President and founder
Norman Every believes that he has a brass gene somewhere in his make-up. His grandfather founded a brass band in Nelson South Wales and later the St Sebastian Band in Wokingham which is still going strong today. Norman’s father and uncles were of course bandsmen and it was natural for Norman to learn brass.
Initially taught by dad and later by the bandmaster of Guildford Salvation Army Band. He became a member of the then renowned Farnham School Orchestra and after marriage and a move to the delightful village of Cranleigh in Surrey, he followed in his grandfathers footsteps and founded the Cranleigh Youth Band. This band became the premier youth band in the south of England representing the area in the National ‘Music for Youth’ festival at the Royal Festival Halls.
It was with this band that Norman first organised and undertook ‘Band Tours’ taking them to Devon, Co. Durham and Canada. Following the building of Cranleigh’s prestigious Bandroom – a self build project – Norman relinquished the baton there and set about forming the National Methodist Youth Brass Band – the rest you can read in this website.
Norman is a lifelong Methodist holding many offices within the circuits and churches that he has served. Norman is a vice president of the Southern Counties Amateur Bands Association and founder member of the British Association of Christian Bandsmen. Norman believes that God speaks and guides through our dreams and imagination and his most common well used phrase is simply “go for it”.
