Lucky young musicians in the Scottish Borders have recently enjoyed a day of invaluable tips and brilliant masterclasses from top performers.

Neish and Gray

Tuba virtuoso Les Neish joined cornet star Russell Gray for a day of educational workshops in Galashiels, led by local tutors, Stuart Black and Alan Fernie.

Everything from hose pipes and coloured funnels were used to make instruments, cut to varying lengths in order to achieve different pitches, and participants, some as young as 3 years of age, had the chance to have plenty of fun.

Make Your Own

Besson artist Les told 4BR: "The 'Make Your Own Instrument' workshop was something I had thought about doing for many months and was delighted that Stuart wanted to come on board with it.

We had no idea what to expect, but the turnout was tremendous. There were families making instruments together and 10 players had never played a brass instrument before, let alone perform in a concert.

It was a really special day, full of fun and excitement. Delighted doesn't come close to how happy I was with the outcome!"

Real success

Later on, all 20 musicians took part in an evening concert featuring the Galashiels Junior, Youth and Senior Bands under the baton of Stuart Black.

He added: "The day was a real success. It was partially about recruitment, but also something that promoted a sense of inclusion while helping promote brass banding in the town."

The day was a real success. It was partially about recruitment, but also something that promoted a sense of inclusion while helping promote brass banding in the townStuart Black

Inspirational

He added: "Les and Russell were inspirational, and all three bands played so well in front of a supportive audience.

We're already thinking about what we're going to do next to build on the success of this event and give youngsters more opportunities to learn from some of the best in the business."