After COVID, one brass band was down to seven people with no clear way forward. This episode is the story of how Julie Hoggarth changed that. And what she built to make sure it couldn't happen again.
Julie Hoggarth is one of the founders of Drum and Brass, a Community Interest Company based in Cumbria set up to bring communities together through music. When a local band she was involved with shrank to near collapse post-COVID, she used Drum and Brass to secure funding, build a training programme, and bring in new players, growing the band to over 37 members and establishing local learner groups that have introduced more than 50 new people to banding in recent years.
WHAT'S COVERED
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- How Drum and Brass rebuilt a band from near-collapse
- Why the all-volunteer model lets bands down and what to do instead
- Funding routes: Arts Council grants, council funding, community schemes, crowdfunding and your local MP
- Getting into schools through Music Education Hubs
- Digitising your sheet music library and documenting roles properly
- Rethinking repertoire and instrumentation to reach new audiences