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Cambridge University
Ceilidh Band |
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Hi!
We like to think that the CUCB is the best music society in Cambridge, and we'd love you to join us. Everyone is welcome to join (no audition, all standards, absolutely any instrument!), and as well as great music we also have a very active social life! This page should contain all the information you might want about how the band works, but if you have any further questions please contact James McNamara (jdm71). If you decide you want to join us, sign up at the Freshers' Fair, drop me an email or just turn up to a practice (details below). If you're interested in calling for the band, then please send a CV along with full contact details for bands with whom you have called to ceilidh@cusu.cam.ac.uk
Hoping to see you there soon,
James (CUCB President)
You might never have played traditional folk music before, or you might have grown up with it, but either way you'll enjoy the CUCB. Most of the tunes we play are from the traditional Celtic repertoire, which can be easily sight-read if you're a beginner or jazzed up lots if you're an expert! Some examples can be found on the music page. More importantly, traditional music is a lot of fun to play, and does in fact sound remarkably cool when forty of us are bashing out a lively reel at top speed. The style of playing is a lot more informal than classical music (but no less of an achievement to master), and as well as weekly rehearsals we will have several special workshops throughout the year to help with this.
The band consists of around sixty active members, and we normally have around thirty or forty people at rehearsal each week. This sounds like a lot, but we're all a friendly bunch and it sounds GREAT! Naturally, a lot of our members play instruments typical of folk music (fiddle/violin, flute, guitar) but the band is certainly not limited to these, and absolutely anything is welcome! The band has been known to include (successfully!) all of the following:
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| Violin/Fiddle |
Piccolo |
Acoustic Guitar |
Bodhran |
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| Viola |
Flute |
Electric Guitar |
Spoons |
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| Cello |
Recorder |
Mandolin |
Shakey Egg |
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| Double Bass |
Pennywhistle |
Ukelele |
Cajón |
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| Celtic Harp |
Low D Whistle |
Banjo |
Djembe |
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| Accordion |
Oboe |
Timple |
Bongo |
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| Melodeon |
Bombarde |
Bouzouki |
Drum Kit |
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| Concertina |
Woodwind Synthesiser |
Charango |
Kazoo |
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| Harmonica |
Clarinet |
Trumpet |
Piano |
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| Melodica |
Saxophone |
Tuba |
Keyboard |
We rehearse every Thursday of term-time in Peterhouse College Music Room from 8pm to 10 pm. This ain't your typical orchestral-type rehearsal, oh no. Ceilidh Band rehearsal is loud and lively, with plenty of scope for foot-stomping, head-banging, dancing... whatever you like. We even managed to incorporate Blink Murder into a recent rehearsal! We normally have a few laughs as well, and when it's break-time the college bar is conveniently located just outside the door.
Believe it or not, those rehearsals somehow end up being productive enough for us to perform on a regular basis. We do the occasional concert but the majority of our gigs are for ceilidhs (if you're not familiar with a ceilidh, it's a really fun event involving lots of Scottish dancing, and you'll probably come across one in Cambridge very soon, as they're pretty popular here). We provide the music, we bring along a caller (person to instruct the dancers) and the crowd goes wild to our funky tunes. We frequently play for student ceilidhs, birthday parties, weddings and charity events. We have a gig roughly once a week in term-time, all in the Cambridge area, and then we go mad in May Week when we play at LOTS (like, ten in 2009!) of the May Balls. The money all goes in a big pot, called the Abbey National, and then we spend it on fun stuff like social events and our annual tour (see 'The Fun Stuff' below). We have only about ten people in each gig line-up - and you can volunteer to play in as many or as few gigs as you want. It's easy and fun to play at a gig, so don't be afraid to sign up when you get an email request.
We get up to a lot more than just playing tunes in the Ceilidh Band. Lots of our members say that our social life is what makes us stand out from all the other music societies in Cambridge, and that reputation is something the Committee works really hard to maintain.
Firstly, each rehearsal is followed by an informal pub trip. Our current haunt is the fluorescent-yellow-but-friendly Crosskeys Pub, located on Brookside (side-street off Lensfield Road, very close to the junction with Trumpington Street). Some people carry on the music with a bit of a session (more details on the session page) whilst others just like to have a drink and a chat. This is a great way of getting to know everyone in the band a bit better.
Secondly, we have several socials each term, all of which are either free or heavily subsidised by the band. In 2008/09 we had a free Freshers' Formal at Pembroke, a free curry at The India House, the first ever (hilarious) Ceilidh Band Sports Day, several 'official' pub trips and a few of the ever-popular 'Ceilidh Band Ceilidhs - something of an institution by now, where we take turns to play and give each other a chance to dance at a ceilidh for a change. As always, a highlight was the lavish Annual Dinner, which gave us all a good opportunity for some cringe-worthy speech-making. Some lucky members got free tickets to some of the May Balls, and we finished the year in style with the inaugural Ceilidh Band May Week Garden Party on our own exclusive island. How cool is that?!
Thirdly, we spend the bulk of our money on our Annual Tour every September. Recent tour destinations have included Devon, Aberdeenshire, Pembrokeshire and Padova, Italy. You can read more on the tour page, but the general idea involves lots of band members crammed into a tiny cottage or two, the nominated chef's culinary masterpieces, some touristy-type sightseeing, plenty of splashing around in the sea (or other body of water) and of course a number of gigs around the local area.
With all these opportunities to get on each other's nerves, we end up being a pretty close bunch in the Ceilidh Band. We hope you'd like to join us!
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Cambridge University Folk Music and Dance Societies
CU Ceilidh Band
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Gog Magog Molly
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The Round
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CU Strathspey and Reel Club
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