Brass banding is one of The Salvation Army’s most iconic and beloved ministries. But like so many things, it faced significant challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. For two years, many of us missed out on banding as groups were forced to stop meeting in person. What kind of future does banding have, now that we can rehearse and perform again? 

We asked Matt Barby for his thoughts on these questions and more. Matt is a senior soldier at London Citadel, a high school music teacher, and bandmaster of Impact Brass, a regional youth band in southwestern Ontario.