Ten-year-old Barry Trotter is an orphan who lives in the Yorkshire village ‘Lack o’ th’ Silverware’ with the Worsleys: his uncaring Aunt Begonia, horrid Uncle Virgil and spoiled Cousin Walter. One day a letter arrives in his bedroom under the stairs where he is practicing on his cornet. Before he can open it, Uncle Virgil […]
The full course The next time you are sat on a contest stage take a quick scan of the wildlife in the audience as it can be quite revealing. The crowd is fairly transient drifting in, for the good performances and out for the ‘cuppa tea’ bands. But! there are some hardened, dedicated watchers that […]
Brass bands invest a ridiculous amount of money to buy and maintain a set of instruments which should be revered, pampered and treated like the Crown Jewels. Alas there are some mechanical freaks who treat these magnificent contraptions with utter contempt. You can forgive very young learners to a certain extent and excuse the odd […]
It is an inevitable truth that at some point in your brass career you will have to stop playing. But when will you know when that time has come? Here are ten indicators that should give you a subtle hint… Tuning slides that move constantly While the conductor is tuning the band he is forever […]
One cold Christmas Eve in the band room the central heating has been turned off and icicles hang off the noses of every player. Eb Scrooge, the band’s conductor has insisted on a rehearsal for the forthcoming area and not a Christmas carol in sight. Bob Crochet, principal cornet, pleads on behalf of the shivering […]
Christmas comes but once a year – isn’t banding fun! Are you festive or a Grinch when carolling’s begun? The band manager joyfully announces the fund-raising schedule for December. You look at the never-ending list with dismay and begin to doubt that there are only 31 days in the last month of the year. “Death […]
With the recent Armistice Day marching events that most brass bands have some involvement with it got me thinking. ‘Old Comrades’, ‘Scipio’ or ‘Sons of the Brave’ in the comfort of the band room is one thing but marching and playing – it’s a death-defying feat! A heart rate of 60 – 80 bpm while […]
As the most farcical Westminster pantomime of all time continues without an end in sight what happens to us lowly brass banders in the fallout of Brexit? What if Boris ‘I’d rather die in a ditch’ Johnson clinches a deal, Jeremy Corbyn falls off his fence or the remainers get their way and celebrate with […]
Is your percussion section seeking inspiration in readiness for the 2020 Areas and beyond? Are they looking to get the best results from their rehearsals? Are they wanting to become better players for the good of your band? If the answer to all of these questions is ‘YES’, then why not book Cory Band’s very […]
Summer…so there it was…Gone! And now it’s lips to the banding grindstone. Busy, busy, busy with back to back Open and Nationals. Did you bother to give your brass instrument an MOT over the summer? Did you spend any time at all with your expensive mechanical masterpiece? Did you even look at the case? Thought […]