Young People, Big Ideas and the Future of Banding

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The Brass Band Podcast

Society & Culture

In the final episode of Series 2, Sarah Baumann is joined by guest host Deirdre (Dee) Waller-Box, Brass Bands England’s Youth Development Manager, for a conversation that gets right to the heart of brass banding’s future: what do young people actually want, and what needs to happen to help them stay involved?

Together, they explore the often tricky 18-to-25 stage of life — when responsibilities and priorities change, instruments sometimes get left at home, university or work takes over, and banding can quietly slip away. But this episode is not about doom and gloom. It is about possibility. From youth leadership roles to adapting the way we communicate, the discussion looks at how bands and organisations can and should stop making assumptions and start listening.

The episode features two brilliant voices from Brass Bands England’s Youth Voice Working Group: Daniel Hutchins and Ilya Ruchiev. Daniel brings the perspective of a composition student at the Royal College of Music and cornet player with GUS, while Ilya shares his route into banding — from a complete beginner in Warwick University’s training band to recently performing at the UniBrass contest and winning the Spirit of UniBrass award. Their stories are full of energy, honesty and ideas, from university banding and beginner pathways to festivals, work with schools, barriers to access, and making brass banding feel fun, visible and open to everyone.

There is also a wider look at the practical work happening behind the scenes at Brass Bands England. Sarah and Dee reflect on youth internships, the value of including young people from the very start of a project, and the relaunch of the Brass Foundations offer, including Momentum Hub, Leader Lab, Enable Resources and the Future Leaders Programme. Add in Sarah’s own beginner banding journey, a celebration of community music-making, and a shout for more bands to think boldly about their next generation, and this episode is an uplifting, thoughtful and timely closer to the series.

For more information, visit our website at https://www.bbe.org.uk and follow us on social media. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a 5-star review and share your favourite moments using the hashtag #BrassBandPodcast.

Thanks to the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England and Youth Music for their support. To hear any of the tracks played in this series in full, head to www.wobplay.com.

Hosts: Sarah Baumann (COO, Brass Bands England) and Deirdre Waller-Box (Youth Development Manager at Brass Bands England, Musical Director of London Metropolitan Brass Community Band, Training Porgramme Lead at Amersham Band)

Episode Guests:

Music Featured (Courtesy of World of Brass): 


Podcast Producer: Peter Baumann