Easter message from SBBA president Carrie Boax

On behalf of everyone at SBBA, I hope you and your loved ones are safe and healthy at this most difficult time.

This weekend we should have been holding our NYBBS Easter course but sadly, like the organisers of other major events throughout Scotland, we were forced to cancel as the Coronavirus emergency worsened.

We are all facing challenges which we have never experienced before, but it is important we follow UK and Scottish Government and NHS guidelines to –

• Stay at home to help stop the spread of the virus. The only exceptions are

• shopping for basic necessities, for example food and medicine, which must be as infrequent as possible
• one form of exercise a day, for example a run, walk, or cycle – alone or with members of your household
• any medical need, including to donate blood, avoid or escape risk of injury or harm, or to provide care or to help a vulnerable person
• travelling for work purposes, but only where you cannot work from home.

Obviously, in light of these restrictions, we had to recommend the cessation of all band rehearsals and engagements. And it was following this advice that led us to cancel the NYBBS Easter course.

Pictured, NYBBS in happier times... the senior band on tour in Norway in 2016, on one of Bergen's city mountains called Fløyen, the venue of their final concert before heading for home.

We will continue to monitor the situation over the coming weeks and adhere to the Government and NHS advice. At the moment we are continuing to plan for our NYBBS 2020 summer course and will keep you updated as information becomes available.

At this point, I would like to give a special word of thanks to all those in our banding family who are on the frontline in this battle against the Coronavirus, the NHS and care workers, and also those who are carrying out essential work in maintaining services to us all during this time.

I would also just like to mention that the SBBA sub-committees and officers are continuing to work behind the scenes, especially in Education and in meetings with Creative Scotland. We look forward to the brighter days when our face-to-face work can resume. There’s no substitute for live music, although the bands and players are doing a fab job in the virtual world!!

It has been heartening to read on our SBBA website how our bands are remaining in contact with their members, using the latest technology from Facebook, Zoom, WhatsApp and other amazing apps to stay connected.

It’s also interesting to learn a bit more about the bands themselves, where and when they were formed, and some of the successes they have enjoyed. These articles are something I’ve been looking forward to every day!

If you would like your band featured, please get in touch with our press and PR officer Nigel Martin at sbbapr@gmail.com

To all SBBA ‘start-up’ bands, I take this opportunity to send you my best wishes and I hope you are all well and staying safe. In this difficult time, when bands of all stages are at home and not able to make music, it would be a great time to reach out to you and ask if you could supply me with a report about how the band has been doing over the last six months.

Is there anything that SBBA can do for your youth band? Are there any issues with your instruments that we can assist with? Is your band growing in numbers? Do you need any more tutor books etc..?

This has not been the start we would have liked to our 125th anniversary year and several planned events may not now take place, but the most important thing is that we all stay safe.

Meanwhile, it is intended that entry forms for The Band Supplies Challenge and Scottish Open in November will be available later this month.

The Christian message at Easter is one of hope, joy and resurrection. It’s a perfect sentiment as the world battles its way through this Coronavirus pandemic. We will come out of this and, as the Queen said in her televised broadcast, we will meet again.