Notes on All Party Parliamentary Group for Brass Bands meeting held on 14th July 2009 at Houses of Parliament.

Attendance List:

Bryan Catcheside, Musical Director of Ascot Brass

Darryl D’Costa, Secretary of Regent Brass

Louise Renshaw, Musical Director and Secretary of Macclesfield Youth Brass Band

Robert Morgan MBE, BFBB Chairman

 Philip Watson, BFBB Development Officer

 The meeting was convened by the chairman at 7:10pm after the Group’s AGM where the following officers were elected:

• J Ennis MP for Barnsley East and Mexborough  – Chairman
• D Heath MP for Somerton and Frome & Lord Jones were elected Vice Chairmen
• Lord Foster of Bishop Auckland was elected Hon. Secretary

Presentations were made by the following three witnesses:

Bryan Catcheside, Musical Director of Ascot Brass, spoke about community bands and why people get involved with brass bands quoting the joy and immense pleasure people derive from the activity. Mr Catcheside explained Ascot Brass band’s activities and how it is organised. It is a registered charity and rehearses in a church hall which costs £18 per rehearsal. The band has sometimes hired a school hall for rehearsals at £40 per hour. Permanent storage for the band library and instruments is non-existent. Instruments cost £60k – £80k for a new set or approximately £20k for a set of second-hand instruments. Music scores cost about £30 per score and there are dues to pay to PRS and concert venues. The band plays most of its concerts for charities and the MD does not take a fee.

Mr Catcheside also spoke about the way many bands squandered money provided by the national lottery in the 1990s and called for future funding to be controlled with criteria which bands should meet to receive funding. He said that BFBB will be the best placed organisation to administer funding for brass bands.

 Mr Catcheside also asked for the sharing of community facilities to assist brass bands.

Darryl D’Costa, Secretary of Regent Brass, spoke about the history and activities of Regent Brass, emphasising the bands involvement in contesting. Mr D’Costa told the Group about the expenses involved in contesting and touring with the band; the band tours in the UK and on the continent which is all financed at the expense of the individual band members. Regent Brass received sponsorship of £1500 over two years in 1985 to form the band. The band is now financed by the players with an annual subscription of £180; there are reduced rates for students, and a small income is made from concerts. Mr D’Costa said that rehearsals cost about £90 per session and there were the other costs mentioned by Mr Catcheside to meet too. Mr D’Costa also spoke about the band’s work for charities, the turnover of players and the detrimental effects on brass band activities of the 2003 Licensing Act.

Mr D’Costa also called for public funding routes to be made clear and accessible and suggested that BFBB would be the best place to target resources to assist bands with their funding issues and aspirations.

Louise Renshaw, Musical Director and Secretary of Macclesfield Youth Brass Band, spoke about the formation of Macclesfield Youth Brass Band, its audiences and its commitment to its players. The band comprises of 100 children aged between 7 and 19 years of age and organised into three groups. All the children pay £1 per week and for that they receive an instrument, uniform, sheet music and tuition.  The band has a high profile in the local community, receives support from parents and is project led; it also works closely with the Local Authority and receives funding from grants that are applied for through its various projects. Ms Rehshaw told the Group about one project in particular that assisted children with asthma to regulate their breathing which in turn improved their health. This project had led to the assistance with other children that have a various number of health issues being taught a brass instrument and which has been successful in dramatically improving their wellbeing. The band receives some funding from their Primary Care Trust for this work. Ms Renshaw pointed out that many children progress from the band into a career in music.

Ms Renshaw voiced concerns over the delivery of the planned taster in schools for children to receive 12 months tuition on a variety of instruments and asked questions about the standard of tuition, how many children would be taught in one class at the same time and what would happen after the period of 12 months had elapsed.

Ms Renshaw was also concerned that the ACE Awards for All scheme approved grants only for new instruments, where as children could learn just as well on good quality second-hand instruments.

Ms Renshaw asked for assistance to identify where to access funds and grants, the timescales involved and the knowledge required for bands to make applications. She suggested that a central source for this information should be established, with the required funding and resources provided, within the framework of the BFBB’s organisation.

