Preparations are underway for Brecon Jazz Festival and NPTC Group of Colleges 2024 Jazz Taster Day.

Following the previous success of the ‘Taster Days’, organisers of the Brecon Jazz Festival have once again joined forces with the College to help promote it. This year’s event will be led by Brecon Beacons College with additional support from various departments across the College Group.

Brecon Jazz Festival organisers are keen to involve the College once again and to provide students with a great skill set that could be invaluable to them in future work.

Some of the roles discussed include students from photography and design (part of Creative, Visual and Performing Arts) to produce ‘Taster Day’ posters and T-shirts for all involved to wear on the day. Business students will organise the event, hair and beauty students will help get the band performers ready, while hospitality students will have a table to promote the plans for new courses in Brecon, and the music students, comprising the College Jazz Ensemble, will be providing live ‘big band’ music.

In the past, Brecon Jazz Festival has provided students with amazing part-time work opportunities, including asking graduates to do post-production work and inviting students to become members of the Brecon Jazz Festival team itself, helping to organise the actual festival weekends.

Natalie Downton, Marketing Officer at Brecon Beacons College, who is also a former student and previously worked on the event, said she was delighted to be involved once again.

“I had an amazing time working with the Brecon Jazz Festival Team in 2022, It’s given me great skills I now use in my job with the College,” she said.

“I can’t wait to be working with the team again on this exciting project!”

Festival co-organisers Lynne Gornall and Roger Cannon of the BJF2024 Planning Team said: “We are delighted to have the support from the College once again and enthused by the incredible energy by all involved.

“It will be a great experience for the students of real cross-disciplinary and multi-site working on a joint project led from Brecon Beacons College and we think that having the range of involvement from across the College’s subject areas, the Marketing team and other College sites will work really well.

“We think this year’s Taster Day will definitely be something special!”