How often do you hear a wind band on the radio? Certainly not very often on the mainstream stations...
There is Wind Band FM, of course, which is a great American online resource, but for community bands in the UK on the airwaves, it seems quite difficult.
However, your local community radio station may be a hidden promotional tool for your band. Ashley Wright, publicity officer for North Cheshire Wind Orchestra, got in touch recently to explain:
"I've found it dead easy to get interviews and air time on community radio stations; they jump at the chance to get something that's different and if you're willing to put the time in and do the interviews with them, they are very helpful... Obviously you get to reach a much larger audience and it gets through to people in a way that normal posters and magazine articles don't.
"I also found from feedback from friends that don't have a clue about wind bands that they were surprised what they sounded like and actually enjoyed the music.
"Maybe if we start a national campaign to get on every community radio station then some of the bigger stations will start to take notice. I got two interviews each on both Halton Community Radio and Warrington Community Radio and both want me to go back and do more; Warrington even want to set up a classical slot and Halton want some of the band to go in and do a live transmission."
Ashley goes on to suggest a website that has links to radio stations across the UK for you to try, alongside the major stations:
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