Page 36 - Cadet Review Spring 2024

HSY ACF
THE DAWN OF A NEW
MUSICAL ERA
By Lt James Wood
After a well-earned break over the festive period, Humberside & South Yorkshire ACF Music have
hit the ground running with our first county-wide music training weekend at CTC Driffield. While the Hull based Band & Drums and the Doncaster based Corps of Drums have held training weekends at Driffield before, this was the first time that every cadet and staff member across the county was given the opportunity to come and try their hand at side- drum, Bb flute, bugle, or a wide range of concert band instruments. With almost one hundred people on camp ranging from the County Music Officer and his staff to cadets who had only been in uniform a few weeks, and long term green instructors looking for a new challenge, the ambition of this weekend was nothing to be sniffed at.
The format of the weekend took its cue from
the twice-yearly National Music Concentrations
run by Army Cadets Music with cadres formed by ability and musical ensemble. On this first County Music Weekend, we were able to run a Corps of Drums Wing with Beginner Drums and Beginner Flute Cadre, a Band Wing with separate Foundation and Advanced Musician Cadres, and a specialist Bugle training platoon which saw many of our more experienced drummers training on bugle as a second instrument.
By the time Sunday lunchtime came around, it was clear that this was going to be the start of something very special. Students on the Corps of Drums and Bugle Cadres had shown an impressive rate of progression which left the instructors awe-struck by their dedication and determination.
Meanwhile the Foundation Band Cadre was seeing cadets who had only picked up an instrument that weekend playing simple tunes and expressing an interest in carrying on their musical development, while the Advanced Musicians Cadre was hard at work rehearsing new music for what is already shaping up to be a busy year of public performances.
We were also extremely pleased to be visited by senior staff from Army Cadets Music including the SO2 Bands and Drums, Senior Drum Major, Senior Bugle Major, and our Brigade Music Advisor. Their insight and advice were invaluable, and we trust that their visits proved fruitful.
While the primary aim of the weekend was to make music accessible to all of HSY ACF, it also acted as an excellent way to kick start the year’s musical training for the cadets already involved. With brand new music, senior cadet development, and the
rapid expansion of our pool of bugle-trained cadets, Humberside & South Yorkshire is leading the way in making music accessible to young people across the county.
36 CADET REVIEW SPRING 2024