Marching into Royalty: Ava’s trip to Buckingham Palace

Ava (fourth from the right), aged 14

We are delighted to share an exciting trip to Buckingham Palace involving the London Area Sea Cadet Band back in March, which featured one of our Scholars, Ava, from Bromley Youth Music Trust.

Ava is a dedicated trumpet Scholar from our 2021-2025 cohort, and is described by her mentor as a ‘delightful student’. She has been making great progress on the trumpet this year, passing her Grade 5 exam with Merit in the summer term of 2024, and is now well on the way to Grade 6. As well as being a very active member of Bromley Youth Music Trust ensembles, she has also enjoyed playing in the London Area Sea Cadet Band, which performs a variety of music including traditional marches at events across the London area.

Here’s what Ava had to say about her royal trip:

‘In March 2025 I was fortunate enough to join a select group of musicians from the London Area Sea Cadet Band to play at Buckingham Palace for the Princess Royal.  We played in the entry hall as the guests arrived, before going to speak with Princess Anne herself.  The event was a fundraiser for T.S. Royalist, which is a training ship used by the Sea Cadets for offshore voyages. We played a number of tunes including ‘On the Quarter Deck’, ‘Royal Salute’ and the National Anthem.

I really enjoyed the day and it is an experience I will never forget.’

A huge congratulations to Ava for this once-in-a-lifetime performance opportunity! Ava will be graduating as a London Music Fund Scholar this June, and we wish her all the best with her musical adventures in the future.