Guide to forming a concert band

Much amateur, school and youth ensemble music-making in this country is taken up by concert bands. These are known variously as ‘wind bands’, ‘wind ensembles’, ‘symphonic wind ensembles’, ‘wind sinfonias’ and ‘military bands’; but they all, more or less, add up to the same thing: the bringing together of all woodwind, brass and percussion instruments to create and perform multi-dimensional and wide-ranging music. This stimulating soundworld opens up repertoire that demonstrates exciting timbres. Musically directing these groups can be a challenge, however, and the skills involved are often underestimated.

The basic concert band is usually made up of the following: flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, alto, tenor and baritone saxophones, French horns, trumpets and/or cornets, trombones, euphoniums and tuba. The number of instruments can vary dramatically, according to the availability of players, the conductor's preference or, simply, what's written in the score; beginner music, for example, rarely subdivides into parts 1, 2 and 3, and there may be additional supporting parts (such as piano) for new learners.