I’ve had an experience like no other doing work placement at the Bate Collection. In one day, I have learnt so much about the history of musical instruments and the culture that surrounds them, and I feel more inspired then ever to work with musical instruments after seeing them from a historical perspective that I had not thought about before. Working here has made me appreciate the amount of work and effort that goes into running such a big project and makes me more inclined to lend a hand in the future which I had not considered before coming here.
I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the evolution of trumpets and horns in general, it is incredibly interesting how the instrument subtly changes over hundreds of years. I found the Beale trumpet particularly fascinating because of it’s rich history with Oliver Cromwell and King Charles II. I find it amazing that these instruments can tell such astounding stories.