8 year-old cornet player Emily Sullivan has certainly set her sights on following in her father John's footsteps by playing at the highest brass band level in New Zealand.

Since joining the North Shore Brass Academy in 2013, Emily has been going to band practice every week, playing solos and sitting in with her parents Rachel and John when the Academy has been playing at public events.

Belgian giant

So it was no surprise then that she was first in line at a workshop with Besson Performance Artist Harmen Vanhoorne at the recent New Zealand National Brass Band Championships in Rotorua.

Emily told 4BR: "Harmen taught us some new ways to practice our breathing; including playing lots of long low notes. I've been using what he showed me at home and it's already making playing much easier."

Aspiring

Giving aspiring young players a chance to work with international stars such as Harmen is part of North Shore Brass' commitment to building what they hope will become the best brass band in New Zealand, as MD Colin Clark explained.

"Harmen played principal cornet with us at the contest, and was simply superb. He became an integral part of the band and its preparation — holding free workshops while he was here.

The results were amazing. It's an important part of our education strategy that all players were able to benefit from his experience throughout his visit."

Best soloist

Harmen himself won the 'Best Soloist' prize in the A Grade Own Choice section of the contest as North Shore eventually finished fourth against a strong field of rivals.

However, he was even more delighted at the level of commitment and ambition shown by every member of the band — from Emily upwards!

It's brilliant that the band is taking a long term view to invest in the future and no player is too young or too new to benefit. I'm sure Emily is going to be a star player in the coming yearsHarmen Vanhoorne

Future star player

"When I saw the commitment the band has to young players it really made my trip.

It's brilliant that the band is taking a long term view to invest in the future and no player is too young or too new to benefit. I'm sure Emily is going to be a star player in the coming years."

Harmen's visit was made possible through the support of Besson Instruments and local band suppliers ABI Music of Glenfield.