The Brass Band Podcast is back!

We’re back for Series Two! Kenny Crookston and Sarah Baumann are back in the studio after a whirlwind year that included a buzzing Brass Band Conference in London, a record-breaking Youth Champs in Hull, and, of course, a vibrant Youth Fest in North London. This series is all about The Next Generation — new voices, new music, and the future we can all build together. We’re also sharing clips from living composers throughout the series, thanks to our friends at World of Brass.

Our guests for this episode are Richard Wilton and Craig Brown from Shepherd Brass Band in York — a standout example of how to grow an organisation that truly includes everyone. From a senior band with just 13 players 15 years ago to an ecosystem catering for over 200 musicians today, their story is full of practical graft and proper community spirit. We chat about youth pathways, adult learners finding their place, partnerships with local music services, and the little decisions that make a big difference. They also talk about the role of organisations like UniBrass, which give young people opportunities to organise and lead brass banding activities, the challenges of constant player changeover, and they share their secrets to success, the innovative ways they work, and their high hopes for a “fantastically brassy” future.

There’s plenty on the changing culture of contesting too — costs, purpose, and what “success” looks like in 2025 — alongside a celebration of what Shepherd’s do so well: concerts that pack the room, projects with real social impact, and those crowd-pleasing film events (Wallace & Gromit and The Snowman). The Shepherd Youth Band’s recent win at the BBE Youth Champs gets a proud mention, as does their upcoming appearance at Youth Brass in Concert at The Glasshouse.

We also set the scene for what’s coming up across BBE: our youth-led conference in Durham on 27 September — free tickets for under-23s and a travel bursary to help you get there — with a programme focused on the next generation of brass band leaders. And yes, Sarah has agreed to a forfeit if the cornet practice doesn’t happen… if that’s not an incentive to keep listening for the grand finale, we don’t know what is!

Thanks to the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England and Youth Music for their support. To hear any of the tracks played in this episode in full, head to wobplay.