The members of the Yorkshire Youth Band recently enjoyed a productive day of full and sectional rehearsals as they began their 2026/27 season.

Led by Musical Director Richard Marshall they came together at Ryburn Valley High School to work on repertoire including an exciting new work written for them by Martin Ellerby entitled 'Yorkshire Dances'.

Throughout the day the players worked with a team of tutors from the Black Dyke Band consisting of Connor Lennon, John O'Brien, Siobhan Edwards, Adam Bokaris, Adam Warburton, Matthew Routley and Gareth Hand. They also enjoyed a Q&A session with Martin hearing about his journey as a composer.

Fantastic way

YYBB Administrator Gareth Hand told 4BR: "It was a fantastic way to start our new season. We had over 60 young brass and percussion players, with 31 of those attending for the first time.

It was such a privilege to have the opportunity to link up with Martin Ellerby, and we offer our thanks to him for taking the time to come work with us on his exciting new composition.

Our thanks also go to Tim Oldroyd at Oldroyd Musical Instruments for his continued support of the Yorkshire Youth Band."

It was such a privilege to have the opportunity to link up with Martin Ellerby, and we offer our thanks to him for taking the time to come work with us on his exciting new compositionYorkshire Youth Band

Next course

The next course meeting will be on Sunday 10th January at Ryburn Valley High School (Sowerby Bridge). If you're interested in attending, the band would love to hear from you.

Please contact course administrator Gareth Hand at yorkshireyouthband@outlook.com for the relevant enrolment forms.