My roots
I've been lucky enough to grow up in a musical family. From childhood I was already familiar with the sounds of the ha-fa-bra music and soon I got a cornet on loan from the local brass band. I kept playing that instrument for many years, among others in brassband De Bazuin Oenkerk and brassband De Wâldsang, which was then headed by Tjeerd Brouwer.
It was also the same Tjeerd Brouwer who motivated me to turn my hobby into my job and who taught me the basics of conducting.
After the Teacher Training, I studied at the former Academy of Music in Leeuwarden in conducting and arranging.
Conductor and teacher
`Dirigeren is meer dan de maat slaan´, freely translated as ´conducting is more than counting measures´. That is the title of the textbook that I've written for students and conductors who want to improve their conducting skills.
All aspects of conducting makes this profession interesting and challenging. In classes and workshops I always try to make this clear.
Since 1991 I am the conductor of Brassband De Bazuin Oenkerk. And even after twenty years I still enjoy working with this band. The commitment of the band members is large, which not only resulted in fantastic concerts at home and abroad, but also in wonderful contest results. Besides that, I am also, since seventeen years, conductor of concertband Crescendo in Drachten.
It is a misconception that one is a good conductor when one conducts a band in the highest division and preferably be a champion. To me a good conductor is he who knows to get the best possible results out of a band, despite the division in which it is playing.
Listening to music or being a musician is a wonderful hobby. In my work as a teacher at the "Prins Claus Conservatorium" I try to encourage the students, therefore, in their musical exploration.
Arranger and sound director 
In the early years of my musical career I played with various orchestras and groups. Not all music that was chosen by the conductor, was appropriate or available for the composition of the band. Soon I was asked to make the music that `fit´ the band, so to write to the existing players. This was the basis for my arranging.
Besides making arrangements in commission, I always try to find time to arrange repertoire of my own choice. My preference lies with popular music, film scores and musicals.
Some examples of these arrangements are: "El Cumbanchero", "Batman The Dark Night" and "Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra".
For more information, I refer to the item "My arrangements" at this site.
In recent years I also worked as sound director for CD recordings and radio recordings. This concerns not only ha-fa-bra music.
Of course you can always contact me for more information. In the guestbook you can leave your message.
Kind regards,
Klaas van der Woude
Biography