Testimonials - SAC Chris Owen
THE LIFE OF AN RAF HORN PLAYER
Now that I have been in the RAF for over a year, I feel it is time to write the article that Paul Kampen asked of me soon after I joined up! Having read about Horn virtuoso Dennis Brain’s time in the RAF (he can indeed be seen in some of the old photos of the Central Band of the RAF), I thought it might also be interesting for readers to hear what life in an RAF band is like in the 21st Century…………..
En route to the RAF
My mother, hoping I would follow in her musical footsteps, taught me the violin and piano from the age of five. I always wanted to learn the horn and so jumped at the chance when I went to high school. I never looked back and flew on, through two youth orchestras, a year at the Leeds College of Music, studying with Harry Brennand, and finally three years at the Royal College of Music, under the watchful eyes of the late Douglas Moore.
My time at the RCM knocked the wind out of my sails, as the realities of the music world hit home. I was overwhelmed by the high standard of playing and soon decided I was never going to be good enough to make it as a professional player. So, as soon as I left the RCM I worked for several years in music publishing, followed by conservation volunteering in the Lake District, my favourite part of England.
After this, I felt the need to reconsider my direction in life and decided to use my teaching diploma from the RCM. I began working for Cumbria Music Services and did other teaching on a self-employed basis. As music has always been my first love, much of my free time was spent singing tenor and playing the horn for whoever wanted my services - sometimes I was even paid!
In 2001, I got a new horn, an Alexander 503 that was much better than my old Reynolds Contempora, which had done me for fifteen years! It gave me a new confidence in my playing, which coincided with being asked to play first horn in all the local orchestras. Despite enjoying some of my teaching, I realized that I was not cut out for it long term and that I wanted to play for a living.
I would need to get my playing up to a higher standard and so applied for postgraduate courses. In the end, I chose to do the one-year, full-time Masters in Performance course at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. Studying again was great and very busy for horn players. I had lessons with David McClenaghan and David Flack, along with hand horn lessons from Bob Cook. I also got the chance to sit in on three rehearsals with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.
I went to several auditions, including one in Holland, but it soon became clear that it would take a long time to find work. I am not the kind of person to enjoy wondering if I will get enough money next month! At the time, I had one daughter and a second on the way. Then, my regular searches on the Musical Chairs website turned up adverts from the Army and the RAF. I ignored them for a couple of months before deciding to take them more seriously.
Joining up
The one obstacle to joining was my age - I was 39 and would be 40 by the time I could join up. For the Army the cut-off age limit of 37 was absolute! Luckily, it is more flexible in the RAF, especially when there were several vacancies for horn players. I talked to Flight Sergeant Glyn Wilkes, who made it clear that the job was to be a full-time musician, but that it also involved becoming a fully deployable member of the armed forces. At his suggestion, we spent time as a family discussing the consequences, before deciding that I should go ahead.
I made the application through the Glasgow Armed Forces Careers Office (AFCO). Initially they had to check with the Headquarters Music Services (HQMS) that I was allowed to join at my age! I filled in lots of forms, had interviews, various aptitude tests and a medical. After passing this initial stage, I went to HQMS, in Uxbridge, for my music audition - a playing exam, a three-hour theory paper and a morning rehearsal sitting in with the Central Band.
I had been strongly advised to start my fitness training, but at the time, I did no regular exercise other than walking. Luckily, the RAF had sent me a six-week plan to build up fitness levels before basic training. I stuck rigidly to five days of exercise a week, for 14 weeks - two runs, one swim and two lots of circuits. The one disappointment of joining at 40 is that all that exercise only made me lose a few pounds!
I heard that my start date would be 31st May 2006. My second daughter was born at the start of that month, so we had four weeks of quality family time, with no visitors. I had a long list of kit to get, which was quite a task. The last items I got were four heavy duty locks, which I purchased from a shop in Glasgow, which bore a striking resemblance to the one in the “Fork Handles” sketch by the Two Ronnies - £2 each and ex-MOD I was assured!!
