Ireland Colliery Chesterfield

Coming from a musical family Ian started playing the Tenor Horn at the age of 5, he started his banding career with Corsham Brass Band in Wiltshire. Where he spent nine successful years on Tenor Horn, through those years he competed in and won various solo contests. At the age of 14 Ian moved on to the Trombone and took up the Solo Trombone seat with in the band, and held that seat for four years before he left the band to go up to Yorkshire to study for his degree in band studies.

Since 1998 Ian has lived up in Barnsley Yorkshire and he has played with various bands as a player and guest including, Polypipe and Rossington, Harworth Brass Band, Old Silkstone, Barnsley Building society, Carlton Main Frickley, Rothwell and his current band United Coop Yorkshire. And through Coop he has had the chance to travel half way around the world and compete at the New Zealand Brass Band Championships in 2005.

He began conducting in 1999 with Emley Brass Band where he took the band back contesting after a four year absence. He spent 2 years at Emley where he learnt a lot from the band and the people around him. He then moved on to become the Resident conductor at Harworth Brass band under their professional conductor John Davis.

In 2003 Ian joined Ireland Colliery as their conductor and has lead the band through a rebuilding battle after the band was close to folding. Through this time Ian has lead the band at five area contests and various other contests including Butlins, Silkstone March contest, Pogson Bray, the Whit Friday Marches, Buxton and Hardraw Scar entertainment contest.  The band gained a 3rd place at the 2008 Butlins contest in Skegness in a field of 19.

Ian has also conducted various other bands as a guest including United Coop Yorkshire, Cawthorne, Old Silkstone, Wetherby, Corsham and Riddings Brass Band.

In 2008 Ian also took to the centre of Old Trafford in front of 80000 people to conduct Kathrine Jenkins for the Super League Grand Final