About Me
Hello and thanks for visiting my site. My name is Geoff.Fawcett. I spent my younger years in Coff's Harbour N.S.W. where I was born. At 13, I joined "Coff's Harbour and District Citizens Band" (See right, the shortest player in second rank from rear); firstly on 3rd. cornet then second, and eventually repiano, then solo. Several years later, having purchased an alto sax., I, along with two other brass band members, plus their sister, formed a dance band, a musical activity I enjoyed for years. In other brass bands, I played solo cornet as well as tenor horn with Dubbo band (NSW), then after moving to Brisbane, flugel and trombone with Wynnum Manly Citizens (now Bayside Brass), later being employed by that band as bandmaster. Shortly after arriving in Brisbane in 1986, I was employed by the Queensland state government as an instumental music instructor with the "instrumental music in schools" program. I taught brass, woodwind, and tuned percussion at state schools in Townsville and Brisbane. I hold a diploma of teaching (dip.teach) from Syney University & studied a bandmasters course at Brisbane Conservatorium and having completed that, conducted and directed many different bands.
I studied piano tuning & after qualifying at Sydney Conservatorium, joined P.T.T.G. (NSW) and ran a successful piano tuning business in Dubbo and in Brisbane for a number of years. Among artists I tuned for was Midnight Oil, Graham Boyd, and an ABC concert pianist who's name was Elizabeth, but I can't recall her surname. For ten years I taught motor mechanics, diesel fitting, and computers in TAFE.
A competent organist I have performed as a supporting artist in promotional & community concerts as well as providing music as a solo organist for dances, in pubs, clubs, restaurants, weddings and civil celebrations. In later years providing musical entertainment for retirement villages and nursing home patients.
My Arrangements
Starting at the age of 9 I studied piano for 4 years at the local convent, successfully completing grade IV AMEB, vision impaired from birth I struggled to read the piano's grand staff and decided instead to learn jazz piano and read only "fake sheets" or "lead sheets", which have only a single staff with chord symbols. A decision that was to prove very handy when later I moved to the electric organ.
Years of playing organ for dances and entertaining in clubs and pubs whilst reading fake books gave me a sound understanding of chords and chord structures and I began to put this knowledge to use doing my own arrangements of the songs I played. In Music I have two great loves, brass bands, and the electric organ.
At 82, I played second cornet as a member of "Harlaxton RSL Brass Band". And second alto saxophone in "Jim Miller Big Band". In my spare time I maintain and built web sites and arrange music for brass bands.
Anyway have a listen to each arrangement's midi file & if you like what you hear, simply complete the form at top left, or click here to email me. The latest versions of these works are available on "Score Exchange". Go there and search for my arrangements. All instrumental parts including the score in concert pitch are avaiable for free download.
What you will hear when listening to the midis on this page are midi voices - not real instruments (they are NOT recordings) these sounds depend on your computer's sound card for sound quality. So the arrangements will always sound much better when performed by a live band. Drum parts are only generic midi drum tracks adapted to the piece as I know very little about drumming & drum notation.
Hope to hear from you soon, cheers - Geoff Fawcett
