A pipe band is a musical ensemble consisting of pipers and drummers. The term pipes and drums, used by military pipe bands is also common.
In Britain, a brass band is a musical ensemble comprising a standardized range of brass and percussion instruments. The modern form of the brass band in the United Kingdom dates back to the 19th century, with a vibrant tradition of competition based around communities and local industry, with colliery bands being particularly notable. The Stalybridge Old Band, for example, first performed in 1815 and is still in existence, although it did not become a brass band until the 1840s.
Philip Wilby is a British composer, organist and choir director.
A school band is a group of student musicians who rehearse and perform instrumental music together. A concert band is usually under the direction of one or more conductors. A school band consists of woodwind instruments, brass instruments and percussion instruments, although upper level bands may also have string basses or bass guitar.
Sir Winston Churchill High School is a senior high school in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It derives its name from Sir Winston Churchill, two-term prime minister of the United Kingdom. The high school is built in the Northwest community of Brentwood. The school offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme, various second languages, and numerous clubs and teams.
Dudley Bright was appointed Principal Trombone of the London Symphony Orchestra in 2001 and retired from that position in June 2018. Prior to that, he held the same position with the Philharmonia Orchestra and Halle Orchestra and before that briefly as an associate with the LSO. He is also Professor of Trombone at the Royal Academy of Music.
The Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band is a British brass band formed in 1881. The band is based in Brighouse, in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England. The band is known across the world, and is regarded by many as the best and most consistent "public subscription band" in the world. They were the 2022 British Open champions, the current Brass in Concert, and Saddleworth Whit Friday champions, and were voted 2022 4Barsrest Band of the Year. The band are regarded as one of the finest brass bands in history, and are in high demand across the globe.
Kenneth Downie is a composer of brass band music.
As part of the British brass band tradition of contesting, bands are split into five main brass band sections in the United Kingdom. These are the Championship, First, Second, Third, and Fourth sections. In some contests, a Youth section is also used, but this is not graded. The adjudicator for qualifying contests sits enclosed and unable to see the bands as they play, and then judges them on various points, one of which is interpretation.
The Tasmanian Bands League (TBL) is the governing body of community banding in Tasmania. It is also an affiliated banding association of the National Band Council of Australia (NBCA). The Tasmanian Bands League's operations include the running of music camps and workshops within the state, as well as the organisation of local band-related competitions.
The New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) is the New York affiliate of National Association for Music Education. NYSSMA is a professional organization that evaluates student musicians in New York state from elementary school to high school. Each spring, students register through their school music programs to attend NYSSMA Evaluation Festivals where they are adjudicated. These festivals take place at local middle and high schools, as well as state colleges and state universities within the fifteen NYSSMA zones, each of which covers an area in New York State. Usually, county high schools take turns to host the festival every few years.
Iowa Brass was formerly known as the Eastern Iowa Brass Band (EIBB), changing its name to Iowa Brass on June 17, 2021.
Simon Dobson is an English composer particularly noted for his brass band compositions.
River Brass was established in 1991 as a community band. Over the years, the band has developed into a high-caliber competing band. The group took its original name from the ox bow bend of the Ohio River that separates the cities of Evansville, Indiana and Henderson, Kentucky. As the band gained more members from across the tri-state region, the geographical footprint was well beyond the original "bend in the river", so the name was changed in the fall of 2015 to "River Brass" to include members who live near both the Ohio River and Wabash River. The band currently rehearses at Epworth United Methodist Church in Newburgh, IN. Its current conductor is Dr. Pat Stuckemeyer.
The Tanunda Town Band is an A-Grade Brass band, located in Tanunda, South Australia. The band is recognised as the oldest continuing brass band in the Southern hemisphere, having been established in 1857.
The Wellington Brass Band is a British-style brass band based in Wellington, New Zealand. The 28-piece ensemble is registered contesting band in the New Zealand A Grade. The band performs extensively throughout New Zealand and Australia, and is the current champion band of New Zealand.
Charles Trussell aka Carlile Vernon, was a prominent musician in brass bands both in Australia and New Zealand during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He served as band master of a number of bands in both countries and was a significant composer and arranger of brass band music. He also was an adjudicator at brass band contests. He is also believed to have written vocal music. He is not to be confused with American banjoist and composer H. C. Trussell who was also active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Jordan Ashman is a British multi-percussionist born in 2004 in Bury St Edmunds, and is the winner of the BBC Young Musician of the Year award in 2022.
