Music student Adrian Austin recently showcased his conducting and arranging talents with the Skipton Band's recent appearance on Channel 5's popular series 'All Creatures Great and Small'.

Currently in the second year of his BMus in Music at the University of Huddersfield, Adrian arranged the music played by the fictional Darrowby Band at a village celebration to mark VJ Day at the end of the Second World War.

Holst

As previously reported on 4BR, the band was asked to be extras in the episode playing Holst's 'I vow to thee my country', where villagers gather around one of the many beacons that were lit to mark the end of the conflict.

Although unable to attend filming, Adrian made his mark with his pre-recorded arrangement which was mimed for the broadcast.

Arrangement

Speaking about the experience he said: "I think the make-up people were glad I wasn't there, as I have a lot of tattoos and there weren't any like mine in that period!

I did a quick, fairly traditional arrangement of the music as it is so well known — it speaks for itself, really. It was only recorded a couple of hours before the band filmed the scene that ends the episode."

I did a quick, fairly traditional arrangement of the music as it is so well known — it speaks for itself, really. It was only recorded a couple of hours before the band filmed the scene that ends the episodeAdrian Austin

Worldwide

Based on a series of books by the vet James Herriot, 'All Creatures Great and Small' has enjoyed a hugely popular television revival.

Adrian added: "Knowing that millions of people are going to end up seeing this all over the world doesn't quite make sense, because it could have been anybody but it ended up being me and the band.

I'm so glad that we've done conducting as part of my course, and that I had the wherewithal to answer the advert for the Skipton Brass Band all those months ago. You just get so many extra opportunities through conducting that you wouldn't normally get through just playing."