About Us
Who are the National Methodist Youth Brass Band?
The National Methodist Youth Brass Band (NMYBB) is a group of young brass-playing Christians from all over the country who come together to make music and share the love of Jesus Christ. We visit churches up and down the country around 4 or 5 times a year for a weekend and also have an annual tour. We play a wide range of music, from worship songs and settings through to arrangements of classical music and adaptations of film music. We welcome any young Christian brass and percussion players between the age of 13 and 21, but don't have a leaving age so you can play with us for as long as you want!
How does it work?
We meet up 4 or 5 times a year for Band Weekends.
We kick things off on a Friday night, First, we rehearse for a couple of hours. After that, we reflect with an epilogue based on a weekend theme. Then, it's time to catch up with our buddies we haven't seen in a while. We stay at the church for the night.
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Bright and early on Saturday, it's back to rehearsing in the morning. But don't worry, we get to explore the local area in the afternoon, so it's not all work and no play. In the evening, we put on a concert in the church, and there will be a second epilogue. We might even stay up super late into the early hours of the morning, playing games and enjoying each other's company.
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Now, Sunday is the big day. We consider it the highlight of the weekend. The band gets to be a part of the morning worship service. Sometimes, it's just playing some hymns, but other times, we pretty much run the whole show. After that, we all share a meal together before heading back home until the next band weekend rolls around.
Our story
Back in April 1987, NMYBB came to life when 20 brass players answered an ad in the Methodist Recorder. They all gathered at Surbiton Hill Methodist Church, and even though they had just two intense rehearsals, they managed to pull off a pretty awesome first concert. Then, on that Sunday, they added some musical magic to the morning worship by playing voluntaries and accompanyingwith all the hymns. And that's when the National Methodist Youth Brass Band was born!
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From the get-go, it was clear that this band had potential, and it felt like some divine inspiration was pushing them forward. Since then, they've been meeting up for 4 or 5 "Band Weekends" every year all over the country.
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In 1988, NMYBB tembarked on their first summer tour along the South Coast of England. It was such a hit that they started doing tours every year, visiting Methodist Churches all over the UK and even venturing abroad sometimes.
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Throughout their journey, this band has played at some big Christian gatherings and events, like "Spring Harvest" in Darlington, "Easter People" in various places, the "Share Jesus" mission in Cornwall, Cliff Fest and 3Generate in more recent years
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They've even made appearances on TV and radio, performing live on a BBC Sunday morning worship service in Scarborough and leading the singing for a live Radio 4 broadcast from St Ives. They've marked important occasions, like the 300th Birthday of Charles Wesley and the 200th Anniversary of Primitive Methodism, both broadcasted on Sky TV. They've rocked out at Methodist Conferences in various cities and played for the World Council of Churches in Geneva. They've even taken their talents to an international stage at the European Methodist Festival in Potsdam, Germany, celebrating the 300th Anniversary of John Wesley's birth.
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But it's not just about the music. Over the years, this band has had a blast making music together, building strong friendships, and growing in their faith.
