Young musicians from a record-breaking 172 schools across Scotland gathered in Kilmarnock last Sunday for the Scottish Schools Pipe Band Championships, marking the largest number of schools ever involved in the event’s 12-year-history, writes Lesley Wilkinson.
Held at the William McIlvanney Campus, the Championships welcomed 51 bands and ten quartets from every corner of the country, with 90% of participating schools coming from the state sector.
Organised by the Scottish Schools Pipes and Drums Trust, the event continues to demonstrate how piping and drumming are becoming increasingly accessible to young people, regardless of background or financial circumstances.
Newcomers included Glasgow Schools, Ellon Academy, Irvine Schools, Oban High and Taynuilt Youth Pipe Band.
The Eilidh MacLeod Endeavour Award (£1000) was presented to Stirling & District Schools. Their young pipers and drummers fundraised for charity by busking this winter.
Juvenile: 1 G Watson’s, £500 2 Dollar Acad. £400 3 G Heriot’s £300; Nov. Juv. ‘A’: 1 G Watson’s, £400 2 N Lanarkshire Schools £300 3 Renfrew Schools £250 4 Dollar Acad. £200 5 St Columba’s £100; Nov. Juv. ‘B’: 1 G Watson’s, £400 2 Glasgow Acad., £300 3 Skye Youth, £250 4 Edinburgh Acad., £200 5 Kintyre Schools, £100; Junior ‘A’: 1 Fettes, £350 2 Morrison’s Acad. £250; Junior ‘B’: 1 Highland Life, £350 2 Gordonstoun, £250 3 Erskine SM, £200 4 Merchiston, £100 5 SW Scotland P&D, £50; Junior ‘C’: 1 Isle of Bute, £300 2 Perth & Kinross, £200 3 Glasgow High, £150 4 Madras Coll., £100 5 Strathmore, £50; Quartets: 1 East Dunbarton ‘A’, £300 2 Angus Schools, £200 3 Kinross High, £150 4 Hermitage ‘A’, £100 5 East Dunbarton ‘B’, £50; Freestyle: 1 Strathmore, £1500 2 Sgoil Lionacleit, £1400 3 Beira & High Life, £1300 4 Castlebay School, £1200
Sponsors were the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, the William Grant Foundation and the William Syson Foundation.
Stirling Juniors
Organiser Craig Muirhead reports….. It was a great day at the King Robert Hotel last Saturday with 23 playing in the light music, 16 in the piobaireachd, and 12 chanter performances and we still managed to get finished by 3.45pm thanks to an amazing team of volunteers. The results are below (with surnames removed as I’m never sure about posting children’s full names).
U18 Piob. (P/M A Davidson MBE Trophy): 1 Lachlan R 2 Kai H 3 Rory M 4 Alex M 5 Morla B
U18 March (J Swan Trophy): 1 Morla B 2 Lachlan R 3 Kai H 4 Arran B 5 Rory M
U18 S&R (D Ogilvie Salver): 1 Lachlan R 2 Morla B 3 Arran B 4 Kai H 5 Grace K
U18 Jig (D Wannan Trophy): Lachlan R 2 Grace K 3 Kai H 4 Morla B 5 Rory M
Chanter March: 1 Rowan G 2 Findlay K 3 Callum C; Chanter S Air: 1 George D 2 Rowan G 3 Findlay K
G Dewar Overall Trophy: Lachlan Rennie; Judges: J Greenlees, P Hunt, G McCready, C Wynd.
Bagpiper’s Handbook – Handy Maintenance Tips
A concise yet complete handbook for all pipers. Learn how to tie in a stock, adjust your reeds, test your bag and much, much more. A handy size, the book can be kept in the pipe case for easy reference. The book comes complete with a set of video instructions which help explain each lesson. Access them: here.
‘It is beautifully presented and full of wise tips for pipers’….Fred Kew, Hong Kong