Brooke Taylor

Brooke joined Milnrow Band in September 2025, but she has had a cornet in her hands for a lot longer than that. She started playing at the age of three, mainly because her dad already played and there happened to be a cornet lying around the house. Most toddlers get toy cars or building blocks – Brooke got lip slurs.

That early start paid off. Before arriving at Milnrow she spent five years in the principal seat with Greater Manchester Youth Brass Band, helped orchestrate a brass band project to A* level in Manchester that raised over £100,000 for charity, and helped bring more than a hundred players together each year to play carols at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital. Not bad for someone who only picked the instrument because it was “what we had in the house.”

Her time with Milnrow is already racking up highlights, with winning the Scottish Open sitting proudly at the top of the list. For Brooke, that contest performance is the standout memory so far – and she is only just getting started.

Away from the pressure of the contest stage, Brooke loves the social side of banding and the “most AMAZING friends” she has made along the way. Rehearsals, post‑rehearsal chats, road trips, questionable snack choices at services – it is all part of the fun.

Outside of music, Brooke has a habit of collecting honours. She is one of only twenty people in the world to hold the Diana Legacy Award, and is also a three‑time Diana Award holder.