1962 - ICI Alkali Band, Winnington

1963 - 1966 York Railway Institute Band

1970 - 1972 Bronze Social Club Band

1973 - 1980 Crewe Co-Op Band

1984 - 1985 Crewe Co-Op Band

1996 - 1998 Skyliners Swing CityBand, Bahrain

2007 - 2009 West End Concert Band

2008 - South Cheshire Orchestra

2009 - 2010 Rode Hall Brass

2010 - Silk Brass

John's initiation into brass banding was with the ICI Alkali Band, Winnington at the relatively late age of 18. One incentive was that, before band practice, tea and sandwiches were brought over from the works canteen. After a few lessons on the euphonium from Dudley McDean (former cornetist with Fodens) he taught himself using Wright & Round's Complete Method. He had already passed O Level Music which, in those days, was purely theory and he found this a great asset. Finding it inconvenient to practise in a small terraced house and with a neighbour on night shift, he used go into Verdin Park to practise. He recalls one rehearsal when the legendary Alex Mortimer conducted the band and John had the audacity to tell him that he couldn't follow his beat!

In less than a year John went to teacher training college at St. John's, York where he joined the Railway Institute Band on 2nd Euphonium and was able to practise regularly using the college's practice rooms. He remembers the conductor, in his strong Yorkshire accent, calling for: “More torn, John, more torn!”

John's first school was in Castleford, West Yorkshire, the heart of brass banding and yet he stopped playing altogether in favour of classical guitar which he had started while at college. After completing his probationary year he took what is now called a gap year, spending most of the time hitch-hiking around France hippy style - with his guitar of course as this was the 60's! He was studying at the University of Caen during the momentous student riots of 1968 but such was his social life on campus that he was oblivious to the political upheaval going on in town.

It was not until 1970 while teaching in New Brighton that John resumed euphonium playing. It was through James Scott who was a peripatetic brass teacher in the area and conductor of Cammell Laird's that John joined the Bronze Social Club Band, Birkenhead. You can gain some idea of the ethos of this band when, during rehearsal, you would have a pint under your chair and whenever you had a few bars' rest you would take a sup! Someone once remarked that the players not only spoke but even played with a scouse accent!

Soon after moving to Woodford Lodge School in Winsford, John joined Crewe Co-op on 2nd Euphonium, eventually becoming Solo Euphonium. There may be one or two older bandsmen around (e.g. Mark's dad) who remember John famously falling off the stage - Packmoor Social Club he thinks it was.

In 1980 John gave up teaching to try a career change and during a year's course at Nene College, Northampton he received some brass tuition from Stanley Boddington who told John that he had the makings of a good player. John says he was about 36 at that time - talk about late developer!

In 1982 John went to teach in Saudi Arabia for two years thus disrupting his banding again. For a brief period he was back with the Co-op under the baton of Dave Moulton before going to teach in Bahrain for five years. He started a brass band at the school which led to him dabbling in other brass instruments. After three years back in England, living and teaching in Sandbach but still not banding he was off to Bahrain again at the same school as before. He played trumpet in both the school orchestra and the Skyliners Swing Band.

On returning to England in 1998 John went to teach in London for 7 years until retirement in 2004 and did no brass playing during the period. It was his friend Wyn Barnet who persuaded him to join the West End Concert Band so the trumpet was brought down from the loft and back into commission. He also joined the South Cheshire Orchestra and has played in the pit orchestra twice for the Whitchurch Amateur Operatic Dramatic Society. He was invited to play cornet with Rode Hall Band for the Whit Friday Marches last year and stayed on until he left in February this year.

"Perhaps a lot of bandsmen are self-taught after being shown the basics but it is one of my greatest regrets that my formative years were not under the tutelage of a competent brass player because bad habits formed in the early stages can be difficult to eradicate. In my case, having switched from euphonium to trumpet and cornet, I have a lot of techniques to improve on not least of which are upper range and playing softly. I feel fortunate and privileged to have been accepted into Silk Brass. I am thoroughly enjoying rehearsals and looking forward to engagements and contests."