Band workshops

"I wanted to be as good as them!" - Yr 5 pupil

The Bollywood Brass band has worked with school bands and ensembles in Derbyshire and in the London Boroughs of Barking and Dagenham and in Greenwich Primary schools. We have also arranged our music for Youth brass bands and for adult town bands.

Our music can be adapted to suit any age or standard of playing, see examples below.

Case Studies:

• School wind band, average standard
  grades 4 - 8

In one afternoon rehearsal we did versions of two tunes from the Bollywood Brass Band's repertoire:

Pardesi - for this the students had the music (our adapted arrangement for wind band), had one run through in their regular rehearsal and had listended to our version on CD.
The percussion and wind sections were split up for most of the rehearsal, coming together at the end. Dhol players from a local youth group played with us.

Gurh Nalon Ishk Mitha - this tune was learnt by ear and was taught using call and response methods. Aspects of improvisation were also used in the workshop.

These two songs were performed with us in the evening as part of the Bollywwod Brass Band's performance.

• Primary school group, year 6

Gurh Nalon Ishk Mitha is a Punjabi folk song and is made up of repeated phrases and call and response patterns. Through warm ups and rhythm work we used class room instruments to learn a Bhangra beat and the call and response patterns from the original song. Voices and dance were also used.

• Brass bands

As part of the 'Brass Fusion' project organised by the National Youth Brass Band, the Bollywood Brass Band worked with the Stockport, Blackburn, Wardle, St Helen's and Rochdale Youth Brass Bands.

Arrangers from the Bollywood Brass Band adapted some of our repertoire for brass band and the project culminated in a concert at Manchester's Bridgewater Hall. The pieces performed by the combined forces of the Bollywood and the youth brass bands were conducted by Kay Charlton, trumpet player in the Bollywood Brass Band.

• Adult/Youth band - Rouen, France

Community bands from Rouen performed with the Bollywood Brass Band outside the cathedral in Rouen's main square. Members of the Bollywood Brass Band made 3 visits to Rouen to rehearse our repertoire with the groups before the concert.

Click here for testimonials from previous workshops

The Bollywood Brass Band is part of Emegency Exit Arts.
All our musicians have been CRB checked and follow
EEA's child protection policy.

Back to the top