FINDING the motivation to learn a musical instrument as an adult comes in many unexpected ways, although it would be hard to match the surreal way June Walsham fell in love with the idea.
On behalf of Frome Town Band, Jim Stevens explains, “It coincided with a shopping trip to Lidl where, as she randomly browsed one shopping aisle, she caught sight of something that was going to change her life. June had always been curious about learning a brass instrument and there was her answer – a trumpet for £79.
June recalls, “There were two trumpets for sale and I just liked the look of it and bought it.”
Jim continues, “She was in her late 50s when she had her musical epiphany in a shopping aisle. Now aged 68 she is a regular with the Frome Town Band where she is among a growing number of players who started to learn an instrument later in life.
“As the band looks to expand and recruit new members, it is not only looking towards the younger generation but adults who might need a bit of a nudge to pick up a brass instrument.”
For June that spontaneous decision to buy a trumpet has led her on a musical journey which she has embraced, “I wouldn’t describe myself as a confident player. I painfully learnt how to read music. It certainly didn’t come naturally to me. When I first moved to Frome and joined the band I was happy to go in with the beginners. Then I was asked to join the main band where those around couldn’t have been more encouraging.
“Everything about the band is accessible and supportive, at an incredibly low cost. There is no barrier to anybody joining, whatever their age or experience. You don’t even need an instrument to be part of the band, they lend you one. There is an extra level of support and nurturing that is very special.”
So, what’s it like playing in a community band of all ages and such a wide range of abilities?
“When it comes together it is quite an emotional sound,” says June. “For me, it is a hotline to your heart, particularly when you hear the band playing outside. I’m not a fan of the clever, concert brass. For me that does not have the same kind of heart – that grass roots grown in the community feel. I have a sense that the whole being of the band is greater than the sum of its parts.”
For June, it is about welcoming experienced players and those like herself, who’ve never picked up an instrument or learnt to read music. Often the spur they need comes from their own families.
“We’ve had whole families playing in the band together. People bring their kids along to join, and then the parent is encouraged to get involved and give it a go. When the children have flown the nest, the parents are still going,” she adds.
That’s the route fellow player Alan Sills took when he first joined a band more than 40 years ago. His son Philip started to learn the cornet at the age of ten, and after sitting at the back of the hall and watching, Alan resolved to give it a go
“I started off teaching myself from books, a tune a day, and I would play duets with my son. They let me join the band (where we lived at the time) as a 3rd Cornet and from there I progressed to Seconds and then ended up at the front,” he recalls.
Unlike June, Alan had some grounding in music, having sung in the church choir and played the recorder at school.
The attraction of picking up a brass instrument and being part of a band remains a massive motivation for Alan, who is also a member of the Radstock Brass Band.
Describing his experiences of playing with the Frome Town Band, Alan says: “Hearing all the different sounds – from the bass to the middle to the higher pitch is something (else). You get nine or ten instruments all playing together, producing some wonderful harmonies and sounds. It is a real musical experience.”
Besides the obvious benefits to his mental health, Alan is keen to emphasise the way in which learning a brass instrument has helped him physically. “I’m sure my lung capacity and breathing have benefitted from the discipline of playing,” says the 78-year-old.
A chance to meet new people and learn a new skill while benefiting your health. Who can argue with that? If you are interested in joining please email contactfromtownband@gmail.com
