Our Community Projects
Eikanger-Bjørsvik Musikklag are strong cultural leaders in the middle of professional and voluntary cultural life. The band is today one of the world's best brass bands and maintains a very high musical level. With 120 gathering days a year as amateurs, there are many hours used by the musicians to maintain this level.
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The goal of EBML is, through being a conscious role model, to contribute to as many people as possible experiencing the mastery of playing an instrument, to achieve their potential and to be able to have a band as a lifelong hobby. Participation in organized leisure activities also gives local belonging and creates a safe arena. Taking an important role in recruitment, subsequent growth and development is therefore a priority task for the band.
This is in addition to the bands musical activities and shows that community engagement is taken seriously.
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Here are some of the projects we are focusing on:
KorpsID- new project from 2024.
Our aim with the project is to create pride and belonging to the band and the identity as a band musician. Through the KorpsID project, Eikanger -Bjørsvik strengthen its existing social responsibility with the hope of helping to prevent the dropout of musicians of secondary school age. In addition, we wish to contribute so that the young people can contribute to the development of healthy relationships and community. The project starts in 2024 and we have received support from Sparebanken Vest for the implementation.
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Feriespel
The band has its own summer course, which started in 1997. The band and the surrounding environment have spent over 20,000 hours on this project since its inception. The price for participating has been fixed since the beginning so that as many people as possible can afford to participate.
Feriespel takes place over a long weekend where the elders meet on Thursday afternoon, and the rest on Friday afternoon and is concluded with a big concert on Sunday. In recent years it has been in Knarvik church.
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This is a band for talents in the whole of old Hordaland. This band was started in 2005 by Ole Johan Aarlie and Kjersti Pisani. EBML took over HUBB in 2021 and EBML supports the band with a 6-figure amount each year to give talent from all over old Hordaland the opportunity to meet others of their age and play concerts at a high level.
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Seminar weekends with school bands - Every year the band travels on weekends where, in addition to playing concerts, they also have seminars with the local school band and play together with them. The band has lessons during the day on a Saturday and then plays a concert together with the school band in the evening. There is always at least one joint number where the school band musicians get to play together with EBML.
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Cornets make up about a third of the members in a brass band and in collaboration with BKE, we focus on bringing together cornet talent for extra challenges on the instrument. EBML is proud to be able to support BKE so that many cornet players develop further and can continue in bands for the rest of their lives.
Sit-in rehearsals
Every year before the Nationals for school bands, local school bands get to play their pieces together with EBML in rehearsal. Every school band get to visit EBML and practice their chosen piece together with EBML. They get to experience what exactly their voice should be like as well as good guidance from EBML's members together with conductor Reid Gilje.
School band concert series
This is a series of concerts together with the local school bands. For EBML is it important that we visit all the school bands and play a concert with them. This is part of a rolling ring of concerts locally in Nordhordland.
Instrumental days
The different groups in the band organize instrumental days where, at different intervals, they invite local musicians to play ensembles together with musicians from EBML. Everyone is welcome here regardless of level and age and for some the spark is lit on such a day, while for others it is inspiration to continue their good development on the instrument.
Inspirational seminar
At our inspiration seminars, we travel out into the county where a band, or several bands together, will be visited by us. Wee have sit-in rehearsals, ensemble playing, playing lessons, joint band and a concert together with the bands we visit. Here they get an intense weekend where they get to experience all that we do with our local school bands on a daily basis. As of today, we already have a collaboration with Kjølsdalen Musikklag where musicians from EBML go and conduct seminars.
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We also aim to be able to contribute even more in the north of Vestland to support band development in other areas as well.
The collaboration with MFHS is part of the work to strengthen the brass movement in the long term. Especially the basic idea that schoolband youth should continue to play through junior high school and High school. Many of the musicians in EBML have been students at MFHS and have thus taken their hobby with them into further studies and professional life. MFHS students get free entry to Eikanger-Bjørsvik's concerts and the parties can collaborate on conductors, instrumentalists and other presenters.
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Together, these projects mean that EBML meets hundreds of band musicians every year
where they get to play with, listen to and experience one of the world's best brass bands.
This contributes to the fact that not only EBML, but also the entire brass band movement, will be sustainable in the future.
This is how EBML takes social responsibility
EBML's vision is "We shall be leading way".
This applies to all work the band does.
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With this as a starting point, EBML will have some main focus areas which are all connected with the development of the next generation of band musicians and the strengthening of the band.
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The band is based on these four sustainability goals:
Sustainable Development Goal 3 "Good health and well-being"
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EBML shall work to promote good mental health and quality of life, through contributing to the experience of mastery of the instrument for band musicians, for the good of the individual musician, the band, the surrounding community and band Norway.
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EBML will give musicians the opportunity to experience mastery at their level.
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EBML will offer teaching/guidance at a low price so that as many people as possible can experience mastery regardless of background
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EBML will give free entry to its concerts to school band musicians
Sustainability goal 10 "Reduced Inequalities"
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EBML, in collaboration with sponsors, school bands and society, must focus on less inequality through its work with bands and musicians. The members of the school bandss are children and young people in the age group 11-19 years. This is an important learning arena for socialisation, generosity and inclusion across age groups, gender, ethnicity, skin colour, orientation, functional abilities or cultural and social background.
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EBML must lead the way as a good example
Sustainable Development Goal 13 "Climate action"
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EBML, in collaboration with sponsors, other bands and society, must focus on sustainable development that stops climate change.
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EBML shall, where possible, use an electric tour bus on trips
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EBML shall not fly to more than four concerts/projects each year
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EBML shall use digital tickets and programmes
Sustainability goal 17 "Partnerships fpr the goals"
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By collaborating with our sponsors, society and the band environment, EBML will work to promote good mental health and quality of life, work for a more generous society with fewer inequalities and for measures to stop climate change in our environment.