In 1988 Perry decided to indulge his personal passion for jazz by setting up the VSB, purely as an experiment to give some students at Vyners School the opportunity to enjoy and perform jazz while increasing their self-confidence. Originally the idea was to bring together about ten 'musicians' (possibly including Perry himself on trumpet) with a varied competence in music to play some Jazz, Dixieland or Glenn Miller style arrangements. The keen interest from students was obvious and the band soon increased in size to around twenty five players.

The first problem was finding arrangements suitable for the instrumental line-up and ability of the musicians. Much appreciated help and advice arrived from a parent in the Central RAF Band and a variety of sources were located. With a little financial support from the school and the music department, and particularly from the Friends of Vyners, as well as donations from other sources, the Swing Band soon attained one hundred numbers in its concert repertoire, with many others to practise.

Another significant difficulty was the lack of certain instruments, notably trumpets, guitars, alto saxes and drums. Trumpet parts were taken by oboes and clarinets, clarinets also supported the tenor saxes, flutes supported the alto sax and bassoons originally picked up the baritone sax part. One early listener suggested that the band was trying to sound like Harry Gold and His Pieces of Eight. Perry thought the sound created by the band (not the standard!) was somewhat similar to Jack Hylton. However, any similarity in sound was purely accidental - the result of the combination of instruments. With such a combination, the band could not really be considered a dance band or a big band - so the Swing Band was born, a band that enjoys playing music from before the First World War to the present day. In fact, with the emergence of a more powerful saxophone line, the reappearance of a percussion section and the increase in trumpets, the overall sound changed quite quickly. Each year brings a slightly different sound - on occasions they were even joined by former Swingers (and guests).

The Vyners Swing Band's first 'performance', apart from playing in several school assemblies, was at the annual House Music Festival in March 1988. The VSB has gone from strength to strength, its numbers swelling alongside its repertoire, building a reputation second to none. Indeed, so highly is it regarded, it is the only band to have been invited for a return performance at the Hampton Court International Flower Festival - 2002 was its seventh appearance there. Other venues have included Fairfield Halls, Croydon; Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre, London; Brighton Dome; and various points along the route of the London Marathon for the past five years! Large and small ensembles from the VSB have played more than 325 gigs since 1988 and raised in excess of £50,000 for a variety of charities, as well as entertaining audiences both local and further afield including successful tours of France, Italy, Switzerland and Germany.

Of course, as members leave school to take up work or courses of Higher or Further Education new blood is constantly being introduced and the VSB continues to evolve. However, so great is their enthusiasm, many older members have returned to play at every possible opportunity, even though many now play in the Perry Parsons Big Band and several now play in a semi-professional capacity. Consequently, what started as an experimental school band has evolved into a talented group of musicians ranging in age from 12 to 30 years with a membership (past and present) of more than 110.

As a teacher of history at Vyners School, a great lover of jazz and an occasional trumpeter, the conductor, Mr. Perry Parsons, was very keen to set up the band and now he has no regrets. Over 325 performances have been played and more than 110 students have gone through the band, many of whom stay in touch and enjoy coming back to play when they can. After 29 years teaching at Vyners School, Perry decided to take early retirement in 1997 to give himself more time to organise the VSB as this is a part of his life which he really enjoys. He still works part-time in the Hearing Impaired Resource Base at Vyners, helping pupils with hearing difficulties at the school.

Now the band is well known around the local area and Perry Parsons is constantly flooded with letters asking if the band will play at various events. The band is always very keen to play and as long as there is an audience the Vyners Swing Band will always be willing to perform.