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RE: Women in Brass Bands

Guy Clark wrote:

> To say that excluding women from a band on the basis of their gender isn't
> sexist is ludicrous!!  Exclusion on the basis of gender is sexist by
> definition!
> 
> To try to state that such exclusion is acceptable is reprehensible.  How
> would you like it if you belonged to the group being excluded.  What if your
> job forced you to move to the USA and we had some stupid rule against
> allowing Brits in our bands?  Wouldn't that make you feel angry?  
> 
> Who else would you like to exclude?  Jews?  People of African extraction?
> Irish?  Scots?  People whose noses are bigger than yours?  Where do you draw
> the line?  This sort of discrimination is one of the first steps on the
> slippery path that Nazi Germany took, or that of  Slobodan Milosevic in
> Yugoslavia!
> In America, we make a strong effort to be INCLUSIVE rather than EXCLUSIVE
> and generally judge people on their abilities.  My band, the Illinois Brass
> Band, would be a much poorer organization without the talents and abilities
> of our female members.  Our first two solo cornets and principal
> percussionist (to name a few) are women, and amongst the best brass banders
> on this continent.  I am proud to be a member of such an organization.
> I suggest that you rethink your attitudes toward your fellow brass banders
> and humans.  
> Guy Clark
> solo cornet, Illinois Brass Band

You seem to have hit the nail on the head, Guy, and I agree with 
every word.  I normally try not to send 'me too' messages, but I do
want to send a message which contradicts the impression which may be 
being created through this discussion that British bands in general 
harbour sexist attitudes.  In my experience this is emphatically 
not the case.  In the band that I conduct we currently have 12 female 
players, and that is not unrepresentative.  The half dozen bands who 
do maintain that policy are out on a limb, and it's only a matter of 
time...

One of the positive benefits of our National Lottery programme is 
that is has made all bands who apply for funding reassess their 
accesibility.  We had to build disabled access and facilities, and 
change the wording of our constitition in order to qualify for 
funding, but it certainly made us aware of how accessible we can 
still become. 

David 


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