Conductors
Musical Director - Ian Harby
Ian started playing the clarinet at school and gained broad experience by taking the opportunity to join a number of local musical groups. After University Ian joined the Band of the Welsh Guards as a clarinet and saxophone player, where he became Co-principal Clarinet. As well as playing for major ceremonial occasions, during his time in the Army he toured in America, Canada, Europe and Egypt.
Ian has directed bands in Kent since 1993, and became Musical Director of the Sevenoaks and Tonbridge Concert Band in 2005. He has also conducted for a variety of musical theatre productions including Oklahoma!, Copacabana, Fiddler on the Roof, Oliver! and West Side Story.
Ian is based in Tonbridge. As well as conducting, he teaches clarinet and saxophone and runs a sheet music distribution business specialising in the wind band repertoire.
Training Band Conductor - Sarah Rapley
Sarah was appointed as the Training Band conductor in January 2026.
She started playing flute at school and soon joined the Kent Junior Wind Band. As she could play the flute and wanted a new challenge she joined the 17th Tonbridge Scout and Guide Band, a traditional bugle and fife marching band. Learning the bugle led on to learning the trumpet and joining East Peckham Silver Band.
Sarah created the Musical Director position at the 17th Tonbridge Scout and Guide Band in the early 2000s - a first for bugle and fife bands, who traditionally learnt music by ear. To open up more opportunities Sarah taught members to read music and arranged well-known tunes to suit the instrumentation and ability of the band. In 2015 she oversaw the transition from a bugle and fife band to fully chromatic band (similar to the Sevenoaks and Tonbridge instrumentation) and increased the membership from 25 to 60 youth members in only a few years.
Conducting highlights are The Menin Gate, Windsor Castle and a local amateur dramatics performance of Brassed Off. Performance highlights are Main Street Parade in Disneyland, Paris, the Birmingham International Tattoo and the London New Year’s Day parade.