There’s a scene in the film Brassed Off where Tara Fitzgerald walks into a Grimley Colliery Band rehearsal and stuns the miners with her rendition, on the fluglehorn, of Roderigo’s ‘Concerto de Orangejuice’.

My attempt to play the trumpet at a rehearsal of the Bradford Metropolitan Concert Band wasn’t quite so impressive.

The band is trying to boost membership by holding workshops every Thursday evening over summer. “Anyone over 16 can come along,” says secretary Panette Harrison. “Ideally they’d need some experience of playing an instrument.

If someone hasn’t played for a while, it’s a great opportunity to get back into it. We have a member who hadn’t played saxophone for ten years – he heard about the band in the bar downstairs, came along, and has been having some coaching.

“In the past we’ve had students from Bradford University – they’re ideal because they’re here for three or four years.

“If someone wants to learn an instrument, we have music teachers in the band who can help. These workshops are a chance to learn and develop. We’re hoping to recruit new players for a probationary period then we’ll take it from there. We have about 30 members, but ideally we’d like about 40 on the books.”

Panette started playing trumpet aged 15 and joined the Bradford Met Junior Band. She taught herself to play trombone two years ago and is now the band’s principal trombone player.

I don’t think I’d ever picked up a trumpet before, so when Panette hands me hers, I’m at a bit of a loss. She shows me how to hold it and where to position my fingers. I blow into it with my cheeks puffed, as if I’m blowing up a balloon, but Panette tells me to blow a raspberry. It feels odd, but sure enough, a sound comes out of it! Now all I need is to learn to read music… Panette says that with daily practise it takes about six months to learn the trumpet. “We have to find the notes, whereas with wind instruments you just blow,” she jokes.

Band chairman Gary White, who plays clarinet, retorts: “All you do with brass is blow raspberries!”

The band was formed in 1975, when 40 musicians turned up for rehearsals following a report in the Telegraph & Argus. Founder members Ken Hall, Ken Dinsdale and Harry Coleman had been in civilian and army bands and were keen to set up a Bradford band with woodwind and brass sections.

The first concert was at Fairweather Green Working Men’s Club, and within a couple of years the band was scooping awards for performances in competitions and festivals. Under Ken’s direction, the band continued, with an annual concert at Bradford’s Library Theatre and, over the past 20 years, Bingley Arts Centre.

The band suffered a huge loss on the night of July 7, 2001, when its bandroom, on the first floor of Girlington Conservative Club, was burned to the ground in the Manningham riots. With it went the band’s instruments and the library of music it had gathered over 30 years. When the band moved to its present home, Baildon Hall, other bands rallied round, loaning instruments and music.

“Slowly we managed to replace the instruments and built a new library of music, although some pieces we’d lost were irreplaceable,” says Gary.

When Ken Hall was taken ill four years ago, assistant conductor Steve Williams steered the band. “Sadly, Ken passed away 18 months ago,” says Panette. “He was a wonderful man, the real driving force behind the band. We have him in our hearts.”

With new musical director John Large at the helm, the band entered the British Association of Swing and Wind Ensembles contest this year and was awarded silver. The band is self-sufficient, with funds raised from concerts going on rent and music. Most members have their own instruments, but there are some belonging to the band, which players can use.

In previous years, bands had no shortage of younger members because learning a musical instrument was more commonplace. I interviewed Lesley Garrett recently, who said that while music is more readily available than ever, in the iPod age, there isn’t so much amateur music-making.

“When I was growing up, we had little money but we sang and played piano,” she said. “Many ordinary homes had pianos, people taught themselves to play. Working-class life was caught up with making and performing music.”

Musical director John Large wants schools to play a bigger role in teaching music. “The education system doesn’t support children wanting to learn a musical instrument. It tends to be something they learn privately, but it should be more widely available,” he says.

Gary adds: “We struggle to get brass players – they tend to get swallowed up by the brass bands. Some of our older members have passed on and we need new blood to take this band into the future.

“We’re a friendly band. We rehearse hard, but there’s always time for a pint in the bar afterwards!”

Band members play the flute, piccolo, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, French horns, trumpets, trombone, tuba, euphonium, electric bass guitar and percussion. Gary plays clarinet, flute, saxophone and piano. “And I was in the drumming corps in the police force,” he adds. “I’ve played piano since I was a child, I was a member of the Bradford Youth Band at 12. There’s a joy that comes with playing in a band; as well as the camaraderie there’s the thrill of playing in front of an audience and bringing pleasure to people, especially in these depressing times. This is what we live for; there’s no point in learning an instrument just to play at home.

“When you’ve struggled through rehearsals and suddenly it starts to sound as it should, it’s wonderful.”

Before long it’s time for the rehearsal and the players settle down with their instruments. I sit at the back and listen in as they tune up and launch into numbers from West Side Story. It’s my favourite musical so I lose myself in the music and watch as each musician springs into action.

“That was the first time we’ve played that together so it might sound a bit rusty,” says Panette, taking a breather from her trombone.

It sounded good enough to me.

  • Bradford Metropolitan Concert Band meets at Baildon Hall, Hallfield Drive, Baildon, on Thursdays, 7.30pm to 9.30pm, and Sundays, 10am to noon. For more information ring Panette Harrison on 07886 441945 or e-mail panette@ourlot.org.

The band will be playing at the Magic Garden event at Centenary Square, Bradford, on Wednesday, August 12 at 7.30pm and the Last Night Of The Proms, Centenary Square, on Saturday, September 12, at 7pm.