What attracts you to Brass banding?

[babz]

After randomly reading some posts it seems a lot of people are worried about the numbers of people in brass bands declining. Also, that we need to attract more people to brass band (especially youngsters)...

so i was thinking.... if we can think of what attracts us to brass banding then we can help get other people into it.

So what does attract you to brass band?????????


Personally, i enjoy playing an instrument, and its also a good way to make new friends. I also enjoy having to play a 'challenging piece' which i need to practice so i can play it. :P

p.s. is banding a word?

[SuperMosh]

After randomly reading some posts it seems a lot of people are worried about the numbers of people in brass bands declining. Also, that we need to attract more people to brass band (especially youngsters)...

so i was thinking.... if we can think of what attracts us to brass banding then we can help get other people into it.

So what does attract you to brass band?????????


Personally, i enjoy playing an instrument, and its also a good way to make new friends. I also enjoy having to play a 'challenging piece' which i need to practice so i can play it. :P

p.s. is banding a word?

It's the colourful people that we share this world with

[Daisy Duck]

Same reasons as you've put!

I enjoy playing an instrument - although I much prefer playing the trumpet, the technical challenges in brass band music are great.

But I mainly do it for the social side of things and because rehearsals are fun. If I didn't have lots of friends at band, and if rehearsals were a miserable experience, I wouldn't do it! I love being an amateur musician and I think it's always important to remember that even if we want to get a great performance, we are still supposed to be enjoying the experience!

We've got quite a few young people (Under 30s) in our band but we're all confident enough in ourselves that we don't mind being self-confessed band geeks. Some people worry too much about looking cool in front of their mates, and brass banding is most definitely NOT a cool activity. There's no point in even trying to make it cool! It will never be cool.

[michellegarbutt]

I still swear I was brainwashed into playing.

My dad was a flugel player and he used to take me to band practice. During the break I was 'encouraged' to pick the instruments up and have a go. I was taken to Horden band when I was 7 to start having formal lessons and the rest is history.

[David Mann]

As I think I might have posted elsewhere, when I was about 3, I was sitting in the Salvation Army meeting with my mum, and listening to the band, I just wanted to be part of the sound.

[Liz Courts]

It's probably the social side that attracts me mainly, as well as playing together as a team, and performing...

[Bryan_sop]

Personally, I prefer playing trumpet *hides for the fear of being beaten by band fanatics* but for me, banding has several appeals.

• I play sop, so it's great for keeping my lip in
• Really helps with sight reading
• Networking - I've got several paid gigs through brass band contacts
• Probably most important....sociability!

There are things that put me off too though, like the really bad uniforms and Christmas caroling. We had the band uniform discussion today...again....and I still don't understand why we're still in the 19th century with uniform?! As someone said today...the LSO wear DJs and they do ok.....why do brass band uniforms have to be so awful?!?!?!

Nice post btw! very relevant!

[chippy]

Well I think personally for me I enjoy the social side of things. Brass Banding is a hobby for me and I love getting together with a group of like minded people and playing challenging stuff. My band (with the exception of 3 players) are all under the age of 26 (including our conductor), and we are all quite close. It makes for some interesting social nights!

The current band I am playing with are working really hard and we are on the cusp of making some real progress (maybe even up into A grade - yes I am Australian!), I enjoy the challenge that this band gives me.

But at the end of the day I wouldn't continue to volunteer so much of my time (two rehearsals a week, committee meetings, and not to mention all the gigs and contests we do!) if I didn't enjoy spending time with the people in the band!

[DMBabe]

I have been with the same band since I started (23 years ago) and, certainly whilst I was growing up, it allowed me to travel without my parents and be able to socialise with people of all ages. I've seen the band go from 3rd section, all the way to the championship and back around the houses a few times, seen many people come and go yet consider that i've made some friends for life.

Being the only brass bander in my family, I consulted my mum a while back who said that whilst I occasionally succumbed to the demon drink whilst out with the band in my teens, she would rather I was doing it surrounded by a protective pack of friends who looked after me than hanging out in the park with my mates drinking bottles of god knows what. This is echoed by the mums of teenagers in the band now.

It'll give you a social life for life and allow you to meet people you never would otherwise. It'll never be the coolest hobby but infinitely more fun than orchestral playing (I play trumpet too but seems you can take the girl out of the band but can't take the band out of the girl) because I can't be doing with all those rests!!!!