Excitement is building for Griffith City Band, who are warming up their instruments in preparation for the NSW State Championships.
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Heading off to the Penrith event at the end of August this year, the group have been joined by musicians from Hillston, West Wyalong and Ungarie to swell their numbers up to qualify.
Griffith's conductor Trevor Peacock said to say the band was excited was an understatement.
He credits pioneering clarinetist Toni Howard for pulling strings and gathering steam to get the team to go ahead.
It'll plant the seeds for something great. You may not see anything straight away, but like trees, it will take time to grow and bloom.
- Guest conductor Keith Griffin
And despite the hours of practice put in, he thinks everyone in the band will come away with the experience of a lifetime.
"We are very much looking forward to being judged and getting feedback from professional adjudicators and musicians," Mr Peacock said
"The chance to be able to watch A grade bands perform will really encourage everyone, and getting some tips and tricks along the way will be great as well."
The group were joined on Sunday by guest conductor Keith Griffin from Junee, who hoped to instill in them an edge by reinforcing Mr Peacock's ground-work.
Having competed in the State Band Championships when he was in school, his experience lead him to his current love and enthusiasm for conducting.
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"I saw the conductors there, and learned a few things as well, so when I was thrown in the deep end, I wasn't quite as jelly-legged as I otherwise would have been," Mr Griffin remembered.
He said with such an age range in the Griffith group, everyone would get something different out of the opportunity.
"It'll plant the seeds for something great. You may not see anything straight away, but like trees, it will take time to grow and bloom," Mr Griffin said.
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