Helen Smith - 2nd Cornet

Helen's music career started with playing the recorder at primary school and she had great aspirations to play the flute when she started secondary school. Unfortunately by the time the teacher got to Helen when allocating instruments the only one left was a dodgy violin which had definitely seen better days. Determined to be able to dodge her much hated German lessons by having violin tuition instead, she gave it a go - but hated it with a vengeance! Salvation came during the summer holidays when a friend suggested she join the local junior brass band - by the end of the holidays a triumphant Helen gladly handed back the detested violin with the triumphant words "I play the cornet now". So began the life of brass band playing and she soon joined the senior band on second cornet which had recently become known as Fossdyke Band. The band enjoyed a number of successes at national contests and rose through the ranks - unfortunately the school work started to suffer and Helen left the band but continued to play with a local non-contesting band, youth orchestra and jazz band - Jazz Vehicle.

She continued to play for the sheer enjoyment of it and even played the Soprano cornet for a couple of years as well as trumpet in various bands and Orchestras in Leeds, York and Edinburgh. On moving to Scarborough in 1998 Helen joined Sherburn Band and then Scarborough Town band where she was approached by Simply Brass players Jim McKirdie and Steve Hague to join their aspiring 10 piece brass group (which at the time had five players!) on third cornet - little did she know what she was letting herself in for as the first female to join the band! Helen changed instruments to the flugelhorn after a year or so of playing with the band and has managed to continue playing despite having had two children in the last five years - playing with Simply Brass is her escape from reality!

Previous Bands:

Fossdyke Band

Jazz Vehicle

Sherburn Band

Scarborough Town band