Professional development. Why?

Continuous professional development or CPD as it’s commonly known, is a common concept but how is it defined and why should we bother. Leaving aside the rather arrogant attitude that we know all there is to know about, well anything, if we go back 15 years to the time before some of the more unsavory aspects of child protection came to light society was probably guilty of just that, and because we were forced to address the problem no teacher nowadays can claim they are unaware of these issues. The reason is of course the training courses we all need … Continue reading Professional development. Why?

Why are brass banders fascinated with competitions?

Now the main contest season of the year is over I am wondering why it is that the brass band world has this obsession with contests, it is the only musical genre I know that has this intensity about competing. The struggle for success and advancement is the bedrock of the brass band world in the UK and although most bands have a sensible balance between concerts and contests there are a small number who exist solely to compete and while contesting has been a primarily British tradition it is one that has in recent years transferred abroad to both … Continue reading Why are brass banders fascinated with competitions?