There's a fabulous fantastic free two day festival in Liverpool next weekend. Around Liverpool One and the surrounding areas, it's the Liverpool Waves International Music and Marching Band Festival. Saturday, the 6th and Sunday the 7th and John Perry is the director. And David McGuffin has come all the way from Florida to tell us all about this. Gentleman, welcome to Radio Merseyside.
Thank you. Thank you.
Great to see, you know, this is a fabulous thing because it's a free two day event, isn't it?
Yes, it is.
It's a free two day event. And it's a music festival from the point of view of the idea is to encourage young people to take up a musical instrument ie trumpets, trombones, clarinets, strings, and to use their vocals a little bit more. And with the intention of trying to engage young people, but also trying to engage with the authorities to ask the question, why can't we do what they do in other countries for our young people, sort of like an after school program that attracts the people who aren't just interested in football, or they're interested in football to watch it, but to take part is not their thing, shall we say, in this country? So the idea is to show what can be done by people from other countries of the same age. And hopefully get the question and start to ask more
Well David McGuffin is from from Florida. You're a part of and you your run St. John's Festival Band, don't you.
Yes, I am. I live in Northeast Florida and been there all my life. I represent two bands in St. Johns County, the Marksman Trail High School Band, and also the Creekside High School Band
Now they're really busy and they are doing some great stuff in their own right, aren't they?
True. So we have three facets to the music program there. We've got marching band in the fall, we've got concert band and jazz band. So they're very, very prolific in all three of those areas in the high schools there.
So every school that you know, in the States will have a marching band?
Florida, Texas are huge as far as marching bands, but most every state has and every high school in the state has a marching band.
Wow. What about us, John, are we falling behind here?
Except for some of the elite private schools, I can't think of any school that does have a marching band anywhere in the UK. Except for Scotland sorry, I will apologize to Scotland, there are a couple of good pipe bands up in Scotland, but throughout the country, generally, we just don't give opportunities anymore in music to our young people.
Wow. Well, we always did music at school, but obviously is bigger in the States then as you stay with it. And then encourage it and nurture it.
Yeah, for ourselves. Students really begin intensive music somewhere around the sixth grade when they're 10 or 12 years old or so. And they can continue on as an elective class. But once they get started in it, they continue on at least through their high school years.
See, this is n ot a competition is it next weekend? This is a showcase if you like of all this amazing talent, isn't it?
It certainly is. And that's what it's about. It's about children. The more fun side, when you play music of just being out there, entertaining people because at the end of the day, as a musician, you're an entertainer, you're part of the entertainment industry. And not just a musician that's going to sit down and play what we term as technical pieces, which tends to be more competition work, the testing those those type of things or testing pieces as well, for individuals to get together around. What what what we're doing next week is our remit is stage, screen, TV, which covers every genre of music because whatever you watch, whatever you listen to, you will have every single type of instrument somewhere in a program that uses strings, uses an orchestra, uses a marching band, uses a jazz band, uses a concert band, uses as a show band. It's it's all there but you never see it.
So what about dance? Is dance involved David?
We don't bring any dancers for next weekend but in the high school bands program is that we have, there are dancers and colour guards that twirl flags and everything. So a lot of that. But we're coming with a slim crew of about 30 people for this first Liverpool Waves Festival. So we're looking forward to doing that and tooting our horns.
How did you get it down to thirty from the two bands? Was that difficult?
That is! But we're considering that the bands are pretty, pretty large. There's marching bands are about 200 students in each of those schools. And so it's kind of difficult to muster up a group to get together in the middle of the summer. But they've been preparing it for 18 months now. So they're really looking forward to it. They're flying here tomorrow.
And the music is right across the board from Disney to jazz.
You're right, yeah, and we have some American jazz. We'll do some improv and stuff soon on the stage. So it'd be great.
Wow! I mean,
How long have you been involved? How did you get involved?
My goodness. I was a band director myself for 30 years. And then I began to do some traveling and started my own travel company. And so it was just natural for me to get musicians to be a part and bring them across the Atlantic to this part of the world. So that's how I got involved in that.
So where else are they coming from, John?
We've got York Concert Band coming. Locally, we've got Southport Strings Ensemble, which is a youth ensemble set up by a strings teacher and has been going for many years. A couple of Wirral schools are involved, aren't they? Yes, we've got Wirral Grammar Schools have supported us tremendously. Both the boys and the girls. And they're both performing on the Saturday. We've got some students that have just completed their courses at the Royal Northern College coming. We have got a local dance group coming, Mersey Swing, they're gonna come and perform on the stage on Sunday. And also in Williamson Square.
Isn't that great? Do you think the problem sometimes is technology guys, you know, when you know some children go home from school and straight on to whatever they're doing with technology and stuff like that? Do you think that sort of like being like a buffer from getting away from you know, sport and, you know, musical instruments, you think it's a problem?