Basic training
Basic training at RAF Halton teaches the skills required to become airmen and airwomen. Everyone is treated equally and all must reach the same level to pass the course. Everyone had to sleep in big dormitories and get up at 5am every morning, even after only three hours sleep! Discipline is the order of the day - doing as you are told without question, being five minutes early for all deadlines, respecting the rank structure, and so on. I was one of the room leaders and there was a head man and head woman, to encourage discipline at all levels.
The physical education sessions got us up to a standard to pass the RAF Fitness Test, which all personnel must do each year of their service life. Over the June and July I was there, we experienced a heat wave, so several sessions were cancelled - it reached 36.5 degrees Celsius! The requirements of the test vary according to age and sex. As a 40-year-old man, I had to do the same level as the younger women, so age does bring a few advantages. I was also pleased not to be the last to reach the finish line in the cross-country!
The other area of physical training took the form of four weeks of ground defence training - basic training in military skills, culminating in a three-day operation. I think it is fair to say that this is the hardest part of basic training for all recruits and I certainly found it to be the time when I wanted it all to be over! However, it was a great feeling when we were all told that we had passed.
Another big part of training consisted of gaining service knowledge, that is, learning the rules and regulations of the RAF, its history, present capabilities, personal conduct expected, correct dress, and so on. At times, it was “death by Power Point”, with various recruits being shouted at for falling asleep, but most things eventually sunk in.
We marched everywhere while in uniform, which helped to get us ready for the marching exam and the final parade. The big, old accommodation blocks also had to be bulled (cleaned) every day, which often left those on toilet cleaning duty a bit disgruntled. A lot of uniform and other kit is required and there are daily kit inspections. These are probably the biggest ongoing stress for recruits, as a crease in a shirt, a bit of fluff on a jumper or dust on a bed-head can all be points on which to fail! At least as a mature recruit, I did escape the need for “remedial ironing”. There was an element of “boot camp” too, in the form of big black boots and two pairs of shoes to bull up. Our No 1 shoes had to have a deep shine all over, only for it all to crack as soon as we got out onto the parade square!!
From the start, my wife told me to do my best, but that “FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION!” I am not sure if that was meant to be funny, but it certainly helped to concentrate the mind!! There was a lot of pressure to get things right and not get any injury, even blisters, that would mean I might be sent back to day one. I had one close call during my medical - I failed the hearing test and had a couple of very worried days when I thought that I might get kicked out of the RAF! I retook the test and failed again!! Luckily, for me the doctor decided that failing by only a few decibels was allowable - PHEW!!!
We were allowed some time away from duties, if all tasks had been completed. I had to phone home every day and got to go away six weekends out of nine, which all helped to recharge the batteries. By the end of nine weeks everyone was worn out physically and sleep-deprived, but the joy of finally reaching the end of training soon made all the hard work seem worthwhile.
All through, TEAMWORK was the big theme, with team-building games and encouragement to work together in all things - someone might do ironing for another person, who in turn did shoes for someone else, and so on. The culmination of this teamwork is the final parade when everyone has to march as a unified whole. Each person was elated, not only for themselves, but for the fact that their colleagues got there too. It all took place on a sunny August day, with families looking on. The fly-over by a Tornado jet was great too and a nice surprise for the guests as it came from behind them!
The icing o the cake for me was coming out to the front to receive the prize for Best Recruit on No 9 Flight (SEE PHOTO). It was quite a shock to be told, a few days before, that I was to get it - apparently, they thought that I coped well with the military lifestyle at my age! It was a proud moment for my family, and me, as they found out about it only on the day. Afterwards we all had drinks and I was shouted at for walking around outside, in uniform, carrying my daughter, but without headdress - one is never too old to be told off!
