In August  2006  Nick Sharpe arrived in Nelson. Nick came to New Zealand in conjunction with Nelson City Brass  to create the Nelson Brass Academy, a music school  offering affordable brass lessons to anyone wanting to learn a brass instrument. There are now over 70 brass students associated with the Academy, with Academy  pupils located as far away as LakeRotoiti.

To assist the formation of the Academy the band applied to the Canterbury Community Trust for funding and  received a grant of $40,000 to buy new instruments. Nelson City Brass would like  to thank the trust for their generous support without which the Academy would not be the success it is. 

There are 3 ensembles in the Nelson Brass Academy, the Junior Band, which pupils are eligible to join after only 5 lessons, the Intermediate Brass Ensemble for those who have been playing around 3 years, and a satellite ensemble based in St Arnaud, known as the Rotoiti Band, which has a broad range of abilities.

In 2007  all bands competed  in Nelson Performing Arts competition. The Junior band and Intermediate won their respective sections whilst the Rotoiti band came a very creditable 3^rd. There was also a soloist competition and students from the Academy completed a clean sweep by winning every class they entered. Also in  2007, the Junior Brass Band performed in their first ever tour, giving concerts at three schools in the Nelson Tasman region. In December that year the Academy  ensembles also performed in a joint concert with the acclaimed West Moreton  Anglican College from Brisbane.