Time for reflection and remembrance at SBBA’s virtual AGM and Learning Festival

The Scottish Brass Band Association’s virtual AGM on Sunday (31 January) was a time for reflection and remembrance.

The occasion, which was broadcast via Zoom, attracted a combined online audience of almost 130 band representatives for the main meeting and subsequent Learning Festival workshop sessions.

The reflection came from president Carrie Boax, who was re-elected to the post unopposed. She told delegates that she could never have imagined 12 months ago, when sharing plans to celebrate SBBA’s 125^th anniversary throughout 2020, what the year would truly bring – not only for the organisation, music making and the arts, but indeed for humanity on a national and global scale.

“We had plans full of innovation, promise and potential, hopeful that each month we could reach out and promote all that was great about brass banding, and all that makes SBBA a very special and unique community,” she said.

Carrie summarised the catalogue of disappointments and cancelled events that followed a successful Scottish Championships in Perth in March due to the spreading Coronavirus and recounted how SBBA, member associations and individual bands turned to the internet and online communications to stay connected.

The summer concert of the National Youth Brass Band of Scotland (NYBBS), the virtual Learning Roadshow and the Scottish Youth Festival were just some of the online achievements that replaced planned live events.

“We were able to reach out to a different kind of audience and, whilst very daunting and isolating, able to use social media platforms and YouTube as a platform for sharing virtual recordings,” she said. “2020 was a steep learning curve for so many, digitally upskilling ourselves in ways we never thought we would and connecting with people, sometimes globally.

“To anyone who has in any way given it a go for the sake of our brass band family and the survival of music making, I say a personal thank you. Your contribution has been invaluable, allowing us to develop, grow and sustain our movement during really challenging times.”

Carrie added: “Brass banding and live music making hold such a pivotal place in our culture and society and SBBA will strive to ensure that our COVID recovery plan has our bands and inclusion at its heart.

“I truly believe that, as with all things in life, you shouldn’t wait for the storms to pass, but learn to dance in the rain. Looking forward to 2021, I have kicked off my shoes and am well and truly dancing!”

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Because the extraordinary nature of 2020, the annual awards were suspended – except for one. SBBA honorary vice-president and president of the Kirkintilloch Band, Peter Fraser MBE received the President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement for his 70 years as a stalwart of the brass band community.

The remembrance came at the end of the meeting when there was a moving visual tribute to all those band members who had sadly passed away since the last AGM. Accompanying the photographs and names of the deceased was the hymn The Day Thou Gavest played by the Dalmellington Band. The ‘in memoriam’ can be viewed on the SBBA YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYBpMvKkxok

The subsequent Learning Festival featured five workshop sessions, the first two of which – Virtual Band Performance for the absolute beginner followed by a more advanced tutorial – were conducted by Whitburn Band percussionist Ryan Bradley who, during 2020, has made a name for himself in putting together some stunning virtual performances by his band.

Celebrated trombonist and NYBBS tutor Brett Baker talked about Motivational Practices and Routines During Lockdown in a presentation he had specially prepared for SBBA.

The fourth workshop of the day – Developing and Supporting Positive Health and Well-Being in Scottish Brass Bands – was presented by Tabby Kerwin and Damian Martin. This was a topic that was raised as an area of potential concern at the last AGM and was followed up with a workshop with Tabby at the virtual Learning Roadshow later in the year.

The day ended with a session on Celtic Connections in which SBBA president Carrie Boax was joined by counterparts Allan Davison (Northern Ireland) and Graeme Howe (Wales) to share their experiences within their associations during the lockdown and discuss what has been good, what has not been so good and what the future looks like.