In retrospect, it was not as bad as I thought it would be and some of the younger recruits struggled more than I did. In fact, I became known as “Granddad” by the end of it! (I believe that I am the oldest person to pass out of basic training.) Despite now fading into the dim and distant past, it was the most intense experience of my life! After that, things got a bit more “normal” as the others went to their respective trade training and I was taken to RAF Uxbridge. There, new recruits who have the minimum entry level (Grade 8 playing standard on their instrument) spend three months or more getting their playing up to standard and learning some theory, aural and a bit of history. As someone already qualified, I only had to do one essay and get back into practice.
I was given a week’s leave after Halton and then had only four weeks to my appraisal. Due to gradual downsizing, there is no longer a large music school, as there was in the “good old days” of the RAF. I was one of only two recruits while I was there, so I soon realized that some of my training was going to happen on the job!…………..
On the job
Gone is the heyday of the RAF Music Services when Dennis Brain could be in Central Band and the RAF Symphony Orchestra. Up until 1994 there was a band in Germany and several in the UK, but now there are only three bands - one at RAF Uxbridge (Central Band) and two at RAF Cranwell in Lincolnshire (the Band of the RAF College and the Band of the RAF Regiment). Each should have four horn players, but both the ones at Cranwell had only two, at the time I joined up, so I was posted there.
I was told with just enough notice to arrange the move from our flat in Glasgow, via Penrith to pick up my piano, then via Windermere to get the rest of our belongings. I also had to assume that I would pass my final appraisal, as the move had to start without me, on the morning I had it! Luckily, I did pass and so we could be “marched in” to our forces house before I officially started with the Regiment Band on September 11th 2006. One of the horn players in the band had just retired, so I made the section back up to two. Thus, it remained until towards the end of 2007, when both Cranwell bands gained a third player.
I mentioned earlier about learning on the job and I certainly did that on my first proper day with the band. We were doing a passing out parade for the gunners at RAF Honington - I have rarely been so scared in all my life! It is, in fact, quite an easy parade (I see that now), but I had never played and marched in my life before. We marched into the hanger and were given the signal to mark time. I missed it, then stopped to get my feet coordinated and once in step again felt pleased, only to find that everyone else had stopped and the drum major was frantically mouthing “STOP!” to me!!! To be honest, I am still working on playing and marching at the same time (despite considerable improvement, I should add) - the way I cope is to rely on a lot of small breaths and trying to use as little mouthpiece pressure as possible, to lessen the effect of jolting.
The band’s year is roughly divided into three terms, because leave needs to be taken by the whole band at the same time, usually in or near the school holidays. This allows for families to go away together and effective planning of the calendar of engagements. The autumn term tends to be made up of charity concerts and the tour by the massed bands of the RAF. The spring term consists of many school concerts, usually for recruitment purposes as well as entertainment, with the local AFCO in attendance. At Cranwell, this is the time when we do our stint of a few days on gate guard. The summer term is mostly spent doing various parades and displays.
This general pattern is only a guide and can vary greatly, often at short notice, such as a trumpeter suddenly being asked to play the last post at a funeral. All the bands are required to travel a lot, often long distances. There is only so much reading one can do on a seven-hour coach journey, so the best presents my brother gave me last Christmas were an MP3 player and a portable DVD player - Godsends!!
The ceremonial parade work is the bread and butter of any RAF band. Parades can be for passing out ceremonies, town freedom marches, royal visits, presentations of a new standard (flag), and so on. We also do displays, often at non-military events, such as the Great Yorkshire Show. These occasions serve as good public relations for the RAF, as well as entertainment for the public.
I have never been one to celebrate much in my own life, but I have come to appreciate the important part these RAF ceremonies play in people’s lives and the vital part the bands play. I felt especially proud this summer playing for the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, as did my family, which managed to come and see me. I shall never forget the thrill of marching out of Wellington Barracks the first time and in through the front gates of the Palace, watched by thousands of tourists!
