Mark is a classical trumpeter, just approaching the end of his final year at Leeds College of Music. Having lessons on the Trumpet from Pete Mainwaring.

When Mark was in primary school, he was given the opportunity to take up an instrument of his choosing. He was very excited to be given the opportunity to start playing the Bb Cornet, and by Spring 2010 achieved his Grade 7 on the cornet. Shortly after this he decided that he needed to broaden his musical experiences and did this by taking up the Trumpet. In the summer term of 2012 he achieved his Grade 8 Trumpet passing with a Merit.

His mum also says that she remembers "as a beginner he used to sit at the piano, with one hand on the cornet, and one hand on the piano, playing and transposing at the same time." (Nicola Butterworth, Teacher of Piano)

He is currently not a full time member of a brass band, however in the past he has been part of the South Yorkshire Police Brass Band (Solo Cornet), and the Yorkshire Imps Brass Band (Repiano Cornet), both championship section bands. Brass banding has always been a large part of his life; beggining with Astley Youth Brass band when he was eight.

Two years ago Mark took part in a major competition, where the prize was to have the opportunity to perform a full concerto with an orchestra. He wasn’t successful on this occasion, however because of this he was nominated, as one of five candidates from Leeds College of Music, for the Sir John Barbirolli Memorial Foundation. This if successful provides a brand new instrument for free of charge.

In late 2013, Mark set up a small brass ensemble, ‘Poco Brass’. With this ensemble it was only originally set up to go carolling at Christmas time. Since setting up the ensemble has been booked on a number of occassions, across the northwest for various events such as small fanfare jobs.

Mark’s short and long-term goals are very clear to him. In the hopefully not to distant future he hope’s to have more performance opportunities as a solo artist. He wants to carry on working with his brass ensemble, and trying to collaborate with other musicians, in order to expand his networks within the music industry. He however wants to achieve a degree in music at a standard that can get him onto a PGCE course to go on to teaching in a high school at some point.

In the long-term he wants to have a properly established performance base, hoping to be performing at least ten times a year as a solo-artist. He hopes to complete a PGCE and managed to begin teaching in a high school, and in his spare time, privately as an instrumental tutor.