STB - About The Band - Player Profiles

I started playing the tenor horn at the age of 9 in my native Cornwall. I was a member of the Helston Town Band for over 10 years, but after graduating from Exeter University moved to East Devon, where I got a job as an English teacher at Colyton Grammar School.

I joined the Sidmouth Town Band in 2000, moving from tenor horn to flugel horn and now enjoy the challenge of principal cornet. I also help out with the beginners and youth bands, with my self-confessed bossy teacher style making me one of the band’s ‘organisers’ especially when it comes to ordering the drinks after band practice!
My favourite piece is Zampa or anything by Peter Graham.

I joined the band as a learner aged 11 and was taught to play by the band’s president Maurice Gooding and bass player Harold Curtis.

Outside of band my hobbies include knitting, crocheting and going for long walks in the countryside. I have a good sense of humour, am a non-smoker and love children and animals – oops sorry this is drifting into a lonely hearts ad!

In reality I am the band’s money box monitor and unofficial front row mute monitor (and contest day principal cornet music monitor – isn’t that right Nuh!)

My first brass instrument was the trumpet, which I started learning at school when I was 12. I discovered the Sidmouth Youth Band by chance a few years later after hearing them when visiting the beach one Sunday evening. After a bit of persuasion my parents agreed to bring me to rehearsals once a week and I was given a cornet to play. I later moved up to the senior band, and onto the soprano cornet.

I have continued to play with the band after leaving home last year to go to Exeter University, where I am studying civil engineering and enjoying the long holidays!

I joined the band when I was 11 and played for several years in the youth band. After 3 years I joined the senior band on 3rd cornet, and then moved to repiano at the beginning of 2007.

I am currently doing my A levels (in History, Geography and English literature) at The King’s School in Ottery St. Mary. In September I am leaving home and unfortunately leaving the band to do full time volunteering with an organisation called Community Service Volunteers. I will be working with people with mental disabilities or young offenders in order to gain more life experience for a future career in the police. I will greatly miss the band and the friends that I have built up over the last few years. Many of the band members think I’m slightly strange as I know a lot of completely random facts and am generally a bit odd!

In my spare time I enjoy playing and watching football, playing squash and table tennis, watching films, and spending time with my friends and family. I also really like ostriches, tortoises and suits of armour.

Hi my name is Gail Denning. I joined the band after being invited to play at the National Finals in Harrogate in September 2006. I was very honoured to have been asked to play and grateful for this experience. Subsequently, band members and the musical director were very welcoming and encouraged me to join the band on a full time basis. Unable to resist their charms, I decided to take the plunge and join the competing world of brass banding.

I am a wife, mother of two children and a dog owner and it can be very challenging to organise family life, work and banding. However, I have enjoyed the many engagements and social events. I continue to learn and improve and strive to get even better.

It is my mission to continue to encourage others to experience the joy of learning to play a musical instrument. I teach a variety of instruments in schools throughout East Devon and encourage all ages to take up the life long learning skill of making music.

Here’s the history! I started by having lessons at school at the age of 9, and just played at school concerts and events. I then gave it up at the age of 11 thinking that would be it - but then in August 1999, just by a random chat, I dusted off my trumpet and joined the Sidmouth band, only changing to the cornet soon afterwards.

Outside of band my hobbies include surfing, socialising, going on random holidays with friends, camping, festivals and the odd game of hockey when I get a chance.

Hi, I’m Josie, and I’m 13 years old. I started blowing on my mum’s instrument when I was 9 (see Gail on solo cornet), then decided to have my own and learn how to play one properly – and so I started to learn at school. I joined the band as a 3rd cornet player during summer 2007.

I spend most of my spare time staying after school taking parts in drama productions. I also like to play the piano, practice my cornet, sleep, and go out with my friends. I passed grade 4 cornet exam last summer, and have taken part in many solo, duet and quartet contests. I hope to continue playing with the band for a very long, long, long time…

I was taught to play at 11 years of age when my school formed a brass band using the old village band instruments which had been stored during the Second World War. The music teacher offered to teach us if we first cleaned the instruments, and I ended up with a flugel horn.

I stopped playing when I was 20, as the band folded, but I started playing again in 1992 when a wind band was formed. I also played in a big band, formed by band members.

I moved to Sidmouth in 2004 and joined the town band, and am now enjoying my retirement after spending my working life in the building industry.