21 brass band conductors from across Scotland and the UK recently came together at the Whitburn Academy to participate in an intensive weekend of conducting workshops.

Advice and guidance

Presented by the Scottish Brass Band Association (SBBA), the workshops provided delegates with valuable advice, guidance and instruction, led by conductors, Nigel Boddice MBE and Ian Porthouse.

The weekend’s activities were also enhanced with the support of two attending bands from Scottish champions Whitburn and Tullis Russell Youth Band — who enabled the delegates to apply their newly learned skills in tutoring sessions, culminating in an open concert.

Two categories

The weekend’s workshops were streamed into two categories, with Nigel Boddice MBE leading the workshop for new/less experienced conductors combining the sessions with Tullis Russell Youth Band, whilst Ian Porthouse led the advanced workshop for advanced conductors, working the delegates with Whitburn Band.

It was a very busy couple of days, but definitely to the benefit of everyone attendingAndrew Duncan, SBBA.

Growth

Andrew Duncan, SBBA Development Manager told 4BR: "This is the third Conducting Weekend Workshop we have run and it is fantastic to see the benefits of this initiative.

With the dramatic growth of participation in Scotland’s brass bands, SBBA is trying to ensure all aspects of this musical genre are supported appropriately.

We have already introduced a Tutor’s workshop and are also looking to run a Band Administration and Management workshop, enabling the many areas that make up a brass band’s infrastructure to receive guidance and advice from experienced representatives."

Positive difference

In conclusion, Andrew added: "It was a very busy couple of days, but definitely to the benefit of everyone attending. I believe bands will see a noticeably positive difference to rehearsals when their conductors return to them!"