I started learning to play the cornet at about six or seven years old, with the Haslingden & Helmshore Junior Band. My father was a member of the Haslingden & Helmshore Senior Band playing a guessing stick (trombone for the uninitiated) and my brother, Andrew, was learning to build sheds, I mean play percussion, so I decided that one of us needed to become a musician!!! Our older brother, Stephen, also began learning, but soon realised that brass banding just wasn’t for him. I joined the senior band on 3rd cornet in 1982 at the age of eight and improved steadily, moving from 3rd cornet to 2nd cornet, then to repiano, 2nd man down and was principal cornet by the age of fifteen.
In 1992, I did what most lazy eighteen year olds do and headed off to university. I somehow managed to retain the position of principal cornet as I was only in Bradford and came home nearly every weekend, leaving all the mid-week rehearsals and engagements to my long-suffering 2nd man down, Gwenneth. After four years of university I got my first job and moved to Nottingham for work, but as my commitment to the band was becoming strained I decided to step down as principal (some would say it was long overdue!) I stayed with the band, playing various positions (basically whatever I was needed on) including 2nd man down, soprano cornet, repiano cornet and even glock!
By 1998 I had moved jobs and was now based in Northampton. I had been playing with a band that was close to where I worked and after competing with Haslingden at the National Finals in Harrogate, decided that I couldn’t give them the commitment anymore and my final contest with the band was in November 1998. I moved to Towcester Studio Band, who were a 1st section band in the Midlands region, becoming their repiano player. Unfortunately the band was going through a bit off a rough patch, losing their MD and being relegated in1999 to the 2nd section. But with the appointment in late 1999 of Musical Director Adele Sellars, the band’s fortunes were turned around and I was moved to flugel horn.
In March 2001, the band was on a roll and won the 2nd section at the Midlands Regional Brass Band Championships, gaining promotion back into the 1st section and qualification for the National Championships of Great Britain, held at The Guild Hall, Preston in September 2001, where we came third.
In May 2002, we competed at Buxton Contest in the Championship/first section playing Philip Sparke’s Tallis Variations. We came second, and I was fortunate enough to be awarded the Best Soloist prize on flugel horn – my finest hour! But my time with TSB was to soon come to an end, as over the next few months I was (unfortunately) seduced by a member of Haslingden and persuaded that the band, I mean she, needed me back up north! So at Christmas 2002 I left Towcester and very foolishly took my card back to Haslingden.
My first contest after returning to Haslingden was in January 2003. We competed at the Rochdale Brass Band Festival in the 2nd section and played Philip Sparke’s Diversions - Variations on a Swiss Folk Song. It was a return to my TSB days as it was the test piece that we played at the Nationals in 2001 and I once again won the Best Flugel prize (even though there was hardly anything in it for flugel!). Towards the end of 2003, I moved to tenor horn as we decided that our next test piece would be Philip Sparke’s A London Overture, and we were fortunate enough to fill the flugel horn position. I remained on solo horn until the end of 2004, and somehow I never managed to win a soloist prize on it! During this time I was helping out Towcester, as I was once again working near Northampton. So I played with TSB during the week and came home at weekends to play with Haslingden (oh, and see my new wife!). In October 2004 I played solo horn for TSB at Pontins in the 1st section, and I was very fortunate that the set test piece was again A London Overture. We came second, but my biggest surprise wasn’t getting the horn cadenza right - it was that my four week old daughter had managed to sleep throughout the entire performance!
At the end of the year I had a drunken conversation one evening with our 2nd man down - my sister-in-law Melanie, and we both decided that we were unhappy with the instruments we were playing as she was originally a horn player and I a cornet player. We therefore spoke to the MD and decided to do a straight swap. I have been on cornet ever since, and after serving a two year apprenticeship as “bumper-upper” was finally promoted back to principal cornet (my rightful chair) at the beginning of 2007. I am looking forward to the challenge of principal and all those little black notes (the thing that scared our previous principal away!!!)
I live in Haslingden with my wife Gwenneth & daughter Jeni. We have a dog, Charlie, and three cats, Daisy, Poppy & (surprise, surprise!) Tallis!
I’m currently looking for a new bumper-upper as my wife refuses to sit next to me! So anyone wishing to apply for the position needs to write to:
Bigheads Are Us Section 25 Didn’t Deserve Yet Another Soloist Prize Street Splitsville Gloatingshire
Can you tell my wife wrote my profile for me? :o)
