Improving bandwidth: National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain

Ask any arts professional what the most challenging aspect of working life has been over the last year, and they'll probably reply ‘uncertainty’. The many pressures – the inability to plan more than a couple of weeks in advance, the need for multiple contingencies where before such forward-planning would have been catastrophising, and the psychological toll of best-laid plans falling through at the last minute – have made running an arts organisation beset with even more headaches than usual.

So when in February this year the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain (NYBB) announced a new two-year partnership with the Royal Marines Band Service, it served as a pleasant reminder of the ambition of previous times.

The NYBB is a band unlike any other. A triple-sized ensemble puts 90 of the UK's top young brass musicians in the same room, creating a wall of sound and an impressive spectacle in concert. This huge group breeds camaraderie, something that's ingrained in the movement's history and music's collective principles.

The band's programme choices are a test for players and audiences alike, but, in a setting away from the competitive world of brass band contesting, the players learn to appreciate pieces new and old on their own terms as part of exciting, ambitious programmes.

Influential reach

The band's musical standard comfortably puts it in the same league as other national youth music organisations. Yet, because of the nature and history of the brass band discipline, it struggles to attract the same plaudits as its orchestral or choral counterparts. It's been almost 10 years since any brass band appeared at the BBC Proms, for example. Yet, the NYBB continues to produce some of the country's finest brass players.

The organisation's alumni includes David Childs, one of the world's pre-eminent euphonium soloists, Philip Cobb, the current principal trumpet of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Peter Moore, another BBC Young Musician winner and current co-principal trombone of the London Symphony Orchestra and Katrina Marzella, a baritone horn player and civilian professor of the instrument at the Royal Military School of Music at Kneller Hall.

Marzella is an individual who shows that the band's influence stretches into the realm of military music too; Sam Hairsine is another. After playing euphonium in the Youth Band, Hairsine joined the Royal Marines Band Service, eventually becoming a director of music. He's not alone in this pathway. ‘We were at the Hamina Tattoo in Finland at the time of one of the Youth Band's summer courses. There was a call out on social media that said, “It would be great to hear from alumni”. I asked for a show of hands and, in one band, we had five or six ex-members. There's a good link with the National Youth Band but an even better link with the wider banding community.’

Following the passing of long-serving administrator Philip Biggs in 2019, a tireless servant to the organisation, the NYBB was left in a state of flux. But the transition was a good chance to look again at how best to run a youth music organisation in the 21st century, as CEO Mark Bromley explains. ‘The world was moving on, and we looked to appoint a small leadership team because there are so many skills needed these days – from funding and development to marketing and communications, as well as operations, which Philip focused on.’

As well as expanding the behind-the-scenes team, it's hoped that embracing digital technology will widen the band's appeal to new members. Bromley: ‘It's partly modernisation, but it's also a recognition of the need to make us more accessible and to widen opportunity.

‘The one thing we do know is who auditions for the band is very dependent on who they're taught by, or where they went to school. If you look across the country, some children know about the band and some won't, even if they might be of comparable standard. There's a huge awareness campaign that we want to conduct that reaches across the whole country.’

Before the pandemic, there were encouraging signs of awareness on the increase. The band appeared as part of the 14–18 NOW commemorations at the Barbican in 2018, giving the London premiere of James Macmillan's All the Hills and Vales Along alongside the strings of the London Symphony Orchestra, tenor Ian Bostridge, the Symphony Chorus and conductor Gianandrea Noseda. The moment when the orchestral tuning ‘A’ sounded from the cornet carried great symbolism.

Times of change

Now, it's hoped the Marines partnership will provide a signal boost to an organisation looking to reach even further. ‘We have a global reach,’ says Hairsine, who dreamt up the collaboration while on a Zoom call with Bromley. ‘Our YouTube videos regularly get a million views, and we've taken big steps over the past few years to really embrace new tech.’

It's been a time of change for the Marines’ bands too, balancing outdoor, distanced engagements with the need to become specialists in mixing, mastering and editing overnight. ‘We livestreamed the Mountbatten Festival of Music for the first time, which was huge for us. Selling out the Royal Albert Hall three nights in a row and playing to fifteen thousand people is great, but having another fifty thousand watching online and a few million checking it out afterwards means our reach continues to grow.’

Last month's performance of composer Dan Price's Andromeda marked the first of many collaborations between the two bands in the pipeline, and the signs of engagement are already promising. The terrifically executed video racked up 14,000 views overnight alone. Further plans include masterclasses from Marines Band tutors, a full spectrum of online brass tutorials from elementary through to professional level, and a special concert planned to mark the Youth Band's 70th anniversary in 2022.

The past year has been particularly tough for Youth Band members. An online summer course was built with the hope that, by the following year, some semblance of order would be resumed. Alas, the upcoming Easter residential course, already a blended virtual and live event, has had to be postponed.

Being forced into change has some silver linings though, says Bromley: ‘The one thing we've learned as a band is that we can increase awareness amazingly through technology like Zoom. In the past, we had a handful of audition centres across the country, and we heard from a couple of members how difficult it was to get to that audition.

‘You're feeling pretty nervous – no matter how nice we try to be, an audition isn't a nice thing, but to have to travel for five hours, and then try and do your stuff. One thing we'll continue to do is audition people online. Youngsters record their pieces, they submit them, they're assessed and then there's an interview with a panel. It makes it a lot easier – they're sitting at home, calm and in their own environment, plus they've not had to travel across the country. It won't replace auditions, but it'll enhance them.’

This will certainly help widen the access points to the band, as Isle of Man-born former principal Horn Ellen Wilson confirms. ‘There were quite a few of us in NYBB from the Island and I know of others who thought about auditioning but were put off by the travelling to auditions. If virtual auditions make the band more inclusive to people all over the UK, and those who can't afford the travel, then that can only be a good thing.’

For Wilson, who now lives in Sheffield and is studying for a PhD in Chemistry, the band was a formative experience. ‘The first rehearsal of each course, I remember thinking the band sounded amazing and I couldn't believe I was a part of it. But aside from the music, I made some wonderful friends on those courses and looked forward to them as the highlights of my year.’

The strength of the organisation comes from these close relationships where bonds are made for life. With dynamic new musical partnerships and a fresh new approach to widening opportunity, look out for the National Youth Brass Band on concert platforms live and digital in the very near future.

To stay updated on NYBBGB summer courses for children and young people, set to take place in July and August, visit www.nybbgb.org.uk