Robert Morgan MBE, BFBB Chairman, spoke to the group about youth bands, their organisation, their funding and their links to senior brass bands. He also spoke about some of the many funding issues that face brass bands in the UK. Questions were then taken and the following were discussed: 

• Funding resources
• Funding applications
• Routes to ACE funding
• The decline and loss of sponsorship for brass bands during the current economic climate
• Band subscriptions and the effects of self-funding on individuals, band membership and different socio-economic groups

 Mr Ennis MP, the Group chairman, was pleased to announce that he had received an answer to a question he had made to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport about the awards made to brass bands from the Big Lottery Fund in each of the last five years. The answer is as follows: 

The Big lottery fund has been able to supply the following figures for the value of relevant grants across the UK in the last five years, including grants made under the Awards for All joint scheme.

 

Year	Total Value of Grants (£’s)
2004/2005	81,314
2005/2006	151,542
2006/2007	176,572
2007/2008	109,553
2008/2009	281721

 A joint press release from the Group and BFBB will be made regarding the increase in funding in the next few days.

The Group chairman thanked the witnesses for their presentations and said the next Group meeting will be held in November to which he will invite ACE Chair and CEO.

The Group chairman closed the meeting at 8:00pm

Bandstand Marathon

BFBB, together with the organisers of the Cultural Olympiad, is supporting the music development agency Superact to bring together brass bands, and other musicians, in a Bandstand Marathon.

 

The Bandstand Marathon first took place on the weekend of 27/28 September 2008 as part of the launch Open Weekend of the Cultural Olympiad. Throughout the South West of England, 50 concerts took place on 50 bandstands and performance areas from Cheltenham to Penzance and Bournemouth to Guernsey; showcasing great music in particular brass bands.

 

The Bandstand Marathon will take place over the years leading up to the 2012 Games and beyond. The Cultural Olympiad is a celebration of the cultures, people and languages in the UK and around the world; its four year programme kicked off on 26-28 September 2008 with a huge range of inspirational activities across the UK. While the Bandstand Marathon is primarily aimed at traditional brass bands, music from many other cultures will also be included. By 2012 it is hoped the whole country will be enjoying the experience that is the Bandstand Marathon.

Barnardo’s Brass Appeal

Barnardo’s Brass is a unique fund-raising initiative that aims to unite the musical heritage of one of the UK’s largest children’s’ charities with brass bands throughout Britain. BFBB is supporting the Barnardo’s Brass Appeal which officially launched on 1st January 2009

Dr. Thomas Barnardo was a true visionary in his acknowledgement of the benefits that music training and music making could bring to the young and deprived children in his homes. Today it is generally accepted as a means of developing the potential of all children whatever their background.

Historic archives show that Barnardo’s Homes originally located in East London had several marching bands, which played for the local community and on special occasions. The more talented musicians were chosen and formed into smaller ensembles called “Musical Boys”. They travelled throughout the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries raising much needed funds.

How can you help?

 By visiting the Barnardo’s Brass Appeal website

 By organising a fund-raising concert in aid of the Barnardo’s Brass Appeal

 By attending a fund-raising concert in aid of the Barnardo’s Brass Appeal

The organisers of the Barnardo’s Brass Appeal will be happy to help with the development of your event ideas and can support you in a number of ways. Previous Barnardo’s Brass Appeal concerts have helped to develop new partnerships between a number of organisations who see the value of the project.

All Party Parliamentary Group

The newly formed All Party Parliamentary Committee on brass bands is gaining pace with its second meeting taking place earlier this month in the Houses of Parliament

The British Federation of Brass Band’s Chairman, Robert Morgan MBE was in attendance along with Treasurer, Nigel Morgan and myself. The group’s Chairman, Jeff Ennis, MP for Barnsley & Mexborough welcomed a good gathering of MPs and members of the House of Lords.

Robert Morgan explained to the delegation that following advice from Arts Council Yorkshire and a meeting organised by Jeff Ennis, the BFBB were now putting together an application for further funding to engage another full time employee to liaise with all the regional arts regions and to assist bands with the preparation of lottery applications. Arts Council money is available for bands and bands need to progress applications next year.

The meeting decided that next it was a good time to question the BBC over its support of bands and it is planned that a delegation from the parliamentary group led by Jeff Ennis, will question the BBC on its input to brass bands and support from the BFBB’s member bands will be gained as discussions continue.

Further meetings of the parliamentary group will take place in the next 12 months along with a possible concert to showcase bands in Portcullis House.

