Shanklin Town Brass Band

Shanklin Town Brass Band was founded in 1993 by Karen and Malcolm Lewis after their arrival on the Isle of Wight.

Malcolm is an experienced Musical Director and his wife Karen is a talented percussionist and trombone player. Initially having no funds, the Band had to rely on instruments borrowed from other bands, and even from the walls of local pubs.

An advertisement brought in the first players, and the Band has grown steadily ever since. With a membership of around 100 players, it now comprises intermediate, youth and senior sections, as well as a dedicated Saturday school, the Brass Academy. Such is its popularity, the Band now performs over 30 engagements across the Island each year.

In September 1995, the Band was awarded an Arts Council Lottery grant, which enabled them to purchase a full set of new instruments.

Part of the grant was also allocated to commission a piece of music, written by the renowned composer, Stuart Johnson. The work has four movements and features the Shanklin March, Rylstone Gardens (now the home of the Band), Tuba on the Downs and Shanklin Pier, commemorating the destruction of the Pier in the 1987 hurricane.

The Band regularly competes at contests along the south coast of England in order to continue developing its sound and to raise its standards. Prizes have been won at a number of venues including Brighton, Folkestone and Poole.

History shows that there was an original Shanklin Town Band, which was disbanded in the 1930s. There are a number of pictures of the band in these early days, which at one point was known as The Rylstone Band - suggesting there were links with the gardens even in those early days. A picture dating back to 1895 is reproduced below.

Page last updated 01 July 2010