In mid-March 2020, I went on tour with Cambridge University Brass Band (CUBB) to Yorkshire. When we set off from Cambridge on Saturday morning, all seemed right with the world (or the UK, at least). By the time we returned on Tuesday afternoon, it seemed as if the ground was shifting under our feet. Things were changing, and not for the better.

I loved the parts of our tour which were able to go ahead as planned, but would I have enjoyed them more if I knew it would be the last time I would play with a full band in a year?

When we came back to Cambridge, we were already the last brass band standing in the country, Brass Bands England having called all banding activity to a halt the night before. Since then, the band has had one rehearsal in November 2020 on a reduced scale, and some caroling was able to go ahead in small groups in December.

“Just as for many other organisations, Zoom and other communications technology came to the rescue.”

The emptiness of the summer months, usually packed with performances at summer fetes and bandstands and all manner of seasonal concerts, was difficult to deal with for everyone. I have played at summer fetes with brass bands every year since I was fifteen; last summer was an unpleasant break with tradition.

Still, it was not all doom and gloom. Just as for many other organisations, Zoom and other communications technology came to the rescue. With my home band, we managed to put on a Zoom quiz every week for seven months before enthusiasm finally dwindled. Somehow, trying to remember the capital of San Marino (trick question: it is the capital as well as the name of the republic) or the composer of ‘Sleigh Ride’ wasn’t the same as the stimulating music-making that ordinarily bracketed our interactions.

With Zoom quizzes exhausted, we turned to another innovation particular to these unprecedented times: virtual rehearsals. At first, I was sceptical. Playing along to a recording could be no substitute for the reality of being deafened by a soprano cornet or the rumbling of a fully stocked bass section. However, after months of – let’s be honest – very little practice, it turned out that this was a good way to get back into the habit.

“Even this poor facsimile of an in-person rehearsal was like an oasis in the desert after months without group playing.”

There were inevitable technical issues at first, but even this poor facsimile of an in-person rehearsal was like an oasis in the desert after months without group playing. It probably helped that my home band’s percussionist is also my younger sibling, so I had the volume of a normal practice replicated fairly accurately without 30 other people in the room!

After this breakthrough, the next logical step was a return to playing together in small groups, especially as the COVID situation appeared to be improving. Although I wasn’t selected for the CUBB rehearsal, with freshers understandably prioritised in a format requiring reduced numbers, I was able to busk with four others in December as part of the Christmas festivities.

You may have heard us in the market square, or by the crepe van in the centre of town, and if you were one of the people who came up to us to say how nice it was to hear live music again – thank you. It meant an incredible amount to know that other people had missed it, after so long out in the wilderness.

However, the pandemic has since worsened, meaning Zoom rehearsals are likely to be back with a vengeance. I’m not complaining – how could I, after months without music? It’s a sign of the new reality we live in. An online rehearsal may not scratch the same itch as an in-person one, but it’s enough for now. I’ll take it.