Jackfield Band : Conductor

The Band - Conductor

Jackfield Band’s Musical Director

Simon Platford BA(Hons) LTCL ABSM(dist) PGCE

Simon was born in Great Yarmouth and his Brass banding career began as an 8 year old cornet player with his local band the Wrentham Silver Band. Having passed grade 8 as a 13 year old he gained a discretionary award to study cornet with Phillip McCann at Huddersfield Technical College, where he joined The Huddersfield Tecol Band. These were very soon afterwards named after their new sponsors, ‘The Sellers Engineering Band’.

Having enjoyed two years with Sellers where he fortunate enough to have deputised for virtually all of the big name championship section bands in Yorkshire and Lancashire, he studied for his degree at the Birmingham Conservatoire, remaining under Phillip McCann’s tutelage. Whilst at University he gained a first class honours degree, majoring in performance and also reached the grand finals of two major competitions the Conservatoire’s Ludlow Concerto Trials and the BBC Radio’s Young Musician of the Year competition. His banding career saw him move on to the Jaguar Cars City of Coventry Band where he progressed up the ranks to the principal cornet seat. On completing his degree he undertook teacher training and also joined Desford Colliery Band where he also progressed to the top chair.

After a short while out of banding (due to temporary uncertainty at Desford rather than any decision of his own) he returned to the band, this time as Flugel player a position he retained until leaving the band in 2004.

His teaching career saw him appointed as Head of Music and then Head of Performing Arts at Abraham Darby School, Telford. The schools successes were numerous totalling 23 national awards and 4 international awards including a performance at the Isaac Stern auditorium in Carnegie Hall, New York.

His other conducting activities have included spells as MD of Banks Brewery Band, City Of Birmingham Band, Langley Band, Snibston & Desford Band and numerous guest appearances with bands all over the midlands including the Jackfield Elcock Resien Band.

After moving to a new job as Deputy Headteacher at the High Arcal School, Dudley and a year away from music to recharge his ‘musical batteries’, Simon is delighted that the Jackfield Band have asked him to take up the reins and is very hopeful that the partnership between himself and the band can develop into a very long lasting and rewarding one.