Following a successful recruitment exercise seeking interested candidates between the ages of 18-25, two new ‘young’ trustees will be joining the BBE Board. Successful candidates Reuben Tendler and Hannah Beech join BBE’s experienced board of trustees, responsible for the strategic direction and governance of the organisation.
BBE’s Chair Mike Kilroy commented: “Both Reuben and Hannah were outstanding candidates who I am certain will bring valuable perspective, experience and challenge to Brass Bands England. Having already taken part in a staff and trustee Away Day a few weeks ago, their thoughts and ideas are already proving an asset to the team.”
Meet our new trustees
Hannah Beech
Hannah began playing the cornet aged 8 with Tameside Music Service and played in several youth brass ensembles throughout her time in education. She moved away from Manchester in 2019 to study Music at the University of Birmingham, joining the Music Society brass band first on cornet and later soprano cornet. She joined the committee as Brass Band Manager and then went on to become the President of the Music Society. Academically, Hannah majored in musicology and specialised in ethnomusicology and globalisation, writing her final year dissertation on how music is used in entertainment media and theatre to convey themes of community and protest in 80s Britain, with a case study on the distinctive sound of brass bands and its associations with class and place.
Hannah now works at the University of Birmingham as the University Music Administrator where she supports the provision of practical music-making on campus. She works with student ensemble managers and visiting artists in both the day-to-day running of ensembles and in the delivery of their termly concerts. She also undertakes freelance arts management work, alongside working on ad hoc projects for artists in the Birmingham jazz scene.
In November 2022, she joined the Langley Band on cornet and has since enjoyed a variety of exciting concerts and contests with the group.
What do you hope to bring to Brass Bands England?
One of the main takeaways I had from researching my dissertation was the importance of brass bands to local communities, and I’ve since become hugely passionate about getting as many people involved as possible! As academic music courses are getting fewer, now is a crucial time to be looking into how we can retain young players throughout and after university, and my proximity to the higher education sector puts me in a useful position to provide an insight into this.
Similarly, Brass Bands England does a great job of championing inclusion, and I hope to use my experiences as a young person, and as a woman, to explore how we can do more to ensure that banding is a positive experience for all.
What excites you about brass bands?
The brass band community is incredibly welcoming and provides such an important space for people to make music and socialise. Also, as someone who works with a variety of arts organisations, I love seeing the different ways that bands innovate and harness creativity to engage audiences and appeal to new generations.
Likewise, from a (slightly nerdy…) musicological perspective, I find the history of brass bands and the evolution of their perception within society very fascinating and feel honoured that I can be a part of something with both a rich heritage and an exciting future.
Reuben Tendler
A brass player since aged 9, Reuben's brass banding began aged 16 on bass trombone at Long Eaton Silver Prize Training Band, before a stint on trombone at Carlton Brass. Reuben studied music at the University of Oxford, where he was President of the Music Society and conductor of the Brass Band, overseeing the return of live music-making after the pandemic. In early 2022 a nasty case of COVID substantially set back his trombone playing, as well as indefinitely postponing his UniBrass conducting debut.
Since graduating in 2023, Reuben has embarked on a career in arts development, first at the Royal College of Music, and now at Glyndebourne. This most recent role has seen a relocation to East Sussex, where he sits happily on the back row of Lewes, Glynde and Beddingham Brass Band. Reuben comes to BBE with an interest in fundraising and EDI, and an enthusiasm to learn more about arts governance and risk management.
What do you hope to bring to Brass Bands England?
I truly care about the future of brass bands, and have a passion for brass in all its wonderful forms. As well as bringing a young perspective, I hope that my lived experiences can help to increase equity and diversity—and awareness of it—in the movement. For example, coming from a Jewish background, I often feel alienated by the volume of religious music played in bands, particularly around Christmas; having had Long-COVID, furthermore, I understand how difficult long or frequent rehearsals can be for those with health conditions. Bringing these differences to the table can hopefully make more people within the movement feel seen and heard, making banding a more inclusive environment. From my experience in the arts sector, I hope to bring knowledge of university-level music making, as well as the fundraising, research, and writing skills that I use day-to-day. Most importantly, perhaps, I come to BBE with open ears and an empty notebook, and an enthusiasm to talk and listen to members and banders from all backgrounds across the country.
What excites you about brass bands?
Apart from the joy of playing in them, it has to be their strong sense of initiative: rarely have I seen a bander or band give up, whether that's in playing a tricky piece, planning an ambitious concert, or looking to the future in general. There are a lot of fantastic things happening in the brass band world at the moment—especially around youth engagement—simply because bandspeople have decided that it is important and worth it; my band in Lewes is a great example of this. This optimism and resourcefulness, despite the difficulties we share with all the arts, make brass bands a truly inspiring community to spend time in.