Overview
#PromsInThePlayground (PITP) is an annual event which brings together brass bands and schools. Its primary purpose is to build relationships between schools and their local brass bands (an important part of the National Plan for Music Education 2 being local partnerships that can between them create a cohesive and inclusive music education system). The programme is designed to benefit children across all age ranges by bringing free, live music into their playground.
Growing year-on-year since it began in 2021, PITP returns for the final three weeks of the school term. In the run up to the campaign, organisers Brass Bands England (BBE) supports community bands to connect with their local schools (and vice versa) to fill school playgrounds with the sound of brass music.
One of the bands that took part in the project last year was Lewes, Glynde and Beddingham Brass Band (LGB Brass), and we’re delighted to share an insight into the positive impact #PromsInThePlayground had on the band’s development.
Impact from Project
Nathaniel Roff, a member of LGB Brass, heard about the event from the BBE events newsletter. As Nathaniel is a brass teacher, he had been asked to start a youth programme for the organisation - a perfect opportunity to also kick-start a recruitment campaign. The band’s performances in school playgrounds delivered the magic of brass banding to children, which promoted LGB Brass’s youth band and as well as serving as an outreach programme into local schools.
Nathaniel commented: “Schools have clearly enjoyed being part of our programme. They liked the way that the performers’ encouraged children to have a go on some of the instruments (or hosepipes!) and for those that were able to join in with the music. Class teachers and headteachers commented that they enjoyed seeing the children engage with the performances and the performers, clearly recognising some of the tunes.”
The band is now planning to offer BBE’s set of free PITP Resources to the schools they visit for PITP 2025 - offering a more interactive way for young people to engage with the programme from inside the classroom. Members of BrassSparks, LGB's junior band, will also take part in this year’s performances, enabling young people to see themselves in a brass band and emphasising that the activity is something that every child can access.
Achievements from Project
Engagement with the initiative wasn’t necessarily immediate, however, it was the first time that the band had tried something like this. In 2022, the first PITP tour took place in two schools, but by 2024, this became six schools and doubled the number of members of the junior band.
School teachers have been complimentary of the initiative and grateful for the opportunity to bring live music in their schools. For many of their pupils, it’s a type of music that they’ve never seen or heard before.
So - why not give it a try? Start planning for this year’s PITP. Register your PITP event now or join the PITP band database so that interested schools can connect with you.
The #PromsInThePlayground initiative is coordinated by Brass Bands England as part of its Brass Foundations flagship education programme, bringing together musical partners to promote brass progression for young people in England.