Glenalmond School in Perthshire is in the position, for the first time in my 27+ years here, to offer scholarships to pipers and pipe band snare drummers, writes Brian Elrick.
I’m keen for this to reach as wide an audience as possible as it can offer life-changing educational opportunities for successful applicants. I run the Pipes & Drums programme at the school and Sandy Bayne is my snare drumming instructor.
Sandy learnt his trade in the famous St Andrews Boys Brigade band under Davie Clark and went on to compete at the top level with the Vale of Atholl.
He has played and instructed with the Western Australia Police and the Royal Air Force of Oman Pipe Band before returning to Scotland. He has been teaching at Glenalmond since 2019.
I have been teaching full-time at Glenalmond since 1998 and have been Pipe Major of Stonehaven in Grade 1, Pipe Sergeant of the Vale of Atholl, and playing for Polkemmet and Lothian and Borders Police in the top grade. I’m currently a senior piper in Fife Police. Here is the link for the application page.
The scholarship web page reads: ‘Thanks to the generous endowment from His Excellency Dr Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah, President of the Glenalmond Schools Group, we are thrilled to be launching up to 40 new awards for exceptional talent.
‘The awards offer up to 100% fee remission and are available to new applicants for day and boarding places from September 2025 onwards.
‘Awards will be allocated across every area of College life, spanning different year groups, to ensure a balance of junior and senior entries. These individual categories include but are not limited to:
‘Academic, Art & Design, Technology, Drama, Golf, Hockey, Music including Piping [PP emphasis], Outdoor Learning, Rugby, Tennis, Cricket, and Shooting.’
- Glenalmond is one of Scotland’s top private schools attended by pipers such as Gold Medallist Duncan MacGillivray and the BBC’s former presenter and producer Iain MacInnes. The school was recently in the news after significant investment from Qatar. Private schools have been under pressure following the UK government’s imposition of 20% VAT on tuition fees. At Glenalmond these can be over £50,000 for senior boarders.
- Another top school with a prominent pipe band programme is Fettes in Edinburgh. It was recently reported that job cuts are now being considered after the school’s most recent accounts showed a decline in pupil numbers. Fees at Fettes can cost up to £54,000 a year, inclusive of VAT.
- Earlier this year George Watson’s College in Edinburgh, a school with an outstanding piping and drumming programme, said that proceeds from its annual fund raising effort could be used to help students struggling with fees. The school, which charges almost £20,000 a year for senior pupils, has pledged not to increase fees this year.
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