I think the problem is not the technology. The problem is lack of opportunity. I mean, as we know, a few weeks ago, we've mentioned National Service, and I cringed and I thought you're talking about 19 year olds. If you want some form of national-type service where you're going to improve people's young people. You have to start earlier, we have to get something like this into our schools. And as a starter we'd be looking at anybody that's starting in year seven are offered opportunities, not just in music, across sport as well, across advanced IT if that's what they're interested in. It's engagement with the with the young person in a field that they are interested in.
But there are loads of music schools and they are very, very popular. There's some massive talent out there.
But we're still only tapping what five to 10% at the most of young people into those things.
Really. So how long have you known each other fellas?
Oh, about 24 hours.
We've spoken on the phone many times, but yes, yes.
Wow! So first time in Liverpool as well.
It is Yes. Beautiful city here. Yeah. Oh, yeah.
I have enjoyed I've enjoyed getting to know it.
Yeah, of course. If you're a Beatles fan, this is a mecca. Oh, yes. You're going to be covering some Beatles stuff on it.
Oh, yes. We have several Beatle tunes, several Disney tunes ready to go. And, of course, there'll be some improv on a few Beatle tunes as well, just like the Beatles did.
Of course. Yeah. So just tell us where we are next weekend then? Are we at Liverpool One?
Yes, we're at Liverpool One By Sugar House steps. And we're actually putting a stage in for the performers to perform on, which will be backing onto the Hilton. And we're doing a couple of marches - a march during the day on the Saturday which is going to be a pop up march which is going to take us from Williamson Square up to Parker Street, Clayton Square, down Church Street, and then Paradise Street and into the stage by where we are, and there are going to be some stopping points as well. So the band is going to just stop at some points and people will be able to engage with the band and the band want to engage with the people. And then on the Sunday we've got our Froth and Arnie parade. We were asked to scale back a little bit so we've been able to get Batala are coming to join us on Sunday. They've been a very, very big supporter of ours. And St. John's will be dressed in full uniform on Sunday, and they'll be going from Liverpool One in the reverse route, finishing at Williamson Square. So Sunday afternoon, we will be in Williamson Square doing some performances there. And you'll be able to engage with Mersey Swing over there as well. If you want to test out your dancing shoes, and we'll also be in Liverpool One with our bands. The big band will be on at Liverpool One about two o'clock is it? I think it's two o'clock.
What sort of age group are you talking about, David?
So we're looking at maybe 16 to 18 year old. Yep. So they have they are in high school. So they're they're 11-12 grades, something like that. And they're even some adults, some parents who have come along that played band when they were in high school and they picked up their instruments and helping us out as well. So they're encouraged and really looking forward to it as well.
Well, what percentage of the children will carry on with music?
Yeah, so I would say that in our area in Florida, there are students who go on to university and some of them major in music so that would be about 2% of them from the band, but many of them go on and continue to be in the marching bands in college and everything as well. Another 10 to 15% do that.
I mean, it's great for them to encourage their children, eventually, of course, and music and stuff like that, because it's one of the big regrets in my life that I didn't take up a musical instrument, but when I was growing up the opportunities really weren't there, you know. I've tried to play piano in later life, but I just didn't have the time or dexterity, you know, which was a shame. You know, this is a great event. And it's free, isn't it?.
It's free. The only thing, the only thing we're going to ask people that if they want to donate to us, because we've got large overheads that we've got to try and cover. So if you want to donate to us to be facilities to donate for us, and that can also be done through the website.
We've only scratched the surface here. You've come to me and amazing program and what's going on over the two days. Where can we see that online?
And you can see it on www.liverpoolwaves.org.uk.
Brilliant. So this is not an annual thing though, is it?
This is our first first one. This is our first.
So is DaWow!vid going to have to take us all all over there next year? No pressure, David, it's up to you. We'll come back next year with another group.
I was just going to say behind the scenes we're already discussing about who's going to come from the States next year. And we've also got people lined up to come from Holland. And we've got interest from other countries around the world as well.
Wow! Well, the message is to schools in the UK. Let's get going here.
Well, it's not just the schools, it's the authorities right the way through to the top that have got to adopt a system. And we got to look further afield than just, I like to call it tick box, to get a score rather than tick box to improve young people's lives.
It's a good point, it really is. David, enjoy Liverpool. I'm sure you will. And thank you so much. Have a great time next weekend and I hope the weather, fingers crossed, the weather's a bit better for you and it's so changeable. Two days ago, you'd have got sun stroke. Today, it's galoshes and an umbrella. So well, the best of luck I'm sure it'll be fine for you. No matter what. Give us the website address again.
www.liverpoolwaves.org.uk
What time does it start next week?
11 o'clock both days in Liverpool One and Williamson Square will be starting around about two o'clock in the afternoon.
Don't miss it. Immense talent is gonna be on show here from all over the world and all over the UK and you've heard that David's come all the way from Florida St. John's Festival Band. Have a great time guys. Great to see you. Thanks for telling us about it. And the very best. Thanks so much.
