Frieda Scott Charitable Trust Brass Engagement Project

Between September 2023 and August 2024 Drum and Brass delivered a series of brass taster sessions  with a grant of £3000 from the Frieda Scott Charitable Trust. 

Here is our report on this project to our partners, stakeholders and funders

Project aims

The project aimed to improve the wellbeing of Cumbria’s low-income families and people with disabilities by increasing their participation in the region’s brass bands.

How did we go about doing this?

Frieda Scott supported Drum and Brass to coordinate small teams of musicians to deliver 10+ engagement events, including taster events accompanying band performances at agricultural shows or festivals and to schools and community organisations which reached at least 1000 people of all ages. Audiences and participants included many families on low incomes and who live in rurally isolated areas. We have had plenty of experience delivering brass taster sessions wand our brightly-coloured plastic instruments have delighted children for some years now. We did not know how much this project would appeal to the members of our existing learning groups however. The project ignited a whole new volunteering initiative which required us to set up highly robust scheduling, coordination and volunteer support systems alongside the events themselves. It is these unexpected developments that make our work the more rewarding however, and Drum and Brass has benefitted hugely from the good will and enthusiasm of our committed learner players over this year.

Here’s our timetable. You can see the rangeland mix of participants in each event. 

Project outcomes

Partnerships: 

Our inclusive approach to music-making led to us establishing new partnerships with primary schools who went on to book Drum and Brass for longer-term music projects  for their year 3,4,5 and 6 pupils. 

Culgaith Primary School, which supports high needs young people and rural isolation – has booked our team for a second year. 

We carried out an important piece of work this year with the Penrith and Eden Refugee Network (PERN) which exposed the complex power dynamics involved in “seeking to diversify”. 

Brass bands have a recognised white demographic across the UK and Europe. Drum and Brass director Davina Vencatisami calls brass band music “indigenous white music”. There is no logical reason why this should be so however, and there are many bands across the world with no white players.

Working with the PERN outreach worker, conversations and an initial attempt to bring players together (Bring your Own Music) revealed the many ways in which white privilege asserts itself and patronises non-white voices. This could be one reason why non-white players feel excluded. The project lead wrote a blog about Bring your Own Music, an event which threatened to sever relations between Drum and Brass and PERN. However, after much discussion, we invited 32 members of PERN to our Brass at the Castle festival. We prepared a timetable which centred the voices of the group, with a dedicated brass workshop for the young people. There was a spontaneous move to bring young players and their families onto the stage where they performed together with other beginner brass players in what was the most joyous, audience-friendly set of the event. 

Insights into local services:

Christian Head and Mill Gardens care homes expressed appreciation for the visits from our groups. The staff talked about the loss of accessible taxis in Kirkby Stephen which means residents are confined to the care home.

Our nursery visits (3 in total) opened our eyes to the lack of music provision for early years. Families have to travel to Penrith to access early years music sessions (Baby Jam at Blue Jam). Given the proven benefits of music to early development, this is a huge local need.

Playing at Mill Gardens (the guide dog belongs to one of our players, the inspirational sight-impaired Jean Coates)

Empowering marginalised communities

The most important outcome of this project is that players who have joined Drum and Brass learning groups, often individuals  who have previously felt excluded from traditional banding activities, have been inspired by the idea of taking brass into the community to develop community projects that suit their own access needs but which are also opening up new opportunities for brass in the community.

This project has thus facilitated initiatives which are turning music-making into a powerful community-building force. Initiatives so far include Brass in the Nursery, Brass in the Cave and Music and Mocktails. They are bringing different groups together (linked by WhatsApp groups) and which are taking volunteering to very new and exciting places.

Listen to our podcast with Ben from Brass Inc, or watch our Brass in the Nursery video to find out how Frieda Scott funding has helped bring music to communities across Eden.

Our brass ensemble was also very proud to play at the Frieda Scott Jubilee Celebrations in Bowness this year. Watch this space for a brand new all-female brass group: yet another superb outcome of this project

 Many thanks from the Drum and Brass Team!