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‘The great thing about a brass band is that it can be very rousing and uplifting but it can also be very subtle and moving.’ Colin Crosby
has kept to the strict Salvationist ethos of no alcohol, no smoking and no gambling. ‘That means that we can’t have raffles to raise money so we have to think of other ways of fundraising.’ Colin’s son Russell, an engineer by profession, feels strongly that The Salvation Army and the Freemasons have much in common. ‘There is a great deal of misunderstanding about Freemasonry. I see it as my personal mission to put things right and point out that there is a strong morality within Freemasonry,’ he says. ‘Like The Salvation Army, there is a great tradition of charitable giving and consideration for the well-being of others. I have talked about this with many of my fellow Salvationists – I think it really helps with the understanding of Freemasonry if all aspects of it are discussed openly.’ Colin plays the tuba and switches between the E-flat and the B-flat, while David plays baritone horn and Alex plays the trombone. Explaining his choice of instrument, Colin says: ‘I like to be in the engine room of the band, which is what I consider the tuba to be.’ Russell used to play tenor horn but switched to the trombone: ‘The opportunity came up because the band was short of trombone players and although I had to learn from scratch, I saw it as a challenge and managed to pick it up. I think I have a fairly decent tone now.’
CROWD PLEASERS The Reading Central Salvation Army band has played on many auspicious occasions, including at the Royal Military Academy. The band has performed in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace to celebrate its one hundred and twenty-fifth anniversary and has also played at the annual carol service in Grand Lodge for a number of years, as well as many other engagements up and down the country. In 1994 they toured, playing in the Republic of Korea and Hong Kong, while 2007 took them to Ontario, Canada. The band plays a wide range of music, from hymn tune arrangements (many of which were composed specifically for The Salvation Army) through to popular film scores. ‘We mix up classical music with well-known tunes from films like The Great Escape or The Wizard of Oz,’ explains Colin. ‘Just as the audience are relaxing into it, we hit them with a nice oldfashioned hymn or classical song. That’s the great
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ABOVE: Russell Crosby, previously a tenor horn player, switched to trombone, learning the instrument from scratch. RIGHT: Retired music teacher Alex Mitchell helps to train up younger members of the Salvation Army band
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