As the summer sun sizzled, our Youth Band, under the direction of David Robb, has been out in force, playing concerts, taking part in workshops and marching at Beltane.
A key highlight has been our Silver Squad, who stomped their presence on the scene this term. Made up of our newest Youth Band members, these young people have been practicing hard throughout the winter months and made their debut performance at the Peebles Concert Band concert, before delivering another outstanding performance at the Peebles Burgh Silver Band concert in June. Their enthusiasm was infectious, and they soon had the audience stomping and clapping along to their performances. We look forward to seeing a lot more from these promising musicians.
The band was pleased to be invited to play at the Peebles Concert Band concert in early June at the Eastgate Theatre. Both our Youth Band and Silver Squad played, with the Muppet theme tune being a personal favourite. The Youth Band thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to play alongside and experience the music of the Concert Band – a big thank you to them for inviting us and to their (and our!) band conductor, Vaughan Fleischfresser for stepping in to conduct at the last minute.
We move on to the Peebles Burgh Silver Band concert, where the Youth Band played to a packed hall. Many of the more senior members of the Youth Band have transitioned to the senior band and this link was obvious to see, with so many of our members playing with the senior band at the concert. Particular mention to Malkie and Ben, who are the most recent young players joining the senior band ranks. A special thanks also to former Youth Band member, Lucy, who has been helping with the Silver Squad and was rather thrown in at the deep end at both concerts.
And of course, we can’t have a summer term without mentioning Beltane. The sun shone (mainly!), the town was decorated red and white and the band has been out in force. Not to be left out, our Youth Band joined the senior band at the Apprentice Ride Out, leading the young riders through the streets of Peebles. On a sweltering summer’s evening, our Youth Band members, Fraser and Sophie, made their debut marching appearance, pulling it off with aplomb.
Further afield, a strong contingent of our players took part in the Scottish Borders Brass Band Association Workshop in Galashiels, enjoying the opportunity to play with other musicians from across the Borders. The MacArts was packed for the final performance and it is clear there is a strong youth band contingent across the Borders. A group of our more experienced players also played with the Scottish Borders Youth Brass Band at Selkirk Silver’s concert in May, again enjoying playing with other Borders musicians. We look forward to being part of many more of these workshops and events in the future.
As the dust settles and the red and white flags have been packed away for another year, we move to a well-earned summer break. We wish James the very best at the National Youth Brass Band of Scotland (NYBBS) summer course at Strathallan – we hope you have a great week.