I have written an article for the “TOPICS” section in the November issue of Band Journal, which was released on Friday, 9 October. It has been quite some time since I last contributed my own piece to this column.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, a young Chinese girl living in Japan who experienced Japanese school wind bands played a truly remarkable role at the band directors’ seminar in Guangzhou, China, this August. In this piece, I connected the insights gained from that experience with the environment surrounding Japanese wind bands, which is currently undergoing a major transition.
It was an experience full of fresh surprises for me, and by capturing those impressions directly in writing whilst the memories were still vivid, I feel confident that it has become a thoroughly worthwhile read.
Furthermore, it feels in some ways like a companion piece or response to the “High School Student Leaders’ Roundtable Discussion”, which I moderated and structured for the October issue.
My sincere thanks go to the editorial team for providing me with this platform at such a timely moment.
Please do pick up a copy of the latest Band Journal! The November issue is packed with content, including an extensive special feature on the band competitions. In the TOPICS section, the article by Mr Eiji Suzuki, printed side-by-side with mine, is also full of thought-provoking insights!
With kind permission from Lin Siqi, I share a few moments from the seminar in Guangzhou that served as the starting point for this piece. I hope they help you visualise the atmosphere alongside the article!
