1st Whitstable Scout Group Band
The band began life as a drum and bugle band in 1919; it developed as a brass band in 1921 and has continued in that form to the present day. There have been many highlights throughout the band’s history, including playing for the Prince of Wales (to become Edward VIII) at Crystal Palace, performing at the Camping and Outdoor Life Exhibition in Olympia, numerous appearances at Gilwell Park, Essex (the home of World Scouting), recordings for BBC local radio, many competition successes and appearances in Calais and Lille, France and Borken, Germany.
With a core drawn from the 1st Whitstable Scout Group, necessarily complemented by musician friends from outside of the Scout Association, the current band continues to flourish, giving concerts throughout Kent, performing on bandstands, at local festivals and regularly playing in Canterbury Cathedral. The most recent highlight was in June of this year when the band gave a gala concert to celebrate the 1st Whitstable’s centenary.
John Myhill, Musical Director
International prize-winning composer, conductor, and multi-instrumentalist, John Myhill, is delighted to have added “Brass Band Director” to his CV…
While living and lecturing in West London, he took his own “West London Big Band” to gigs and festivals, and was musical director for shows and orchestral concerts. He and his family moved to Broadstairs in 1997 and, since then, in addition to gaining an MA in music composition at Christ Church, Canterbury, he has pursued a career as a freelance musician. As well as conducting the Canterbury Orchestra (2000-2006), and the Beverley Big Band since 2007, he has his own “Modern Jazz Trio” (MJT), teaches regularly on the Guildhall and Academy jazz courses, and is studying for a PhD. He has performed with a wide variety of musicians ranging from John Dankworth, Humphrey Lyttelton and Nigel Kennedy, to Jane Manning and John Lill.
His publishers include Stainer and Bell, OUP and the Associated Board, and his works have been broadcast and performed at major venues at home and abroad. Recent performances have included commissions for the Farnham Festival. |
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