It’s not just about contests!

ALTHOUGH it may seem to the casual observer that all bands seem to do is concern themselves with band contests, one would be surprised at the amount of time that bands devote to playing concerts for charitable causes.

I am aware that Abergavenny Borough have been raising money on a regular basis for a number of local charities and the brass group at Blaina spend their Friday evenings enjoying playing all sorts different music and and when they do give a concert it is always for some local charitable cause.

Parc & Dare Band were very recently at the Porthcawl Grand Pavilion with Pendyrus choir and guest soloist Lauren Williams raising money for the National Coastwatch Institution.

Another example is the Vale of Glamorgan Brass Band organising its first post-lockdown concert in response to the situation in Ukraine.

All proceeds from the concert will be sent to the Emergency Disasters Fund specifically for the Ukraine.

This concert will take place at All Saints Church in Park Road, Barry CF62 7HL on April 4 at 7.30p.m.

There are often events like the one recently organised by the B.T.M. Band, where they welcome parents and children from seven years to freely enter and have a try on the percussion instruments or on some of the brass instruments.

The band will teach children to play by providing instruments at no charge and teach them to become players of a professional standard.

This happens in nearly all our brass bands, with all such teaching as you learn to play with the band, at no cost.

There are many orchestra musicians and big band players who started their musical career in a brass band.

Of course this is a good way of recruiting players for the band so band and players are benefitting.