The Brass Band Conference is back! This year Brass Bands England is delighted to present a hybrid conference packed with exciting workshops, talks and presentations on the theme of ‘Banding for Life’.
Early-bird booking is now available only for Brass Bands England Members. For a limited time only, tickets are available at a discounted price of just £5, which includes a full day of sessions, lunch and refreshments. Early-bird rate expires on Friday 12 August, when Non-Member tickets and Digital Passes will also be available to purchase.
Sarah Baumann, BBE’s Education and Development Manager commented: “I’m delighted that after two years of digital events, this year’s in-person conference will provide the chance to convene, network, and discuss some of the issues most important to our sector.
Thanks to an open call for contributors earlier this year, the conference line-up is more varied than ever. It really is an event that you won’t want to miss!”
Kenny Crookston, CEO of Brass Bands England added: “This event provides us all with an opportunity to input into the future of banding by setting priorities, promoting positive change and learning from each other. It’s vital that we work together and learn from each other to ensure that ‘banding for life’ continues to be an option for a diverse range of people across the country. I hope that as many bands as possible will make it a priority to attend and to share their own experiences. I look forward to seeing many of you there!”
Who will be presenting at this year’s conference?
Joining delegates in Sale will be Ian Bousfield, who will be opening the conference with a keynote address on the conference theme ‘Banding for Life’. Ian is one of the most influential brass players of our time, with a solid background in brass banding and demonstrated expertise in music education, Ian also works as a soloist, conductor, and orchestral performer, having formerly been principal trombone of the Vienna Philharmonic and London Symphony.
Throughout the day, delegates can choose to participate in up to three sessions from a selection of workshops, presentations and discussion sessions including:
- Teaching D/deaf children and young people to play: Inclusive pedagogy in brass playing delivered by Sean Chandler
- UniBrass: The Missing Link delivered by The UniBrass Foundation
- Music and Heritage delivered by Sheila Allen
- Setting up a daytime adult band delivered by Helen Minshall
- Essentials of understanding and diversifying your audience delivered by Pamela Johnson
- Music and Motivation delivered by Kay Charlton, Bollywood Brass Band
- 2023 ABRSM Brass Syllabus delivered by Kerry Baldwin, ABRSM
- Why should brass bands engage with the Climate Emergency? delivered by Kate Lock
Further details on the content of each session can be found on the BBE website.
Following on from workshop sessions and networking opportunities will be the presentation of the Brass Bands England Awards, recognising individuals and organisations that have made an exceptional contribution to brass banding.
The day will end with a panel discussion addressing the question: What challenges do we face encouraging ‘Banding for Life’?, with your chance to contribute and put questions to the panel.
About the conference day
The LifeCentre is a modern community and conference centre south of Manchester which is easily accessible by car, tram or bus. It is well equipped with accessible facilities, including disabled parking bays, accessible toilets and a hearing loop system. There will also be live BSL Interpreting in the main hall.
Thanks to our partners Rooms4Groups you have the option to reserve a hotel room at nearby Cresta Court Hotel when you purchase your early-bird ticket.
For those who would like to be involved in this year’s conference but can’t be there in-person, tickets for a Digital Pass to view the Conference live-stream and session recordings delivered by BrassPass.tv will be available to purchase in August, alongside Non-Members in-person tickets. Register to be informed when tickets are available.
For those wishing to take advantage of the varied sponsorship and exhibition packages, the information pack and booking form can be found on the Brass Bands England website.
How do I book?
You can book your early-bird ticket for The Brass Band Conference 2022 on the Brass Bands England website.
Any questions can be directed to the Brass Bands England events team Sarah Baumann and Jess Wilson on events@bbe.org.uk.