#PromsInThePlayground (PiTP) is growing year on year. More and more brass bands and schools are making valuable musical connections to benefit our children and give them an experience to remember, and it’s fabulous!
One slight hitch that has become apparent over the four years of PitP is that of schools finding a band to link to. Those connections made that are initiated by brass bands to schools have worked really well. It has proved more difficult to make that link in reverse, from schools to bands.
To fix this, we would like to create a national database of brass bands which schools can refer to and contact their nearest bands if they would like to take part in this opportunity. We would like those brass bands that can, to get in touch with us (#PromsInThePlayground Database) to tell us that they are one of those bands:
Register for the #PromsInThePlayground Database
We think that being part of the database will not only create valuable community links for your band but may also provide evidence of your commitment to community initiatives when applying for funding.
With this in mind, here are some FAQs which your band might like to know before your make yourselves available on the database:
What is #PromsInThePlayground?
#PromsInThePlayground is a Brass Bands England initiative that encourages community bands to connect with their local schools by offering a performance in their playground. As well as getting young people excited about brass banding, this initiative will help bands forge and strengthen relationships with organisations around them. For those bands that want to go beyond just a performance, the initiative is an ideal opportunity to offer a taster session so school children can learn about the opportunities in your brass band.
It's also a chance for bands to:
- Participate in a national initiative
- Benefit from #PromsInThePlayground promotion from Brass Bands England
- Make new connections for your band
- Get free advice and support from the BBE Brass Foundations team
- Support the players of the future
…and be a part of an enthusiastic community of musicians and educators across the country!
How does it work?
In 2025, #PromsInThePlayground will be taking place between 30 June - 18 July.
So far, the majority of #PITP events have been initiated by brass bands contacting their local schools to offer them a free, short concert in their playground during those three weeks at the end of the summer term. It’s often as simple as that. Some schools will take the opportunity to showcase other musical performances (singing, other instrumental performances and ensembles) during that time and make a bigger event, which is just fantastic.
More recently, schools have been contacting us to find a band that is local to them and might be willing to visit their school. What an opportunity! For this reason, this year we have started a database of bands and we would like those brass bands that can take part, to get in touch with us to tell us that they are one of those bands:
Register for the #PromsInThePlayground Database
My band isn’t able to pull together a full brass band in the middle of a working day. Is a small group ok?
Yes! Any group of brass instrumentalists will be fine, so long you have music which is playable (and listenable to) for the combination of musicians that you have.
Do bear in mind that if you have older children of school age in your bands it might be that at this stage of the year (30 June- 18 July) that they might be granted time out of school to do this. It’s worth asking. You’ll need to make appropriate arrangements surrounding a BOPA if you do.
Some workplaces offer staff a certain number of hours a year to take part in community volunteer activities which may enable some of your players to take part even if they usually work on that day.
Do we have to be DBS checked to enter a school?
No! Recent refining of DBS requirements mean that an Enhanced DBS check with a Children’s Barred List check, is required only if you have specific responsibility for teaching, training, instructing, caring for, or supervising them for more than 3 days in any 30-day period. So, if you are visiting a school as a one-off, this is not necessary, However, this will mean that you should expect to sign in and be supervised while you are on school premises. It can take longer than you expect to sign in at a school so arrive in good time.
How long do we need to plan to play for?
Some schools will use the opportunity for other musical activities to showcase what they have done when you visit - this should be encouraged, particularly if they have whole class brass lessons going on in the school or have individual players at the school.
For others, you will be the main event. Liaising with the school’s music coordinator, subject leader, head of department, peripatetic brass teacher or even the headteacher, will clarify things for you. Somewhere between 15-30 minutes of music will cover most eventualities, though you may not need that much on the day.
What kind of music should we be playing?
#PromsInThePlayground could be a big opportunity to share what brass banding is all about with the school community. Please bear in mind that the children you will be playing to have only been on the planet for a maximum of 11 years. Children of this age are influenced hugely by what their parents listen to, so consider carefully what might work. They love to hear music that they know and they’re likely to respond by singing and dancing if the music is right. Well known Disney tunes, TV themes, recent pop tunes, really well known pop anthems and more upbeat songs from modern musicals are great if you want to hook the children in and get them excited about what we do.
As an example of music that you could use, friend of Brass Bands England, Mark Harrison, has arranged some pieces in 4 parts for the purpose of small groups playing at #PromsInThePlayground events. You can hear these here: PitP Playlist - Mark Harrison.
Will we be able to promote our training band at the school?
It’s certainly a great opportunity to be able to raise awareness and even recruit players to your beginner or training band. It would be a good idea to have some sort of handout (either physical copies or a digital file) to share with children and parents ready to share with the school contact, stating what a great local opportunity it is for the school’s children to get involved in and the days and times of your sessions.
It is most likely that the school will request to share these on your behalf, so plan for this well in advance.
We are a brass ensemble, not a brass band, and we don’t have a training band, is this for us?
Yes! If you can get children enthusiastic about playing brass instruments, it’s absolutely for you. If you could contact your local brass band prior to your visit so that they can provide some handouts, you might be able to signpost any children or parents to them.
Can we take photos and videos of our visit?
It’s extremely unlikely that you will be permitted to take photos and videos as some children will not have parental permissions for this. Schools will undoubtedly be taking photos and videos, however, with knowledge of which children cannot be photographed. You will then be able to share the schools’ social media posts to get the word out about your performance. And please tag us so that we know all about it too. Use the hashtag #PromsInThePlayground and search for Brass Foundations on Instagram and X, and Brass Band England on Instagram, X and Facebook.
If you want to make a bigger splash, you might want to arrange with the school to contact your local newspaper. You might also want to arrange for some coverage in our banding-specific press by sending in an article. Work closely with the school you are visiting to make sure that both parties are happy.
Is there anything else we should know about?
Yes! In addition to sharing your musical talent with the children, Brass Foundations have also produced some #PromsInThePlayground resources for teachers and children to use in school in the lead up to or around the time of your visit. The free package includes a range of curricular tasks and activities which are suitable for children from EYFS to year 6, with a focus on Key Stage 2. They include practical and written tasks and even a song (with full band parts), aptly called “Brass!”
Proms in the Playground resources | Brass Bands England
What information do you need from us in order to join the PitP Brass Band Database?
We want to know if you are interested in being on board with being a PitP band.
We will need to know:
- The name of your band
- Your band’s main contact
- How many musicians you have who would be ready to play
- How long a programme you can put together to perform for the children (in minutes of music playable)
- Your available dates during the PitP window (30 June - 18 July 2025)
Proms in the Playground Database
I’ve got another question that isn’t here…
Ok, get in touch with us here; brassfoundations@bbe.org.uk.
We’ll get back to you as soon as we can.