You might ask “What exactly is a concert band?” Well who better to answer that question than their current Director of Music, Adrian Ashton. “Well concert bands can go under a variety of different names”, says Adrian. “Some are called Symphonic Winds Bands, some prefer Symphonic Wind Orchestras, and some opt for the simple ‘Band’! Essentially it is an orchestra without strings, although having said that, some lucky concert bands do have a string bass section. The concert band most people are familiar with is the military band variant, and we’ve all seen one of those each year at the annual Trooping the Colour celebration in London.

So what instruments do you expect to find in a concert band? “Well most concert bands comprise flutes, clarinets, saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and tubas. If you are lucky, and we are very lucky at Ashby Concert Band”, says Adrian, “you can add to that instruments like alto and bass clarinets, bassoons, oboes, cornets and French Horns. And if you are really, really lucky, you may even have contrabass clarinets and bassoons. On top of that you have a range of percussion equipment to rival any professional orchestra, including timpani, vibraphones, a variety of things you can shake and rattle, and of course a full drum kit”.

“The musical repertoire is as wide as that of any orchestra. We play music that ranges from popular classics, through music

from film and stage, music of the swing era, ‘pop’ music like music of the Beatles and Queen, through to original pieces written specifically for concert band”, says Adrian.

So does Ashby Concert Band have a full programme of concerts for 2008? “Indeed we do”, says Adrian. “Our first concert this year is our ‘Spring Concert of Classic and Classical Themes’. This is a particularly special concert for us because it is being promoted by our current Mayor of Ashby, Cllr. David Price. Proceeds from the concert will be going to The Royal National Institute for the Blind. Music for the evening will be a mix of classic wind band music written by Holst and Vaughan-Williams and all based upon well known English Folk Song themes, and themes from some of the very best of film music, including Pirates of the Caribbean, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Seven Years in Tibet, and Dances With Wolves, to name but a few. It will be a concert that shows off the fullest potential of a concert band.”

“And then in May we are off to Germany to do a series of concerts in The Black Forest – our second trip to mainland Europe. Later in the year we have another concert planned at Ibstock, and then before we know it we will once again be preparing for our most popular concert of the year, our Annual Christmas Concert.”

Find out more about Ashby Concert Band from their website at www.ashbyconcertband.org.uk

November has become the month for remembrance in most traditions around the world, linked forever with the First World War armistice signed at 11 o'clock on the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918. The horrors of that first mechanised war fed a determination to establish a better world and ensure that the sacrifice of those who lost their lives would never be forgotten. Remembrance Day was instituted the following year and remains a powerful stimulus to the memory of the dead, of the First World War and conflicts since.

In this anniversary year (the 95th of the start of the First World War, the 90th of its formal end, the 70th of the start of the Second World War, the 50th of the start of the Vietnam War) remembrance is as important as ever.

Faded photographs of family members, medals stuffed in a bottom drawer, stories told by older generations and news footage of conflicts still raw and dangerous remain powerful reminders of events beyond the physical memory of most alive today. Memories are triggered by all the senses and music has played its role in keeping those times close. Tipperary and Bluebirds over the White Cliffs of Dover are redolent of their times and firmly associated with brave troops marching off to who knew what. Against this background, it is fitting that a Concert of Remembrance will be played in Ashby to honour those ordinary heroes who placed themselves in danger, many paying the ultimate price, for the freedoms that we now enjoy.

Organised by Ashby Concert Band, the concert will comprise a varied programme of music to celebrate camaraderie and selfless heroism, commemorate lives laid down and create new memories. Pipe and drum band the Seaforth Highlanders will bring their own distinctive contribution before the concert culminates in the two bands joining together for their rousing and popular performance of Highland Cathedral, an experience never to be forgotten. Profits from the concert will be donated to the Poppy Appeal and Ashby Concert Band is pleased that the Royal British Legion will be represented at the concert by former national council member and chairman of the Ashby branch, John Tuckey MBE. Local dignitaries, including the Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire, Lady Gretton, the Mayor of Ashby, Councillor Mr. Graham Allman, and MP for North-west Leicestershire, David Taylor, will be in attendance at this event, underlining its place at the centre of Leicestershire's remembrance events in 2009.

The Concert of Remembrance will be in Holy Trinity Church, Kilwardby Street, Ashby on 6th November, starting at 7.30pm. Tickets are priced at £8.00 (£8.50 if bought on the door) and are available from Ashby Tourist Information Centre, The Hub cafe or direct from Ashby Concert Band (01530 222934.)

Find out more about Ashby Concert Band from their website at www.ashbyconcertband.org.uk