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I was appointed to a new school to be their deputy head, having many years previously been a member of the Regimental Band of the Royal Sussex Regiment.

The headmaster was looking for a teacher who could bring music into the school. He gave me the authority to spend £250 from our school funds to go and find some brass instruments.

My wife and I travelled to Bournemouth to examine instruments for sale and we came back in the rain with an old battered B flat bass, a tenor horn and three cornets. My initial suggestion was that the baby should go in her carrycot on the roof rack!  This was vetoed very firmly by my wife, so the Bass got wet, whilst the baby lay warm and comfortable on the back seat of the car for the return journey!

So, some months later, come the day of the opening of the new swimming pool, five children and their enthusiastic teacher were gathered at the pool side. One hundred and fifty parents, school governors and members of the Parent Teacher Association were there too, around the very full pool.

I raised my baton. The young players made an appalling noise and we murdered the first ten bars of Jerome Kern’s ‘Showboat’.  Ouch!! Enthusiastic applause rang out, the children pleased and proud of their ‘musical’ achievement.  My feelings were mixed. I felt proud and relieved but recognised what needed doing to develop the musicality! Just wait!

Looking back on that event many years later, it is fascinating to watch the progress that this project made. Many children were brilliant and bubbling over with enthusiasm, which pulled in adults around them. They did learn to play in tune. We had many musical fun and games. We used piping and mouth pieces with funnels experimenting with range and pitches of instruments.

The school secretary was an enthusiastic supporter and she began lessons too. (Her son is a very good Bass player now!) The Head Teacher tried but he was less successful. He became a woodwind player later.

More children joined the fledgling group, various members of staff joined, many playing an instrument for the first time. A peripatetic brass teacher, and woodwind also became established. Outside concerts, musicals, ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicoloured Dream Coat’, among them, were produced. Families became involved. A Village Band grew from all this. This band has just celebrated fifty years of their fun and games.

David Smith remembering nearly 55 years ago.