MUSICAL APPRECIATION GROUP by Rodney Imrie

The Group started at the very beginning of U3A in Caldicot. At our first meeting we all decide that it would be best to hold our sessions once a month. Since then they have always been on the fourth Thursday in the month. This, at times, has meant that we should have met on Boxing Day, or even Christmas Day, obviously out of the question, so our Christmas meeting has been a movable one, but none the less enjoyable, especially with the mince pies provided by one of the members of the group.

Our first meeting started with a BIG BAND, quite a selection of the old "swing" big bands, and that proved very popular. The attendance that day was very good, and we have kept up a good average ever since. There have, of course, been "off days", but on the whole we have done very well. At the moment, I have twenty five people on the register, and on a good day, most of them come.

The members of the group have given the presentations, but we have also had a few people from the outside world, though I am afraid that the expense of bringing in other people means that our finances would suffer a great deal. I try to keep the cost down, and anyway, we have a great variety of talent in the group to exploit. My problem is to twist these shy peoples arms to tell everyone about their favourite music. I do have some stalwarts that I can count on to get me out of difficulties, and my grateful thanks to them. I feel it would be unfair to name all these people as my memory is not as good as once it was, and I shall forget someone.

Our outside presenters have included the head of the Music Dept. at Caerleon College, Mr. Emlyn Powell, who gave us a couple of talks on the origins and early music. Another couple who have given a presentation are Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy, who gave a presentation called "Contrasts", the first time I was away, and unfortunately it was a terrible day, pouring with rain and quite a few people away as well, but luckily they have agreed to do another stint, this time I will be there too hear it.

As well as the monthly sessions, I have managed to organise a few trips out. We have had a couple of trips to the Newport Leisure Centre for concerts given by the National Orchestra of Wales, I feel we might have had more people to these if the seats were more comfortable. We also went to Bristol to see the amateur company performing H.M.S. Pinafore, an excellent show, and on another occasion we saw another Gilbert And Sullivan Opera, "The Pirates of Penzance". I shall be keeping my eyes open for another one of their shows.

There was also a trip to Tredegar House for "The Last Night of the Proms". It was supposed to be for Musical Appreciation group, but there was so much interest that in the end we had to hire a coach. My wife, who , as you know, is used to doing this sort of thing, suggested that we charge a little extra and give everyone a picnic supper. This was received with enthusiasm, and we filled the coach, with a couple over. Came the day and came the rain! It absolutely poured down. The coach driver was not a bit helpful, with the weather as it was we would have had our picnic in the coach, but he insisted that he had to take the coach back to the depot. Luckily I had managed to get in touch with the Head Groundsman to arrange transport for the chairs, so when we heard this we managed to talk him into letting us have somewhere to eat our meal, and he very kindly let us use the Orangery. There is a very old, valuable piece of furniture in there that, I think, was used as a sort of shuffleboard, and we could use the room, if we did not put anything on this table. We promised and wound up serving the food and the wine from the floor, eaten sitting on the windowsills around the room. After the meal, we went to find our chairs on the truck, settled down with full wet weather gear and thoroughly enjoyed the concert. The Finale was brilliant, with about the best firework display I think I have ever seen.

We have had very good meetings, and have experienced quite a few peoples taste in music, especially at times like our Christmas meeting, where we bring a piece of music that we personally enjoy. It has bordered on "pop", but , thankfully, no one is into the "heavy metal" stuff. There have only been two missed meetings in all the years we have been going. Hopefully all who would have come had adequate warning that there would be no meeting that month.

I have asked to be put on the mailing list for concerts in Newport and Cardiff, but I am afraid I still have to rely on my group to keep me in touch with events they would like to go to as a group. If they can let me know well in advance, it is possible to get some good deals, so watch the Monthly Diary for news of these deals.