NEWS 2019

It has been a challenging but very exciting year

for us. We are steadily developing and we have

recruited at least a dozen new players this year,

this is exciting as it means we continue to grow

as a community band from the ages of six years

to eighty years plus. Our 100 club has funded the

tuition of five of our intermediate band members

to take their grade one Music exam: three cornets,

one tenor horn and one baritone. The individual

and group tuition enabled them all to pass with

flying colours and achieve Merits, which means

that they have integrated into the first half of our

main band.  We meet to practice every Wednesday

and new members are always welcome. 

Our year began with playing at Mells Daffodil festival.  We thoroughly enjoyed playing a selection of new and old music in the church and we had a great audience. In May we joined the congregation of St Johns to bless the dressing of the well and we had glorious weather during our rendition of several hymns.

 June and July is always a good time for us as we get to play in the traditional band stand in Victoria Park.  Lions Fauré was quite busy as we also ran a tombola stall to help raise funds for our band. Our Frome festival gig is always on the last Sunday of the festival, advertised as “where brass music comes alive” – We had a fantastic turnout with our audience on Sunday afternoon with their blankets and picnics. Our cake stall offered delicious homemade cakes, again another way to raise funds to help subsidise fees to make music education affordable for all. Frome Hospital Fete was another busy afternoon, offering two different music sets: it was great to see the public of Frome supporting this fantastic occasion.

September is always a busy month for us: Frome Cheese Show is one of our favourite gigs of the year – this is where our beginner band get to air their progress with a rendition of the music they have been learning. The main band offered three sets during the whole day and it was lovely to see the community sit and listen to us whilst enjoying their tea and cake. Frome carnival we always like to support, I never knew how difficult it was to march and play at the same time until I actually did it, not only do you have to have the stamina to walk up and down the hills of Frome but you also had to play and read music at them same time – an extremely difficult exercise. So this year we decided to try and get a float but to no avail.  We couldn’t find one yet we still wanted to be a part of the carnival so we ended up playing in Frome Town Centre for  an hour before the carnival, we hope Frome community enjoyed this as much as we did playing.

November is the month of Remembrance: we joined in with Frome town’s morning service and were proud to be a part of it and playing the hymn Abide with Me. The evening service was lovely- Eliza gave a beautiful rendition of Last Post – which you may have heard via our social media. Owen, one of our young band members and Year 10 Frome College Media student put together images of war to go alongside the music. Then at the end of the month we were out again, switching on Frome town’s Christmas lights and playing a range of our favourite carols. Frome town was buzzing with the choirs, light parade and samba band.

December was amazing and busy! The Tree of Remembrance service run by the Rotary club at Rook Lane Chapel, was well attended and an event that is growing each year. We were happy to support and busk at WHY Christmas charity fair.

Our MD gave us some very challenging music to prepare for our Christmas concert: a  Glenn Miller – suite of four pieces and also a  John Williams set, which some of you may know as the Star Wars theme tune. We thoroughly enjoyed playing this to our audience and the Frome Town Youth Choir joined in carols as well as singing some of their our pieces. 

Our Christmas concert at Keyford Heights is particular favourite of our Musical Director where this year we played all the, traditional carols and one of our Christmas favourites “Walking in the Air”. We busked our way to Christmas in the Westway precinct and outside Asda. We were also invited to play at a carol concert in Marston lane, again to help us raise funds for the band. 

It has certainly been a year of great highlights for us, we are always looking for new or experienced players to join us and  looking at ways to raise money to help us keep our subs down to ensure that our ethos and vision of  making “music education affordable to all” is applied throughout the year. If you want to join or to help us in any capacity then please get in touch contactfrometownband@gmail.com.
Alternatively why not become a member of our 100 club to help support and develop our new players at £1 a month with a £25 monthly draw. In December there is a 1st £150, 2nd £50 and 3rd £25. Our winners for this year: Elaine Marks, Matthew Woolford, Mr S Dixon, Carolyn Read, Mr A King, Mrs Score, Mrs S Boulter, Mrs M Butler, Mr J Levy, Mrs Hoare, Mr S Dixon, Mr P Warden, Mr G Quartley and Mrs V Vincent.