Behind the music with Paul Woodward

Joining the Rothwell Temperance Band in 2024, Paul Woodward has quickly established himself as a powerful musical voice within the ensemble. A fourth‑generation trombonist with an international performance career, he brings passion and a deep sense of musical purpose to his role as Principal Trombone.

For Paul, the best thing about brass banding is the extraordinary community it creates. “It’s a tremendous opportunity to be part of a team, I think Rothwell Temperance Band is much more though and is a family,” he explains. With members of all ages and backgrounds coming together to keep live music thriving, Paul values the professionalism and dedication that define brass banding at its highest level.

His playing has taken him around the globe including Chicago, New York, Florida, Philadelphia, Ireland, Holland, Switzerland, France, Germany, Norway, Singapore, and even Bermuda, with another trip to the USA currently in the making.

Paul’s standout moment with the band so far? “In 2025 the band was crowned French Open Champions.” For a group with such strong ambition and musicianship, it’s a result that represents both pride and progress.

Music runs deep in Paul’s family, introduced to brass at aged seven by his dad, an accomplished Salvation Army trombonist. Paul began on baritone at the age of seven before moving onto trombone “when his arm was long enough.”

One of his earliest musical experiences is performing a solo at a Harvest Festival at age seven, a piece written especially for him by his grandad, featuring the Match of the Day theme tune.

His strongest musical influences include his dad and the great trombone players Don Lusher and Urbie Green, whose style and musicianship inspired him to keep practising.

Paul really enjoys practising every day and sets himself goals before each practise session. He treats every scale and study as though he’s playing for an audience, with the philosophy that guides every session “Never practice, always perform.”

His parents were both musical, his mum was a soprano vocalist, his dad a very fine trombonist. They impressed upon him from an early age the importance of communicating the emotion and the words behind music.

Paul’s favourite piece can change from day to day, but his all‑time favourite solo is Ray Steadman‑Allen’s The Eternal Quest. He still uses the original soloist copy that his dad played from. His current favourite solo is Peter Graham’s Fiesta, which he will be performing at Pudsey Civic Hall. “I love it, so hopefully the audience will like it!”

When it comes to performing, Paul embraces both the thrill and the pressure. “It’s easy to focus on the negative things and what can go wrong, especially during a performance, but you can turn that energy into excitement because you’re about to walk on stage and do the thing you love most in the world.” The best moments come when you connect with an audience and months of preparation finally comes to life: “That feeling is unparalleled.”

Paul promises audiences a fantastic night of live music: “The band is in brilliant form and our Musical Director, Dave Roberts, has chosen a fabulous programme with a blend of repertoire and style from the band and soloists to cater for everyone. We hope to see you there for what will be a great evening!”

Paul Woodward performs with the Rothwell Temperance Band on Saturday 18 April, 7.30pm at Pudsey Civic Hall. 

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