Concerts are given with a full compliment of 35 players and, as this means four horns, we had to borrow the two players from the College Band. We also had to play for all their concerts, which has helped build my stamina, hone my technique, and given me a lot of fun. The bands not only play original band compositions, but also many arrangements of orchestral pieces and much music from the film, pop, jazz and light music genres. This variety has been a welcome change from the orchestral music I was brought up on. We are allowed to do outside gigs that do not conflict with work commitments. There is also the Lincolnshire Philharmonia, the orchestra of RAF Cranwell, which combines amateur players from the surrounding area with RAF musicians from both bands. The most high profile concert I have done was when the band was invited to be the first RAF band for many years to guest on the Radio 2 programme Friday Night is Music Night.
Variety is further enhanced by the fact that most band members also play in a small group - brass quintet, sax quartet, jazz five-piece, and so on. I am in the wind quintet, a grouping I have always adored playing in. We play for guest nights at the messes of various RAF bases. In June this year, we also got to go on a trip to Sarajevo, to play at the Queen’s Birthday celebrations at the British Ambassador’s Residence (SEE PHOTO). At the last minute, we were asked to play a three-minute piece for the local television station, as part of an interview for the evening news programme - another one of the very scary moments of my RAF career so far! On a serious note, we had a historical tour of the city that brought home to us the devastation brought upon the city by the war and the vast effort still needed to rebuild the lives of ordinary people there.
The full band does get to do some trips overseas and so far, I have been to Northern Ireland, Germany and nearly Cyprus. I say nearly because the brass group went and we were to fly out from RAF Brize Norton. When we got there, they said the plane did not have enough room for everyone, so five of us got back on the bus and went home! I believe such things have happened before, but my one consolation is that the full band may go out there in the summer of 2008 - here’s hoping!!
Once a year, in June, the Principal Director of Music does his annual inspection of all the bands. This takes the form of a band competition, a concert given by each band, a parade display and an inspection of everyone’s ceremonial uniform. This is in the RAF blue worsted, accompanied by special leather boots that have to have the same deep shine as our shoes. As mine were consistently not up to scratch I finally had them bees waxed by a colleague, so that they hold the shine better. I still have to “bull my boots” and I am sorry to say that I actually quite enjoy it!
The RAF provide me with two horns for my work - an older Paxman 20M which is reserved for parade work and a Paxman 25M for concert work. These are the tools of my trade and are maintained at the RAF’s expense. Many players in the bands no longer have their own instruments, as there is no need. Personally, I still prefer to use my Alexander for concerts.
It should not be forgotten that we are still serving members of the RAF, deployable at any time. As such, we have to revise our military skills once a year and pass competency and fitness tests. We also have to train for guard duty. A few musicians each year are deployed, for four to six months, into theatres of operation. The bands also have a war role and indeed were all called out for the first Gulf War. Despite this serious side to the job, our primary role is to be musicians, helping to provide a public face for the RAF, supporting and entertaining the troops in their work.
Afterthoughts
From my horn playing life so far, I would like to pass on a few thoughts. Take all the careers advice you can from school, university or college and from those in all walks of musical life - we are constantly being reminded that musicians need a broad “portfolio career”. Don’t forget to consider a career in the forces, especially the RAF, where you will find many very fine musicians and a wide variety of music on offer. Most particularly and, I think, uniquely for a musician, there is a very clear career and promotional structure, over and above the daily work of playing an instrument. This adds another element to a very stable and rewarding job!
Although I did not intend this article to serve as a recruitment tool for the RAF, I do feel obliged to say that this is the first job in my life that has not bored me after a while! I constantly have new challenges to face, find my playing improving all the time and enjoy all the performances I give. Anyone wishing to find out more about a career in the RAF can ring Flight Sergeant Grant Charleston on 01895 815286 for an informal chat, at any time.
To all horn players who aspire to make a living from their instrument, I would say that it is never too late to try - just don’t leave it quite as late as I did!!