I have been the Musical Director of the Band since 1995 and I have a very simple outlook towards playing music – whilst there should always be an element of learning and strive for improvement, making music should primarily be about enjoyment and having fun.
My musical career started when at the age of 5, when my grandmother encouraged me to play the piano. I had lessons with an unconventional (to most people’s minds) teacher who did not believe in exams or laboriously learning scales. He did however, believe in playing a variety of music and styles from jazz to classical with everything in between and also encouraged me to transpose music in to different keys and time signatures. This approach gave me a broad understanding of music and challenged me to think about what I was playing rather than just regurgitating the notes on the page. I try to encourage this approach in the band by choosing music from different genres and varying levels of difficulty.
On joining Brecon Grammar School, like most of my contemporaries I was taught the recorder. In my school Eisteddfod I was awarded first prize on piano and recorder! I then graduated to playing the flute and was taught for a short time by Sergeant Kenny from the Cwrt y Gollen camp who was a wonderful teacher, full of enthusiasm for everything musical. Was encouraged to join the Town Band and so I did, for six weeks! I found the music with numerous flats, semiquaver runs and countless ledger lines strange and the style of the music (mostly marches) did not interest me so I went back to playing in the school orchestra. Then one night, whilst watching "Top of the Pops" one of the groups had a man fronting the band playing flute whilst standing on one leg! Jethro Tull – the greatest band in the world! Seeing this spurred me on in my practice knowing I could play music on the flute that excited me, and I aspired to play pop/rock and jazz in the pioneering style of the ‘Tull’. However, my new found enthusiasm didn’t always do down well with the school orchestra – some members didn’t appreciate my rendition of ‘Tull’ songs during tuning up. Whilst in school was lucky enough to be taught the organ and started to teach myself guitar - classical and rock - a la Blackmore.
After leaving school, I played in a couple of groups on bass or lead guitar and keyboard. My musical "career" then went on hold for quite a few years until I saw an advert in the local paper for an orchestra that was starting up in Llandrindod Wells that needed flute players. I took my dusty flute case to Llandrindod and sat in on a rehearsal - I didn't need to be told how bad I was; after years of neglect my tone was terrible and sight reading had almost deserted me. It was then that I re-joined the Town Band, and although this was probably for about the fourth or fifth time, this time it was for good. During my time with the band I have taught myself – bassoon, trombone, euphonium, saxophone, EEb bass and BBb bass and a semblance of clarinet.
I became Musical Director by default, initially just to fill the vacancy. Again, self-taught, I have all the bad habits that come with it but over the years I have developed a distinctive style and the band can usually follow what I am doing. They are a great bunch of musicians and I am very proud to lead them
If you'd like to join us, you'll find a very warm welcome and a Band that has a very family feel to it. We are not the best, but we all certainly enjoy making music together.