Category: News

Johnstone Exams/ Florida School/ Piping Recitals

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Congratulations to successful candidates at the latest Johnstone Pipe Band PDQB/SCQF exam course, writes Keith Bowes Snr. The course started in mid-September, with exams mid-December (see picture above). This can be a quiet time in the pipe band calendar and a lot of youngsters take it as a bit of a rest period; the course ensures their enthusiasm from the previous season is carried forward. Courses and exams were held…

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Pipe Band Judges Ensemble Seminar

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Thanks to an invite from Robert Mathieson and John Reville, I was able to spend a couple of hours sitting in on last Saturday’s RSPBA judges’ online seminar. There were 62 participants, a mix of adjudicators and leading pipers and drummers. The subject was ensemble, something that has featured over that past while in these pages. Much of what I heard and saw was new to me, eye-opening even. By…

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Editor’s Notebook: Solo Judging/ PS Books/ RSPBA Website/ Kintyre Travellers/ Drumming Masters

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Reader ‘JW’ writes again re solo judging: ‘I must tip my hat to Neil Mulvie on his very truthful comments regarding SPJA judges and all the problems he was brave enough to mention. Neil has been right there for years and seen it all, or was he telling us something we all knew anyway? ‘Is it not time this was sorted out once and for all as it doesn’t seem…

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Further Analysis of Ensemble Judging – Part 2

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The writer continues his response to last week’s article by Alan Jones on pipe band adjudication and the judging of ensemble…   The role of the ensemble adjudicator undoubtedly should embrace primarily the tonal balance, integration and combined musical interpretation to a much greater extent than say the piping or drumming judge. He/she should focus less on technical issues – but should not ignore any technical aspects of significance. There…

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Further Analysis of Pipe Band Ensemble Judging

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The recent article by Alan Jones regarding pipe band adjudication and the judging of ensemble, sparked my interest in view of my former role as a drumming and ensemble adjudicator and my involvement for almost 20 years in RSPBA adjudicator training.   By Alistair Aitken OBE The whole subject of ensemble in particular has been a somewhat contentious one since the concept was first raised well over 60 years ago. …

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