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BBJ Christmas Carolling 2011

BBJ began the Christmas carolling season with a performance at Medan's Sun Plaza on Sunday December 11. The band's final engagement was at a mass Christmas carol service with Medan's Methodist Merak Jingga church on December 24.

BBJ Junior - first performance

BBJ's reconstituted junior band had its first performance on October 16. You can watch the video at the foot of this page. Another learners group has just been formed. Those who pass a test in February will also be admitted as junior band members.

Former BBJ member passes away

Former BBJ member Faigiduho Zagoto passed away in Jakarta at 5am local time on Easter Morning. A sousaphone player, he played in BBJ between 1992 and 1998.

BBJ returns from Nias

BBJ returned from Nias island on July 4 after spending several days performing in remote towns and villages. BBJ members have many relatives on the island, which lies off the west coast of Sumatra.

ABRSM Music Examinations (practical)
Eight band members sat for these exams on August 20, 2010. All passed. Three passed with merit and one was awarded a distinction.
ABRSM Music Examinations (theory)
For the first time in BBJ's history, two members sat for ABRSM theory exams in Medan on February 13 this year. The results were released in May. Erjoin Marbun passed the grade 3 theory exam. Lasnointer Marbun achieved a distinction in the grade 5 theory exam.

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Maintenance

Medan Band - Maintenance

Written by Bruce Gale

Cleaning
Repair

Cleaning

t is difficult to buy cleaning materials for brass instruments in Medan. They can't afford it anyway. Thus, I bring all these materials in myself from Singapore. Somehow, no matter how much polishing fluid I give them, it is never enough. Cleaning the instruments is something everyone takes seriously in Medan - even those in the beginners band.

Take a look for yourself:

We even wash the drums. No, don't ask me how he does it!

Cleaning a trombone can be a complicated business too:

Go Top

Repairing

You can't buy second hand brass instruments in Medan either. Nor can you get them repaired. Rather than have some well-meaning but inexperienced machine shop operator try his hand at fixing damaged instruments, I usually bring them back to Singapore with me. However, we have been able to carry out a few simple repairs at the Home. I have bought a soldering iron, a mouthpiece remover and a range of simple equipment for removing stuck slides.

Here are two of the senior band members (Yunus and Erjon) trying their hand at repairing a water key on a tenor (alto) horn: