Community band COVID Collection project

Dear Bands and Band members,

The Victorian Bands' League recognises that all bands and band members have made significant sacrifices in 2020 to their music through cancellation of rehearsals and performances. It has been a difficult time for many, yet, as we have seen, bands have proved themselves to be inventive, adaptable and resilient while making use of the technology of the day to stay connected.

The Victorian Bands' League Library & Archive is wishing to document the life of bands and band members while under COVID lockdowns as the experiences will be useful for future research and interested band people. The Archive would be seeking digital files which could include (but are not limited to):

• screenshots of Zoom meetings / rehearsals
• Digital copies of flyers or advertising relating to cancelled performances
• pictures of practice
• pictures or videos of the 2020 Anzac Day commemorations (links can also be sent)
• small sound files / videos
• written experiences of band members or bands (notable memories, feelings, music making)
• any other experiences related to community bands during these strange times.

These files would be contributed with the knowledge that they may be used by the VBL for social media or on the VBL website and will be stored for research purposes. There is also a possibility certain files would be contributed to local history sections of Victorian libraries if requested by the library. The files would be stored in a secure "cloud".

The following link to a Google document details how the files are to be contributed and also detail the understanding the contributor has with the VBL over the use of the files. The VBL Library & Archive welcomes the contribution of bands and band members to this project. Any enquiries can be directed to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Link: Community Band COVID Collection Project - Information Document

Kind Regards,

Jeremy de Korte

VBL Vice-President

VBL Volunteer Librarian & Archivist

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.