Skunkworks Community
Victorian State Youth Brass Band
Victoria's premier youth brass band program
About the VSYBB
The Victorian State Youth Brass Band (VSYBB) is Victoria's premier youth brass band, bringing together the state's finest young brass and percussion musicians for an intensive, high-level ensemble experience.
Managed by Skunkworks Community Limited, the VSYBB provides young musicians with the opportunity to perform at the highest level, develop their artistry, and represent Victoria on the national stage.
The band rehearses and performs throughout the year, culminating in major concerts and competitions that showcase the extraordinary talent of Victoria's young brass musicians.
Skunkworks Community is proud to work in partnership with the Victorian Bands League.
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Meet Our Patrons
Claire Dickinson and Greg Munro have been proud patrons of the Victorian State Youth Brass Band since 2023.
Greg Munro
Patron
Claire Dickinson
Patron
Background of Edgar Dickinson MBE
Innovator, entrepreneur and philanthropist, Edgar Dickinson — my dad — was co-founder with his elder brother Joseph of J&E Dickinson, Longley Farm. In 1949, Edgar and Joseph were left the 30-acre Longley Farm near Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, by their great-uncle Jonas Hinchliffe. It had five cows and a horse. Today it is the largest privately owned dairy farm in Europe.
Longley Farm is in Hade Edge, a small village in West Yorkshire on the backbone of the Pennines. For close to a hundred years there has been a brass band in Hade Edge. Dad and I were born with banding in our blood! Although neither of us could be described as musical — tone deaf being a better description — the sound of brass just seeped into our bones, like the air on the Yorkshire Moors, and stayed there.
Dad was involved with the band for many, many years and served as its president from 1981 until he died in 2011. During this time he was credited with saving the band from folding in the 1990s by providing financial support and revitalising its junior section. Dad firmly believed that youth was the future of the band. In the Channel Four documentary Yorkshire Brass, he famously stated that watching the Junior Band rehearse was far more enjoyable than sitting on a beach in Spain!
Dad was also heavily involved in the provision of the new bandroom, named the 'Edgar Dickinson Building' in his honour. Under his patronage the band achieved notable successes, including becoming National Champions of Great Britain in their section in 2002.
I moved to Australia in 1983 but regularly visited my family and maintained close contact with the band. They played at my first wedding and, indeed, it was at my third wedding to Greg in Melbourne in December 2018 that I met Phillipa and Jamie! They played at the wedding and that was the beginning of our friendship.
In 2023 we became the patrons of the Victorian State Youth Brass Band and have been very proud to be supporters of these incredibly talented musicians ever since. Following in Dad's footsteps, I am very excited to support the youth sector in brass in Victoria.
We are both very honoured to be patrons and sincerely hope that the band receives the support that it so richly deserves.
Past Performances & Tours
From the concert hall to the streets of Melbourne — a snapshot of the VSYBB in action.
Join the Program
Interested in auditioning for the VSYBB or the Davey Band? Get in touch with us today.
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