The 'Songs of Praise' concert, a joint venture between Brackley & District Band and St Peter’s Church, took place on Sunday 27 March 2022.  It was very much enjoyed and appreciated by nearly 100 attendees, and both groups benefitted from the event. 

 A splendid afternoon tea was provided by ladies from the church, whom we thank (you know who you are, ladies) and special thanks must go also to Beverly Bigmore who prepared all the artwork, printed the programmes and displayed the words to the hymns.

 The band combined a repertoire of instrumental offerings, all with a “song” theme of sorts, with nine very well-known and well-loved hymns, and those present raised the roof on more than one occasion during the afternoon, ending proceedings with the wonderful “Jerusalem”.

 Brackley & District Band are always grateful for the wonderful welcome that they get at St Peter’s.  It is a magnificent venue for a performance with tremendous acoustics.

The afternoon left those who attended wanting more and asking “when can we do this again?”  Hopefully, another joint event can be organised in due course; watch this space! We would also like to express our thanks to all those who attended.

We were delighted to be awarded 7^th place in our section (Fourth Section). We hope to continue to build upon this, attract more players and be in an even stronger position for next year.

If you are not familiar with the banding world, you might wonder how it is that Bands can compete.

Bands from across the region come together annually to compete at this contest because it will determine their position in the league tables for the forthcoming year. There are several leagues, much like in football, except that in Banding the positions are determined not over an entire season of games but by this is one performance, at one contest, on one day. A contest for which many hours of home practice and rehearsal time will have been spent in perfecting the performance of the chosen test-piece for that year. Each band plays the same piece and this is selected and announced a few months in advance of contest day.

It can be a very exciting and also a very nerve-racking experience for both conductors and players alike and everything depends on the opinions of the two adjudicators who determine the placings. They are situated within a small curtained area so that they cannot identify which band is playing and they listen to each performance before ranking the bands in the order in which they believe reflects how well the band played.

Not only did we come away with a very pleasing result but it was also a great day out and one of the first times, other than for a drink in the Band Club after practices, that we have been able to be out and have a bit of social time as a Band.

Brass Bands England would like to invite you to support an exciting national campaign to ensure a safe and sustainable future for our band, and for brass bands across England.

Brass bands exist in every corner of the country, with over 30,000 people of all ages and standards taking part in weekly activity – rehearsing, performing and providing entertainment for their local community.

Without urgent support, we risk losing this forever.

Brass bands saw their main source of income disappear in an instant when they ceased being able to perform in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. And many are still struggling to survive. A significant loss in income, paired with necessary expenditure needed to make rehearsal spaces Covid-safe, means that many bands are in a perilous financial situation.

#BrassBandsAtChristmas showcases our country’s amazing brass band heritage whilst also raising funds to protect its future, something that is vital after the struggles that bands of all ages and abilities have and continue to face.

And what better time to celebrate brass bands than at Christmas? A period when bands traditionally go out "caroling" to spread festive cheer to our communities.

That’s why we’ve joined hundreds of bands across the country in fundraising for our future. Want to lend your support? Please visit Crowdfunder.co.uk/brackleybandxmas

Our first Christmas Concert under the baton of Shaun Humphries opened with Cossack Sleigh Rideand was followed by a gorgeous arrangement by Barrie Gott of Silent Night, performed by our solo baritone player Nick Wilson. The Community Carols on the piazza yesterday acted as a great warm up for the people of Brackley who were in fine voice for the first of a number of audience carols. Stop the Cavalry and The Christmas Songwere next before Christmas Bolero which showcased one of our guest players Katie Gardner on side drum. This is a clever arrangement which interweaves ‘The Holly and the Ivy’ and ‘We Wish You A Merry Christmas’ with the well-known classical piece of music which will now forever be associated with Torville and Dean’s famous gold medal performance at the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics.