2001 to 2019 and 2021 to Present
Howard became the bandmaster at Boscombe in April 2001 at a time when he was also the conductor of the Amsterdam Staff Band. The regular trips to the Netherlands would be part of what was a feature of his time as bandmaster. His frequent travels took him to many parts of the world - often for extended periods of time - but he was always pleased to come back to his band at Boscombe.
There was much that stood out from his tenure in charge - perhaps most notable were the recordings that the band made - particularly those featuring meditative music - and his efforts to "build bridges" in all sorts of ways including a number of joint concerts with contesting bands including Fodens, Fountain City Brass Band, Woodfalls, Bournemouth Concert Brass, Friary and, most recently, Cory.
Howard always ensured that the most important music - the band's contribution to our Sunday worship - was given due attention at the start of the weekly rehearsal. Only after that was other music played.
During his time as bandmaster the band were able to take two overseas trips - to Scandinavia in 2011 and - at the invite of the General - to Rome in 2017 to celebrate that territory's 125th anniversary. The band were also honoured with an invite to participate in Symphony Sounds in Birmingham in 2014. The tour to Scandinavia was part of the band's own 125th anniversary celebrations.
Howard retired in June 2019 after over 17 years as bandmaster. It was fitting that the final piece that he conducted embodied all that he deemed important in the role of a Salvation Army Band. In Quiet Pastures has been part of the Band's repertoire for a number of years and it comes from the pen of Ray Steadman-Allen - a salvationist composer whose music and influence has a very special place in Howard's life.
Throughout his years of leadership there was always a sense of the spiritual having priority over the musical. Through this he led the Band to many great experiences. He used to the full his gift to be able to create something that is more than 'just' a band performance - whether it was accompanying the hymns each Sunday in our worship or a Band concert in one of the many places that we visited over the years - the most often heard comments were how the Band connected with those listening and participating in the worship and added to the meetings.
The result was that in many cases those who have heard the Band - either live or in one of our recordings - had an experience that far exceeded their expectations. They might have been expecting some "good music" or perhaps they were listening just out of curiosity - but so often they would have left with a blessing - Howard liked to talk about taking the listeners "on a journey" - the destination was always a "better place".
The pandemic that visited us in 2020 meant that the Band had to temporarily suspend its activities. Clearly the restart - whenever it happened - was going to find circumstances much changed, both for the members of the Band individually and collectively. It was therefore welcome news that Howard was both willing and able to resume his role as Bandmaster in February 2021 in order to help plot a course for the future.
Other Pages
From the News
Howard's tenure as bandmaster is slowly passing from news into history - both in reality and within the website. There is much to be found in the news section and that will in time be incorporated here. For now there are a few links here to some of the highlights.
There are also extensive albums of photos from our trip to Rome with the General on our trip to Rome with the General and our 125th Anniversary in 2011 on Facebook
Gallery
Discography
