What does inclusive brass banding look like?
- Autumn: Training Bands, Beginners and Accessibility
- Winter: Growing Confident Musicians
- Spring: Bandrooms, space to develop
- Summer: Brass Bands for Everybody
Thursday 13th November 2025
Discussion Topics:
What does a good first rehearsal look like for a beginner? Do you remember yours?
Is there a place for auditions? Have you done one?
How much of the traditional do we introduce before it becomes overwhelming? What was your experience?
The welcome test: when a beginner walks in to your bandroom, how welcome would they feel? What is one thing you could do to make them feel more welcome?
What non-musical things make you feel part of the band?
Saturday 12th February 2026
Discussion topics:
How do we look after one another as we develop our playing
How do we include people who might struggle with different aspects of banding – do you have experiences of this?
How do we balance fairness and extra support without singling people out?
How do rehearsals and concerts impact people in the darker months and how do we get through?
Thursday May 14th 2026
Bandrooms, space to develop
Discussion topics:
Tiered music parts: the practicalities
What kind of training/mentoring opportunities would make people feel more confident?
What prevents people from making progress and how can we remove those barriers?
How do we celebrate small achievements as well as the big ones?
Thursday 13th August 6:00 pm
Discussion topics:
How do we show people that Brass Banding is for Everybody? Did you always feel it was for you?
Do our venues and performance spaces feel welcoming to all audiences? Do you face any barriers?
How well do we reflect our communities on stage and online? Have you ever felt left out?
Should we have more informal events and performances? Have you been to any?