Academy

The Auckland Brass Academy Trust was set up in 2001 as a non profit charitable trust whose aim was to increase the number of children being taught brass instruments within the Auckland school system. A director was appointed (Howard Taylor) and a board of trustees set up chaired by Ron Archer. Funding was obtained from the Sports and Cultural Trust (now the Sentinel Community Trust). An instrument hire deal was agreed with Music Ways and the Academy was born.

Unlike many band training programmes which take place at bandrooms as an after school activity, the aim of the Academy was to provide tuition at schools, during the normal school day. The itinerant scheme in NZ does not, in general, extend to intermediate schools and this was to be the Academy's initial target. With Howard Taylor's departure from NZ in 2002 the Academy appointed Andrew Snell as its new director.

In 2004, Simon Kerwin came from the UK to take the over directorship. Simon has a wealth of experience from time spent teaching, playing and conducting in the UK and Scandinavia. From a small base of seven pupils the Academy started to grow and by the end of 2002 there were around ninety pupils in eleven schools. As the reputation of the Academy spread schools started to approach the Academy to ask for teaching, including two secondary schools.

If you would like to find out more about the academy contact our band secretary