IT'S NOT A TRUMPET

THE BRASS BAND BLOG

by Liv Richardson

WELCOME

Welcome to It's Not a Trumpet - the brass band blog, where we cover all things brass band, mental health, music and more.

We want to open the door on the brass band world for everyone. Whether you're a brass player yourself looking for relatable, humorous content about our community or someone who wants to learn more about brass bands - you're in the right place.

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BLOG

Where you'll find my brass band adventures, playing advice, opinion pieces and more!

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VIDEO HUB

Listen to live performances and go behind the scenes of concerts and banding projects with my brass band vlogs!

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Created for musicians by a (professional content creator) musician. Fun, useful resources covering topics from practice planning to performance anxiety.

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RESOURCES

RNCM International Brass Band Festival Line Up and Programmes 2026

The RNCM International Brass Band Festival is one of the best events in the brass banding calendar. Showcasing the best music the brass band community has to offer played by some of the best brass bands out there and a chance to watch the future of brass banding make their mark - it's honestly a highlight of my year.

Liv Appleton

1 day ago4 min read

My Top 10 Pieces of Christmas Music for Brass Band

My Favourite Festive Brass Band Pieces From solos to carols and arrangements from beloved Christmas movies, this is my list of favourite Christmas music for brass band. The Kingdom Triumphant by Eric Ball Long-time followers of the blog will not be surprised that the first piece in this list is from the pen of Eric Ball. He’s one of my favourite composers and The Kingdom Triumphant is my all time favourite Christmas piece. It’s been around 16 years since I first played it an

BRASS BAND

Liv Appleton

1 day ago8 min read

10 Christmas Truths Every Brass Bander Knows

The Christmas season is upon us once more - how did that happen? Doesn’t feel that long ago since I was last playing Jingle Bells, but there we are.

BRASS BAND

Liv Appleton

Dec 37 min read

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