Commenting on the success of the meeting, Robert Morgan said: “This was an excellent meeting and an opportunity for the BFBB to present a united brass band voice to the all parliamentary group. I do feel that this group of influential people can open some doors for us; Arts Council first, the BBC next! The opportunity given to us by Jeff Ennis is one to be nurtured during the next 12 months and bandsmen and women throughout the UK are urged to encourage their MPs to become a member of the group.”

With the support of the parliamentary group and the co-operation and hard work of the BFBB, new doors are being opened for the brass band movement, including possible further funding for brass bands from the Arts Council.

Formation of a Cross Party Parliamentary Brass Bands Group

Jeff Ennis, MP for Barnsley East and Mexborough, has really been a great friend to brass bands in this country. Other MPs and members of the House of Lords are taking a healthy interest in his message; a wider participation of people in brass bands. So much so, that they have formed a cross party parliamentary Brass Band Group. Over thirty Lords and MPs are now signed-up to the group and the list is growing. Some, such as Lord Foster of Bishop Auckland, have campaigned on behalf of brass bands for many years but others are gaining a fresh insight into this vibrant art form. A list of those MPs and Lords that are members of this group will be published on the BFBB website soon.

 

The inaugural general meeting of the group was held at the Houses of Parliament on Tuesday evening, 8^th July 2008. I was asked to attend on behalf of BFBB. After the election of the various officers I gave a brief overview of banding in general and the work of BFBB in particular. BFBB was then asked to perform the duties of group secretariat, to which I readily agreed. Meetings will be held at the Houses of Parliament twice a year. It will be a wonderful platform to air the views and discuss the issues that matter to the brass band sector.

 

This is an opportunity to be grabbed by brass bands, when the list is published, take a look at it and if your MP isn’t on it, write a letter urging him or her to join the group. This group will be able to influence decisions taken in parliament that will affect the future of all British brass bands.

Meeting with Peter Wanless, Chief Executive, Big Lottery Fund

Whilst I was in London with Jeff Ennis MP for the formation of the Parliamentary Brass Band Group, we took the opportunity to meet with Peter Wanless, Chief Executive of the Big Lottery Fund. Brass band’s applications for funding from the Big Lottery Fund meet with about a 50% success rate. Last year bands received £109,663 and this year, until the end of June, they have been granted £53,902 from the fund. In addition to this the National Youth Band of Great Britain has received £573,000 of Big Lottery funding over the last five years through Youth Music and this figure increases year on year. Peter Wanless explained that two of the current funding schemes will be of interest to brass bands:

 

Awards for all

 

Awards for All is a Lottery grants scheme aimed at local communities. The fund awards grants of between £300 and £10,000 in a simple and straightforward way. You can apply at any time and the application form is short and simple.

 

Reaching Communities

 

Reaching Communities will give grants of more than £10,000 and up to £500,000, including a maximum of £50,000 for capital grants. The fund has set a maximum overall project size of £750,000 and £200,000 for the total capital element within a project. They will fund projects for up to five years

 

I asked how brass bands may better access the Big Lottery Fund and we discussed the possibility of BFBB becoming a ‘helper organisation’ for bands that wish to access funds, however, more discussions will need to be had in order to establish how this idea might work in practice. The 2012 Cultural Olympiad and the legacy trust were also discussed and further discussions are likely.

Meeting with Helen Ball of Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council

Brass bands and their associations would find a chat with the Local Government Arts Officer very useful. Alan Davey, chief executive of ACE, has made recent appeals for voluntary arts groups, such as brass bands, to foster better relationships with local government, and I for one agree with him. 

 

Although BFBB is a national organisation Arnold Tattersfield and I went for a meeting with Helen Ball of Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council. We found the meeting extremely informative and helpful. Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council is one of a number of forward looking and innovative councils that have decided to support the art and culture in their area with commitment and openness by pledging time and resources to National Indicator 11 ‘Engagement in the Arts’ (NI 11).

 

NI 11 will be used to measure attendance at, and/or participation in, the arts at the local level. Councils that have signed up to NI 11 realise that participation in the arts, including banding, is an important part of a full and fulfilling life and provides unique personal and intrinsic benefits. It can also have a range of local impacts, including promoting health, education and well-being. Other councils that have taken up this insightful policy for local government can be found listed on this blog at the Local Authorities page.

