Elgin City Band has been melting Moray hearts with music since the 1850s.
It was taken over by the council in 1901 before becoming independent in 1975, as it has been ever since. Though numbers have soared and dwindled through the years, it has kept a brass foot stuck in the history of the region.
Heather Park has played in the band since she was 12.
“I got involved because my piano teacher wanted a trumpet in her orchestra,” she said.
“She sent me to see the then band master and I’ve been with the band ever since.”
Lisa Morrison is a newer member, but her passion is demonstrated in the fact she balances being the band’s chairwoman with raising her four kids and working full-time.
She said: “Bands need committees to function, that’s a legal requirement, so it’s kind of a job that nobody wants to do but everyone wants to play the music.
“Me taking on the role means we can open up new opportunities. We are working with local schools as well, with fresh ideas for the new generation.”
Loyal members
It’s difficult to pin down how many people are considered members of Elgin City Band because its welcoming nature means they can come and go as they please.
“We have people contacting us who were in the band when they were younger, their lives have evolved and they’ve now got time to come back,” said Lisa.
“We have one member who has been with the band for over 70 years. He’s not able to play regularly with us but at our recent concert he was warmly welcomed, he just slotted back into the folds.
“Because of the lifestyle of a lot of people up here, coming and going with their jobs, we are a very welcoming and open environment.”
Heather added: “If people can only come a couple of times a year then they can do that, as long as they enjoy themselves, that’s what we are all about.
“We physically welcome people as they come in the door, we get up and go over and say how nice it is to see them again.”
Reaching the younger generation
That being said, the group does struggle to get the younger generation enthusiastic about playing brass music.
“I’ve been in the band less than 10 years and we have had older secondary school age people, but since they have gone to university and since Covid we’ve got no young people coming in,” said Lisa.
“At the moment, the youngest person we’ve got is late 20s or early 30s. It doesn’t seem to be attracting younger people. There are new things like jazz bands and swing bands so the brass doesn’t get a lot of focus.”
The band is working with schools and local groups to try and ensure young people know the opportunity to join is there if they want to grasp it.
‘The sound is to die for’
For those who do, the positive impact it has on their lives isn’t hard to see.
“It gets in your blood, brass banding,” said Heather. “Once it starts, it’s there for a long time.
“The sound of a beautiful brass band makes me shiver, and we do that sometimes; the sound is to die for. We really are proud of the band we are in.”
Lisa added: “It does have that impact on your wellbeing. All of us have so much going on at home, but coming along to even an hour of a rehearsal is a window of opportunity to not engage with that for a while.
“Every week I think I’m too tired, then I go and think ‘thank goodness I went’. I forget about everything weighing me down.
“For so many members, it’s about family; there are grandparents with their grandchildren, we have a mother and daughter who come. It’s about building those relationships and sharing experiences.”
Being part of something
Elgin City Band also benefits the community, with its music emanating through the streets.
“Christmas is the busiest time of the year for us because that’s what keeps us going, putting our buckets out and people chucking their coins in,” said Lisa.
“People appreciate it, us sitting out in the cold. We had an old man crying last year when we played Away in a Manger because it just took him back.”
The band comes together once a week at various locations in Elgin and doesn’t play competitively. Lisa stressed that you don’t have to be a professional musician to get involved.
“We are all human,” she said.
“A lot of us are nowhere near professional, the level of skill within the band goes all the way up from ‘this is me picking this up for the first time’.
“All we can do in those situations is guide and support people. Even if they only do the first note, they can still be part of something.”
For more information on how to join Elgin City Band, contact Heather Park at parkh@hotmail.com or on 07811 505028.
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