About MCYBB and MCABB
Motor City Youth Brass Band
Motor City Youth Brass Band was founded in 2006 by Erin Garvey, Brad Laibly and Tom Shaner, at that time, members of Motor City Brass Band, to promote brass banding for middle and high school students.
Motor City Academy Brass Band
Motor City Academy Brass Band is a British-Style Brass Band and a unique performance opportunity for musicians in high school and above. MCABB welcomes dedicated brass players and percussionists that wish to achieve a high level of musicianship through performing brass band literature. It is a family of musicians that are committed to lifelong learning and exceeding expectations.
MCABB is designed for the performer that enjoys a wide variety of music ranging from classical to rock to jazz and seeks to advance their technical skills. Hosted by The Salvation Army in Southfield, MCABB will offer you an opportunity to develop brass and percussion techniques and cultivate fellowship and musicianship through exploration of the brass band genre.
Openings
We are looking for dedicated brass and percussion musicians that wish to develop their ensemble playing through improving fundamentals and learning about brass band literature. Motor City Academy Brass Band is truly an ensemble that supports all types of players, using the brass band as a medium to further lifelong music education.
MCABB is designed for the musician that enjoys performing a wide variety of music ranging from classical to rock to jazz and seeks to advance performing skills while focusing on fundamentals. Hosted by The Salvation Army in Southfield, MCABB will offer you an opportunity to develop brass and percussion technique and cultivate fellowship and musicianship through exploration of the brass band genre.
Eligibility
Musicians must be in high school or above and accomplished on their instruments and be committed to all the rehearsal and performance dates (See the calendar page). If you have conflicts with anything on the calendar, please contact the director to see if it would prevent participation.
Instrumentation Information
In the British tradition, the Motor City Academy Brass Band uses standard brass band instruments. As a result of many generous grants, the specialty instruments will be provided to students on loan from the band. Trumpet players are eligible to play Eb cornet, Bb cornet, flugelhorn, and tenor horn, while French horn players are eligible for tenor horn. Low brass players are eligible for baritone, euphonium, trombone, bass trombone, Eb tuba, and Bb tuba. Percussionists are expected to be proficient on all standard concert instruments. Prior experience on these traditional British instruments is not required, as a result, students will audition on their primary concert band instrument.
Attendance
It is expected that MCABB members will attend all rehearsals and performances in order to maintain membership in the ensemble. It is also expected that all members arrive before the scheduled rehearsal time to warm up (the band room at the Southfield Salvation Army Headquarters will be open at least 30 minutes prior to a rehearsal). Performance dates are set in advance to allow ample time to resolve conflicts
If a member must be absent from a rehearsal, he or she must e-mail the director prior to the scheduled time of the rehearsal. If the director deems a member to have excessive absences, the member may be removed from MCABB.