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GROUPS
For your interested in attending any of our groups, please feel free to pop in at their allocated time. New members are welcome all year round.
EXPLORER STRINGS
For anyone interested in learning to play a string instrument
Conductor
Sam Winterton
Practice
Fridays 4:00pm to 4:30pm
EXPLORER REEDS
Wind Instruments can be tricky to blow so we have a supportive group where the more advanced musicians help out teaching and encouraging new students of any age. Joining our group makes learning fun and it is definitely ok to make mistakes!
Conductor
Lee Jones
Practice
Fridays 4:00pm to 5:00pm
RECORDER GROUPS
If you're interested to join WYM, but have no musical experience,
a recorder group is a great place to start!
Divided into small groups led by experienced music tutors, young musicians will learn how to read music, make a musical sound (not noise!) and get a taste of how to create and share music in a group. Depending on how quickly you grasp the instrument, you can step up to intermediate and advanced recorder groups.
Don't underestimate the recorder! Yes, it is deemed a very simple instrument, and many musicians may only pass through it as their first stepping stone to the world of music; however, it is a very beautiful instrument in its own right, coming in several different sizes, and can make very sophisticated ensemble music.
Conductor
Dorothy Gatland
Practice
Fridays 4:00pm to 5:15pm
Contact
JUNIOR STRINGS
Beginning to play an instrument in a group can be a big learning curve for a young musician and we believe it needs to be an enjoyable one.
Junior Strings is a very supportive and nurturing space where musicianship skills can be developed with others.
Conductor
Felicity Christian
Felicity has been conducting the Junior Strings group since 2007. She is a violin player and member of Whangarei Sinfonia.
With a life long passion in making and appreciating music Felicity aims to brings these qualities to this music group.
Skill
The young musician will be ready for this group if they have a music reading level of Grade 1 – 2. We select a wide variety of music to cover the different skill levels of the individuals. Some pieces are easier than others but the aim is to grow the players so we have some ‘challenging’ pieces at times. Good listening and concentration skills are developed.
Practice
Fridays 4:30pm to 5:30pm
CADET BAND
The Cadet band is for beginner musicians who can read some music (you don't have to know all of the notes as you can learn that along the way). It is open to young people, rusty musicians and adult beginners. Primarily a wind and percussion band, we can easily accommodate bass guitars to help fill in that bass line. Trombones, tubas, french horns, bassoons and oboes always needed. Flutes, sax (alto, tenor and Bari), trumpet, clarinet, and percussionists readily accepted. No auditions needed
Conductor
Michal Pearse
Practice
Fridays 5:15pm to 6:30pm
CONCERT BAND
Concert Band is the senior group at WYM for wind and percussion players. We play a wide range of music, from pop-song arrangements, TV and movie themes, to the latest concert band performance pieces and orchestral pieces. The Concert Band performs for the public at various times of the year, such as the Art-Beat Festival, Rhapsody Rotorua, and concerts at locations in the Town Basin or central Whangarei.
Conductor
Matt Watson
Matt is a trumpet, french horn player and piano player from Whangarei. He plays professionally in jazz and rock groups and is also involved in local orchestra and theatre productions. He is passionate about teaching young and old to play wind instruments and to pass on his love and enthusiasm for music.
Required Skill
Enthusiasm for playing your instrument!! Generally, players have been learning their instruments for at least 3 years, and have reached a medium level of proficiency.
Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone, Oboe, Bassoon
Trumpet, Trombone, French Horn, Baritone, Tuba
Drums, Percussion, Xylophone, Marimba
Practices
Fridays 5:15pm to 6:45pm.
Please arrive and warm up 10 minutes before rehearsal time.
Players are also expected to practice their parts during the week at home.
YOUTH CHOIR
Conductor
Vera Dirksen-Pluijlaar
Practices
Fridays Teens 3:30pm to 4:15pm
Juniors 4:15pm to 5:00pm
The Whangarei Youth Choir explores vocal music in a lighthearted atmosphere with Vera Pluijlaar at the helm! Acapella songs, musicianship, contemporary and classical pieces form a varied and challenging repertoire for vocalists of all skill levels, with performance opportunities throughout the year. The Choir provides an excellent complement to your vocal or performance training. All under 20 welcome!
Contact
Vera Pluijlaar - 022 129 2112
BRIOSO CORDE
We’re a bunch of music lovers, and we thrive in doing our best for the audience. We love exploring and creating music together as a team, and there's nothing more exciting than seeing the audience enjoy music with us. We are one of the most active groups in the WYM family, devoted to sharing our music whenever and wherever possible!
Conductor
Atsuko Fukuoka
Atsuko has been conducting for Brioso Corde since 2007. She is highly enthusiastic in motivating students to play their best and to enjoy music. She also frequently directs and coaches soloists and chamber groups. She is a pianist and has performed in concerts as a soloist with Northland Sinfonia. She also teaches piano and accompanies various musicians at numerous events.
Atsuko believes that her role as a conductor is to awaken the potential in musicians.
Required skill
Middle to advanced - but most importantly, enthusiasm to enjoy music and work as a team! Currently there is no official auditioning process. However anyone who is interested will be briefly interviewed and have a trial period before being accepted as a member. We are especially welcoming violin,viola, double bass and cello!
Performances
Brioso Corde is one of the most active groups in WYM. We play in the annual WYM concerts (twice a year) and have numerous events of our own. We often participate in local music events, busking, background music at social events, music festivals (Rotorua Rhapsody, Auckland- KBB Music festival, Secondary School Chamber Music Contest, etc).
We had our first Brioso Corde Concert in Kerikeri at the end of 2013, which was a success. We plan to hold our own concerts annually, and hope to share more music with the Northland communities.
We mainly play classical music (Vivaldi, Mozart, etc) but also modern music (e.g, popular movie theme songs).
Practice
Fridays 5.45pm to 7.00pm plus extra rehearsals .
Players are expected to arrive 10 mins before rehearsal time
YOUTH ORCHESTRA
Youth Orchestra is made up of players from all over Northland. With the conductor’s guidance, they explore and express messages the composers have hidden in their music, and share it with their audience. By being a part of a large musical group, musicians will be able to express music in the way that they can't do by themselves. Seeing the audience enjoy their music, they get the most satisfaction and want to share more!
Conductor
Callum Anderson
Practices
Fridays 7:15pm to 8:30pm