Renfrewshire youth bands awarded at national music festival

The Renfrewshire Symphonic Wind Band and Renfrewshire Concert Band, part of Renfrewshire Council’s Instrumental Music Service, performed at the Scottish Concert Band Festival in Perth under the direction of conductors JP O’Hagan and Beattie.

Following their performance, the Symphonic Wind Band earned a Platinum award, while the Concert Band was awarded Gold.

Niamh, a member of the Symphonic Wind Band, said: “Playing in the Perth Concert Hall was an amazing experience to do as a group, especially when it was announced we had won Platinum, which was our goal for the year.

“It was a great experience for pushing us out of our comfort zone, with challenging new pieces and brought us closer together as a band.”

Her bandmate Mark said the award had boosted everyone’s confidence.

Mark said: “The band worked really hard throughout the year to give the best performance possible.

“At the SCBF finals in Perth, we played brilliantly.

“This is a great experience for aspiring musicians.

“It boosts our confidence as individual players and as an ensemble, especially after winning Platinum.

“We will continue to work hard and hopefully keep the standard up as high as Platinum for the next SCBF as this is an amazing achievement.”

The Renfrewshire Symphonic Wind Band (Image: Renfrewshire Council)

Schools across the authority also achieved great success at the event.

Castlehead High School was awarded Gold and Gryffe High School achieved Silver at the festival.

Young people in Renfrewshire can access free music tuition through the council, a commitment that has been in place since 2017.

The Instrumental Music Service supports primary and secondary pupils to learn and perform on a range of instruments, including brass, woodwind, strings, percussion, bagpipes and guitar.

Young musicians perform publicly at biannual concerts each spring and Christmas.

Connie, who performs with the Renfrewshire Schools Concert Band, spoke of her surprise at their success.

She said: “It was amazing to perform on the stage of the Perth Concert Hall.

“I was pleasantly surprised by the band’s Gold award.”

Councillor Emma Rodden, education convener for Renfrewshire Council, congratulated all the winners.

Rodden said: “Congratulations to our young musicians achieving Platinum and Gold national awards.

“This is a tremendous result for our young people and reflects their talent and dedication.

“We are proud of our long-standing commitment to making music education accessible to all.

“The high-quality instruction and support provided through our music service is excellent.

“Giving young people opportunities like this develops their confidence, creativity and teamwork.

“Everyone should be proud for representing Renfrewshire so successfully on the national stage.”

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