Whilst in secondary school I was first trombone of both a 20-piece local big band (Ashford Youth Jazz Orchestra) and a semi-professional 8-piece Dixieland Trad group, Norton's Trad Lads. The former toured Barcelona, played the Royal Festival Hall in Birmingham and won the MFY 2010 Times Educational Supplement Award and performed at the 2010 Schools' Prom at the Royal Albert Hall. The latter involved emphasis on more improvisational jazz playing, in the style of Kenny Ball, Chris Barber, Louis Armstrong and other such influences. This group made the finals of the MFY 2012 competition and was asked to return to perform at the Royal Albert Hall for the 2012 Primary Prom. Since being at Cambridge I have played as part of Downing and Emmanuel College Big Bands and have regularly played more functional jazz in smaller, more intimate combinations, predominantly just piano, trombone and voice.