TRIMB
The management team at Tullis Russell Mills are proud to announce the launch of a second contesting band, The Tullis Russell Intermediate Band. The Intermediate band was formed in April 2009 as an adult learning band and was to be used as a stepping stone for players in the youth band to make the natural progression from youth band to the intermediate band and then finally onto the senior band. The band is made up of some adult players who only begun playing a brass instrument within the last 14 months, players from the Tullis Russell Youth organisation that have shown exceptional progress and brass players who gave up many years ago due to family commitments, being married or job progression but now have more free time and wanted to get back into making music again. During 2010 the Intermediate band were given a taste of contesting by taking part in the Fife Festival of Brass Contest as a non-contesting band, this gave the band a huge confidence boost and was the catalyst for today’s announcement.
The original objectives of the band were never to take the Tullis Russell Intermediate Band to contests and the 11 founder members who sat at the first rehearsal back in April 2009 the thought of playing at a major contest was never even a dream, but such has the band progressed in ability, band numbers and belief in itself the move to a full contesting band seemed inevitable. The band will make its contest debut at the Scottish Championships in March competing for the first time in the fourth section, the band have also been entered into the Fife Festival of Brass Contest at Carnegie Hall in April and will complete their first contest year by taking part Fife Charities Band Associations October Contest at the Adam Smith Centre in Kirkcaldy. It is very satisfying to see members of our youth band getting the opportunity to play at a major contest so early in their brass band careers as well as a few adults who only a few months ago had never blown a brass instrument.
The management team at the Tullis Russell are very proud to be announcing this very significant news today as it’s the culmination of many months of hard work and dedication by a team within the Tullis Russell Mills senior band. The next few weeks will be taken up with ensuring all the players are signed in time for the Scottish dead line and then putting the final touches to what is hoped will be a good performance of the test piece “English Folk Songs” by Vaughan Williams.