments you have to buzz your lips to make a sound:

https://youtu.be/62t1Dhmm-2Q?t=92

A "concert" is when the people who play in a band put on a show for other people to watch.  Kind of like this:




Or this:

My dad's concert was at a church.  They always have their concerts at the same church:



You see, they made a deal with the church.  The church lets them have concerts at their church once in a while, and my dad's band has to play for the church once in a while.  It's a pretty fair trade.

This is what it looks like from the inside:





My dad is the third one from the left.  So if you count one starting from the left side, he's the third man.  Do you know which one my dad is?  Don't worry if you can't figure it out, I'll show another picture of him at the end.

For this concert, the band played with a man playing the organ.  An "organ" is like a piano, but very big.  See these metal pipes in the back?



This is what the organ uses to make sound.  When you play the piano, a hammer hits a string whenever you press the white key down.  When you play an organ, wind goes through these huge pipes to make sound.  The sound of an organ can fill up a whole room!

The concert was about two hours.  There was a break in the middle.  A break during a concert or important show is called an "intermission".  "Inter-" means "between", so it's like saying the part of the concert that is in the middle.  The band played seven songs, some slow and peaceful, some fast and exciting.  They sounded really good!



I took a picture of my dad and mom during intermission for those of you who asked to see them.



If you want to listen to the kind of music my dad's band plays, here is the website:

http://brassbandnw.org/

(move to the lower right part of the page and click on the youtube video there to listen)

Have any of you been to any concerts before?  Have you played in a concert before, or something like it?  Maybe you have played in a "recital".  "Recitals" are like concerts, but only one person plays at a time.  When that person finishes, the next person plays.  Piano and violin recitals are very popular in Taiwan, so you probably have a friend who has done one even if you haven't.

I know some of you play piano and can read music.  How about those of you who don't play instruments?  Have you ever wanted to?  Which instrument would you play if you could?  Would you want to play in front of people?  You don't need to worry about being nervous if you're in a band, because everyone plays together!  They all work hard to make the song sound great, and everybody is an important part of the band.

Plus you get to wear nice clothes and look cool.

Well, that's all for this entry guys.  Talk to you later!

Tr. Stephen