 

Our discussions with Helen centred on the ways in which the council and BFBB are able to support each other. BFBB has agreed to assist the council to achieve their NI 11 targets and urges bands to talk to, and work with, their own Local Authority Arts Officer if their authority is part of the scheme. In return, the council has agreed to improve communication links and provide easy access for local bands to the Local Authority Arts Officer. They will endeavour to gain full knowledge and understanding of our sector and continuity of these new practices and links has been agreed to. Further to this, Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council will assist bands with applications to ACE Yorkshire for funding. The council is also going to assist BFBB to contact other local authorities through the National Association of Local Government Arts Officers and BFBB is considering using its experience with the council as a model for future partnerships with other local authorities.

 

To ensure there is progressive interactions and healthy collaboration between BFBB and Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, quarterly meetings are going to take place.

Our Creative Talent

A major national conference, entitled ‘Our Creative Talent’ was hosted at the Barbican centre, London on 1^st & 2^nd July 2008 by DCMS, ACE and VAN. The focus of the event was to launch new research that looks in detail at the size make-up and impact of the voluntary arts sector and its potential for growth. On the agenda were also discussions and presentations about the significant contribution that participation in the arts makes to local communities. Of course brass bands are right at the heart of many of our communities and that is why I attended the event.

 

The keynote speakers were Rt Hon Margaret Hodge MP, Minister for Culture; Alan Davey, Chief Executive, ACE; Robin Simpson, Chief Executive, VAN and Feargal Sharkey, Chief Executive, British Music Rights.

 

Much of Margaret Hodges’ presentation was centred on the recent MacMaster’s report and the notion of excellence. She made a welcome distinction between excellence and elitism and spoke about our nation’s social capital, support for the arts from ACE and local authorities, and the diverse ways in which we all communicate and network in this electronic age.

 

Both Robin Simpson and Feargal Sharky called for the recognition that arts groups, including bands, crave for, as well as asking the government for better communication and involvement, support with capacity building and improved innovation and challenges for the sector.

 

So what of the future? Emerging proposals for arts and culture in the 21^st centaury are gathering around the provision of ‘informal adult learning’, that is, finding a balance between the provision for skills and qualifications and the funding of activities for community development. Government, both local and national will be searching for a framework of values that will include the broadcasting media, the use of public spaces and consultation with the voluntary arts sector. A further government report is expected in September 2008 followed by a policy paper that will set out the future vision for Informal Adult Learning.

 

This was truly an inspiring conference. VAN is certainly centre stage to represent the arts at national level, quite rightly so. The brass band sector should be in full support of VAN and congratulate them on a superb event. It was an important day for the voluntary arts, brass bands included, what a pity that none of our so-called band press were there to cover such a significant meeting. Such influential events are vital to the development of banding in the UK.    

One Voice Conference: 14th June 2008

The BFBB One Voice Conference took place on Saturday, 14^th June in Birmingham and delegates from all brass band associations throughout the country were invited to attend. The event was skilfully chaired by Paul Hindmarsch and over thirty delegates participated in the presentations and wide-ranging discussions.

 

The presentations covered a number of salient issues for brass bands and particularly focused on links with local authorities and local communities. Ian Carter from the Southern Counties Amateur Brass Band Association, Peter Fraser from the Scottish Brass Band Association and Louise Renshaw from Macclesfield Youth Band all spoke about the promising initiatives and developments in their associations and bands, while Alun F Williams of Greater Gwent Music Services and Steven Legg of Gloucester Music Services gave fascinating insights into their work and the connections that bands could make in this sector.

 

The evaluation forms for the conference have been handed to me and they make vary encouraging remarks, many congratulating the BFBB on running a superb event and asking for an annual seminar. I am happy to echo their sentiments. For those who attended, it was informative, thought provoking and constructive; for the BFBB, it was a successful event which should be repeated annually. A detailed report about the conference will be made available from the BFBB after further evaluation.

Arts Participation Manifesto Consultation Event

On Monday, 9^th June 2008, I was in London with about fifty other people from a wide variety of arts organisations, local authorities and umbrella bodies to assist in the development of an Arts Participation Manifesto. Discussions focused around finding a way of getting more people to engage with the arts in a positive way over the next ten years.

 

The task of finding a consensus was not easy and took most of the day. Activities centred on small groups that then put their observations and opinions to the remaining delegates by combining themes through a process of assembling ideas.

 

Though a definitive manifesto has not yet been agreed, key goals and a means by which its aims might be met have been. The process of developing a full blown Arts Participation Manifesto will no doubt take another twelve months or more but a good start has been made. For once, a project that claims to champion participation has started off by sending out the right signals and, more importantly, involving people in its initial construction processes.