About the Site
The Brass Crest is an independent web site about brass bands, instruments, and music, focusing on the Salvation Army brass band tradition. When the site was launched on 1 November 1999, very few Salvation Army bands at any level had an online presence, so the site was conceived as a means to elevate the profile of Salvation Army music in the online space.
In April 2001, the site took a major step forward with the inception of the News Section. Items for the news section are submitted by visitors to the site or sourced from online resources such as individual websites and Facebook pages.
At the time the site was launched, the webmaster was serving as a Salvation Army corps bandmaster. This led to the addition of the tune book resources section as a means of assisting in the preparation of meaningful music for participation in worship and other corps meetings and activities. In 2016, more resources were added with the launch of the Brass Crest Two-Part Hymn Series. This is a collection of simple arrangements of classic hymn tunes and songs, with over 200 tunes included.
Advertising on the Brass Crest
Our advertising policy is simple – we do not accept any paid advertising of any kind, or any monetary compensation for anything on the site. We are not selling anything and we are not soliciting contributions for anything. If there is a new recording, concert announcement, or product, you can submit an article to promote it, but you cannot compensate us for posting that article (either monetarily or in-kind) and we will not collect any money for you (although we will link to pages where our visitors can order your products). You can support the site by linking to it, mentioning it on social media, and submitting content. Constructive feedback and suggestions are always welcome.
About the Webmaster
The webmaster of the Brass Crest, Robert D. Schramm, is a life-long Salvationist musician. His musical experience started at the age of six at a Salvation Army music camp where his father was the featured guest. He joined his corps band at the age of 11 and at 13 became a member of the National Capital Band. Based in the Washington, DC area, this band is the divisional band for the Potomac Division of the Salvation Army and is well-known in the Salvation Army banding community. The webmaster has served in the National Capital Band for over 40 seasons, the majority of that time on first baritone. He also served as a corps bandmaster from 1999–2005.