This is a report on the 9th joint training session.

We held a joint practice session in Fukushima City on Saturday, February 16th and Sunday, February 17th.

This report will be written by Kumagai Kanae, an "apprentice" from the secretariat. I am originally from Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture, and have been playing the flute since my student days, so I was approached by a senior member of the secretariat and decided to participate.

This time, we will bring you a report on the joint practice session from the perspective of a rookie participating in the camp for the first time!

(Mr. Mari Otsuka, a senior member of the Junior Orchestra secretariat, and Mr. Kumagai, a secretariat trainee)

The practice venue is the familiar Fukushima Minpo Royal Hall.

As media staff and people from sponsoring companies were also present at the practice session, a panel introducing TYO was displayed in the lobby.

Now, prepare your instruments and start practicing.

On the first day, we will practice in sections. We will be divided into string, woodwind, brass and percussion groups and will receive guidance from our teachers.

First, string instruments.

We received guidance from Masayoshi Fujimura of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra.

"The difference between playing classical music and jazz music"
"The dense, rich sound of Brahms' symphonies"
I was carefully taught how to bring out the best in a song by using different tones. The impression of a performance can change drastically just by changing the way you produce sound!

This is a woodwind instrument.

"Two hairs slower!"
"Can you do it in a way that makes you see only the fun parts of love?"
"Like a classy brat!"
"The floor is marshmallow!"

Thanks to Sakahashi Yanami's unique instruction, the members were practicing with laughter.
However, it is very easy to understand and the expression of the performance will become richer and richer in no time.

The teacher also gave the brass and percussion instruments a thorough polish.

During the lunch break, we were provided with lunch boxes by the JA Zenkyoren Fukushima Prefecture Headquarters.

One member tweeted, "The bento boxes provided by JA Kyosai are so delicious that I always end up eating too much."

After finishing the afternoon section practice, everyone gathered at the Royal Hall.

At the meeting at the end of the first day, there was talk about the presentation of compositions by members at the upcoming Morioka and Tokyo performances.

Orchestra member Kanara Akamatsu is also one of the composers for this piece.

If you look at the hoodie he's wearing, you can see that "Sola" has "SOLA" written on it!
He denied it with a look of embarrassment on his face, but the rest of the group burst out laughing.

After the meeting, we all headed to our lodging for the night. We stayed at a resort facility run by the JA Kyosai Group.

After dinner and a bath, the adult members and secretariat members drink alcohol and chat about anything from music to love. The members of TYO are really close, and I was surprised at how close they could become even though they only meet once a month.

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It's the morning of the second day.

The Fukushima Minpo newspaper published an advertisement planned by TYO and JA Kyosai.

On the second day, we will practice as a full orchestra under the guidance of conductor Mr. Yanagisawa.

On the second day, there were camera crews there for interviews, but the members were completely focused and didn't seem to mind the cameras.

At the end of the morning practice, there was a presentation ceremony.
We received a greeting from Mr. Kawamura, Section Manager of the Business Public Relations Group at the JA Zenkyoren National Headquarters.

"The activities of JA Kyosai are about transforming small mutual aid efforts into big forces.
I think that this is something that TYO has in common with its activities as an orchestra."
"I received this message from Mr. Kawamura.

The gift I received was a music transcription pen.
All members of the group will use it with care.

During the lunch break, we received lunch boxes from the JA Zenkyoren Fukushima Prefecture Headquarters again today.

Additionally, catering was provided by Fukushima-based tea specialist store Earl Grey ( https://earlgrey-2007.com ).

The authentic black tea and rich chocolate brownies were delicious. The members of the group were delighted and queued up.

In the afternoon, a parents' meeting was held in parallel with the practice, where the secretariat gave a report on the activities and introduced the pieces for the concert.

After the parent-teacher meeting, parents were able to watch the students practice Brahms' Symphony No. 2.

During the break, parents and children gathered together. Many of them look alike!

After finishing practice, all the members took a group photo.

The cameraman said, "The tuba player, your face looks gloomy!" and everyone erupted in excitement. The photo at the top of this post shows the footage of the shoot.

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Well, two intense days have come to an end.

The training camp and the actual event at the end of March will be a very tough schedule. We hope that all members and the management team will be in top physical condition and ready for the event!