Bonsor spent about 35 years in musical education, teaching in primary and secondary schools, including 17 years at Hawick High School. He taught further education classes and summer courses and later acted as Regional Education Advisor for the Scottish Borders in the 1970s.[2]
He was awarded an MBE in 2002 for services to teaching music, in particular the recorder.[3]Enjoy the Recorder, written by Bonsor, is used to teach the recorder in schools. His arrangements for recorders include Percy Grainger's Mock Morris (1985), Cats by Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Strauss's Emperor Waltz (1985). Bonsor was a musical director for the Society of Recorder Players from 1967.[2][4]
Bonsor wrote the piano piece Dreamy, which was featured in Trinity Guildhall's 2012–2014 Grade 6 repertoire. His piece Feelin' Good was included in the ABRSM's 05/06 grade 6 repertoire, the Royal College of Music's grade 7 repertoire and the Australian Music Examinations Board's grade 6 Old Syllabus and Willie Wagglestick's Walkabout for the ABRSM's 07/08 grade 7 repertoire and AMEB's grade 7 Old Syllabus.[citation needed]
Bonsor died in Hawick on 22 February 2011.[5]
List of compositions
Bagatelle
Beguine, 2 recorders, piano
Second Beguine, 2 descant recorders, 2 treble recorders, 2 violins, piano and percussion
By the brook, recorder, piano
Calliope, 3 recorders
Carebbean, recorder, piano
Carriage and pair, 3 recorders, piano
Celebration time!, 6 recorders, piano
Dreamy, piano
Easy Jazzy duets, 2 recorders
Fiesta, 3 recorders, piano
Feelin' Good, 2 recorders
Happy - go - lucky, 3 recorders
Happy whistler, 3 recorders
Here we go, 2 recorders
Hoe down, 2 recorders, piano
Jemina, recorder, piano
Little clock, 2 recorders
Nice and easy, recorder, piano
On parade, recorder, piano
Over to you, 2 recorders
Rumba, 2 recorders, piano
Scherzino, recorder, piano
Serenata, recorder, piano
Simple Samba, 2 recorders, piano
Summer afternoon, recorder, piano
Sunny island, 3 recorders
Swing your partners, recorder, piano
Tango, 3 recorders, piano
Three into 5, recorders (SAT, divisi, 3 or 5 Recorders), piano
Time to tango, 2 recorders
Tig, 3 recorders
Valerie, 2 recorders, piano
Waltz for Mo, recorder, piano
Willie Wagglestick's Walkabout, piano
References
^"Brian Bonsor". Schott. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
^ a b"Brian Bonsor". Society of Recorder Players. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
^"The Queen's Birthday Honours 2002". BBC News. 14 June 2002. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
^"James Brian Bonsor". Musicalics. 22 February 1999. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
^Steven, Alasdair (2 March 2011). "Obituary: Brian Bonsor MBE, music teacher and composer". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2011.