Description
Westerly Winds Staple Hill is a 3rd-year adult (18+) community wind band. We are a committed, supportive, hard-working and fairly busy band, which was formed in September 2013 with the aim of teaching adults with little or no previous musical experience to play wind band instruments. Most of us were complete beginners when we started. Since then we have been working hard to improve our musical ability and have developed into a confident performing band.
We play out often in and around Bristol. Future jobs this year include Victoria Park bandstand (Bath), a fundraiser for the Air Ambulance at the Horseshoe pub (Siston Common), and the Avon Valley Railway (Bitton) as well as playing in Staple Hill square on Saturday 23rd July.
Our members play anything you can play in a brass band, or the woodwind or brass section of an orchestra plus percussion and electric bass. We are particularly looking for a trumpet (or cornet or flugel) player, another trombone player and anything with a double reed, but all instruments welcome (eg flute, saxophone, clarinet, anything brass). We also have a separate ad for a drummer.
We have been playing for 3 years, so you would need to be at about this level to cope, but we could also suit someone who can play another instrument at a higher level (and read appropriate music) but would like to change instrument. This might also be the right place to get you started again after a long break - some of our members returned to playing after a break of 40 years. An instrument may be available to loan.
Rehearsals are Wednesday evenings in Staple Hill. There is more information about us on our website, our Facebook page and the Avon Wind Band Association website, the association of four bands and a registered charity which we are a part of. You can also see and hear us on our Youtube channel.
If this sounds interesting but you're unsure if we're the right level for you, please do get in touch anyway – we can signpost you to a band at your level.
Thanks for reading.
Monica, MD