The band are delighted to welcome Carl Whiteoak as our new Musical Director.

Hailing from Manchester, Carl started his musical career at Moston and Beswick Band on cornet at the age of 10. He quickly moved onto tuba where he remained until joining the Army at age 17 as a musician in the First Royal Tank Regiment. Having travelled extensively and performing at some highly prestigious events around the world, Carl returned to civillian life in his early 20s and rejoined Moston & Beswick, where he eventually moved from tuba to solo trombone. Whilst there, Carl enrolled upon the famous Band Musicianship course at University of Salford, where he specialised in Arranging & Conducting.  He was fortunate enough to be guided there by the likes of Dr Peter Graham, Professor David King and the late, great Dr Roy Newsome. After graduating with honours, he began working as peripatetic brass teacher in schools around Greater Manchester and Lancashire, whilst also playing for a number of bands on solo trombone including Todmorden Old and Wingates bands, before turning his hand to conducting.

 

His first appointment as a Musical Director was at Besses Boys Band, where he took the band to their first contest success in over 13 years and continued this successful run throughout his tenure. He was soon appointed as MD at Milnrow Band, with whom he qualified for the First Section National Finals.  He went on to conduct a number of bands including Ashton-under-Lyne and Besses o’ th’ Barn Band. Carl took a backseat from brass banding in order to begin retraining as a secondary school music teacher. It wasn’t long however until he returned to conducting in his hometown of Middleton. Under Carl’s direction the band were continuously in the prizes and were promoted from the third section to the second section nationally and championship section locally. The band later that year won the nationals, having being so well prepared by Carl in the run up.

 

Carl accepted a post as Head of Music at a school in the Channel Islands and moved away from Manchester in 2011.

Carl is married to Laura, also a Head of Music in a local school, with whom he now has 2 children. The family moved back to England in 2012.  Carl accepted the post of MD at Weston in September 2018, where he hopes to emulate the same motivation, encouragement and results for which he has become so widely-known in the North.