Booking / enquiry form quick link
Many thanks for your interest in booking the Rode Hall Silver Band for your event. Below you will find some useful information to think about when considering a booking and a guide as to how you can make your event a success.
How to get the best from the Band - It’s best to have a clear idea of what you want the band to do.
- What is the event – date, times, location?
- Do you want a full concert?
- Will there be a formal audience for the band or do you just want background music?
- Is the band accompanying singing or other activities or are additional groups taking part in the same event? How will the time be shared?
- How long do you want the band to play for? With what intervals?
What you’ll need to provide
For nearly all events the Band will require seating (usually around 25 brass and 2 percussionists) and ideally chairs without arms. The Band would ideally expect to occupy a firm underfoot space of around 15m x 15m in a format similar to that shown below, though smaller spaces may be accommodated and smaller ensembles may be available in space availability is an issue.
The Band will need a back room or similar space to congregate and warm-up before playing, including somewhere to store the instrument cases and ideally changing room(s) where possible.
The Band will usually arrive by private cars and will need somewhere to park. Instructions of where is suitable would be useful and vehicular access to the venue for the Band’s larger instruments and equipment would be appreciated as well as notification if access to the stage area is likely to be challenging for larger instruments
Light refreshments are always welcome, particularly at intervals as playing is thirsty work! If you would like to provide the band with more substantial refreshments, please do that at the end.
Outdoor engagements
The open-air is a fantastic place for a brass band in the summer, but attention should be given to the location. It is useful if the playing area can be sheltered from the wind, lit in the event of low light and thought should always be given in the case of wet or inclement weather. What will happen? Will the event be cancelled, or moved indoors? Please note that your deposit would be lost if you were to cancel less than 4 weeks before the event date.
Timing
Rode Hall Silver Band is an amateur organisation and most of their players have full-time jobs, so it is often difficult to get the Band together during working hours. Most bookings tend to be weekends but note we do get booked up quickly during summer and at Christmas time, so we encourage you to book as early as possible and with a minimum of four weeks’ notice.
The Band prefers engagements that have a reasonable length of playing required. An event that only demands 15 or 20 minutes of music is not ideal. An hour or two is more usual, and ensures that you get the best value from the Band. A typical format concert would be 45 minutes playing in each half, with a 15-minute break. Please bear in mind that extremes of heat and cold heat make sustained playing without a break more difficult.
Once at the venue, the Band will require time to set up – at least three quarters of an hour prior to the playing time, possibly longer in certain circumstances. If there is a shared arena, then details will need to be resolved of how and when the interchange between performances will take place.
Payment
You will not have to pay professional rates for our services, however our performances are always carried out in a professional manner! We provide excellent value for money – a high standard musical performance for a reasonable fee which will be used towards the running of the Band, covering costs including music, rehearsal facilities and of course instruments, many of which are in excess of £2,000 each. Individual players do not receive payment.
An appropriate fee will be quoted to you once we know in outline what the engagement entails and we ask for a deposit of £50 to secure your booking. This becomes non-refundable in the last 4 weeks before the event date. Deposits may be refunded if the event is cancelled by mutual agreement or if unforseen circumstances force the band's withdrawal. The balance will be invoiced within 2 working days of the concert, unless agreement is made otherwise with the Band Manager.
Rode Hall Silver Band is a registered Charity (1188216), run entirely by subscription-paying volunteers, none of which are paid for their performances. The band has significant running costs each year, such as purchase & maintenance of instruments, uniforms & music, utility bills of our rehearsal room, and of course insurance. To contribute towards these overheads, a modest charge is made when invited to play at events.
An indication to our charges is as follows: -
Factors that may require adjusting the fee from the standard charge include: -
- The event requiring greater or less musical contribution from the band than is typical for the event type
- Catering for music requests that need special purchase, preparation and/or rehearsal
- If there is extended waiting time for the band between sessions
- Travelling distance outside of the normal 'territory'
- Events not in the above categories will be priced individually mainly based on
- The amount of preparation / rehearsal time
- The amount of playing time
| Event Type | Fee | Notes |
| Church or religious service Ceremonial Event | From £300 | These events typically last 1 hour. The band's contribution would be playing the hymns or ceremonial music prior to the service/performance. |
| Garden Fete. Incidental / Background Music. |
From £350 | These events typically last 1 ½ hours. The band would play suitable music from its current repertoire split into sessions not exceeding 1 hour. This would not ordinarily be compered. |
| Full MD Compered Concert |
From £500 | These events typically last 2 hours with the band performing two 45-minute sessions including solo items with a break in between. They usually take the form of a staged concert with a musical director leading the band. |
Please ask if your event does not fit into the above categories, and we will be happy to provide a price.
To book Rode Hall Silver Band, please complete our enquiry form online
Direct enquiries can be made to Dave Giannasi - Band Manager - bandmanager@rodehallband.org.uk