23/03/2025
๐ก๐ฒ๐๐ณ๐น๐ถ๐
, ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐จ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ก๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐๐น๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ
Netflixโs ๐ผ๐๐ค๐ก๐๐จ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ has struck a chord with many viewers, shining a light on the toxic, male-dominated environments that shape young peopleโs experiences. As I watched, I couldnโt help but draw parallels with a world much closer to home: British brass bands.
For too long, misogyny, exclusion, and outdated attitudes have been tolerated in brass banding. From s*xist โbanterโ in rehearsals to the sidelining of female musicians and even abuse, harassment and s*xual assault, the culture has often been one where women (of all ages) donโt feel safe, heard, or respected. The very spaces that should be fostering musical excellence, community and safety have instead, at times, enabled discrimination and abuse of all varieties at every level.
If we want brass bands to thrive in the future, we must start addressing these issues NOW. Exactly what we hope our ๐ผ๐จ๐ ๐ฟ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ campaign will start to do. That means applying the concept of connected curiosity and importantly having open conversations about the culture weโre passing on to young musicians.
It means being brave enough to call out inappropriate behavior, creating safer reporting mechanisms and ensuring that bandrooms are spaces of equality, safety, and respect for ALL genders.
Adolescence is a time when young musicians form lifelong perceptions of the music world. Letโs make sure those perceptions are positive, empowering, and inclusive. The future of brass banding depends on it so we need to be having these open conversations and modelling the right behaviours and role-models in our bands from the earliest ages.
We cannot let the experiences of some women currently and historically in bands be the experiences of our female brass band musicians of the future.
What are your thoughts? Have you experienced or witnessed or experienced any kind of misogyny, abuse or harassment in banding?
Please share your experiences in our anonymous survey to gather more insight at www.brassonthemind.co.uk - just hit the ๐ผ๐จ๐ ๐ฟ๐๐๐จ๐ฎ button.
Whilst youโre there you will also find a range of FREE resources for womenโs safety, mental health support and of course FREE music!
Please make use of all our free materials to better support and protect our musicians in brass bands.
Letโs collectively be brave enough to engage in the difficult conversations on every topic in order to facilitate positive change for the present and future, whilst honouring both the best parts of our movementโs history and using the darker parts to fuel progress for positive growth and flourishing.
Much love
Tabby x
Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Brass on the Mind, Publisher, Halifax.
