We have had a number of letters regarding last week’s series of articles by Adam Aitchison on the need for an approved structure for those wishing to make the progression from amateur to professional ranks. (Read Adam’s articles starting here.) Unfortunately the responses have all been made anonymously. We assume the writers are afraid their competitive success may be compromised by their putting their heads above the parapet (a common concern among bands and soloists), however we thought it worth reporting what these correspondents had to say….
The first letter is in support of the Piping Centre and the Competing Pipers’ Association and praises the status quo: I must say as a CLASP competitor I’m not sure I completely agree that there needs to be a bridge between Grade 1 CLASP competing and C Grade CPA competing.
The CLASP does what it says on the tin as does the CPA; one is amateur and one is not. The CLASP does offer in person events within its calendar at the NPC, whilst I agree that there is scope for it’s geography to be a bit wider, it ultimately is run by the NPC and so makes sense they utilise the space they already have.
The jump from Grade 1 CLASP to the CPA C Grade is not small and there certainly would be a transition period for any player, however there is a reason for that: you are going from amateur status to competing amongst some serious talent in the CPA.
The expectation in my eyes should be that you earn your place in the C Grade, dealing with a bit more music to play, having your tunes drawn on the day, playing in front of perhaps a few more people in certain events.
The CPA is the pinnacle of competing solo piping and should be treated as such. It is a player’s own free will to make that jump if they feel ready, and if it is not to be, the player would have to deal with the consequences of that or double down and keep grafting on for a lengthy period of time to earn their first prize in the C Grade.
It certainly could be a difficult transition for a player to jump into the C Grade from the CLASP, but personally I see no reason to change that; the player must be willing to strive for the excellence of the CPA and earn their place amongst the prizes and ultimately work their way up to the top if they so desire.
Second: In response to the online competition commentary – some of us would like to compete in person, and would find joy in playing tunes that judges would really appreciate, but we live in such places where attending more than one or two competitions in person isn’t possible.
Online competitions are such a wonderful thing for those of us that would otherwise have to travel over six hours by car to reach the nearest competition. Why would anyone want to deprive us of the chance to play our music?
It may not be 2020 anymore, but I for one am so grateful that we haven’t reverted back to ONLY in person competitions. Some of us aren’t so fortunate as those of you who live within a reasonable driving distance of a competition every weekend throughout the summer.
Third (in response to the comment immediately above): I think you maybe need to re-read the writer’s article again for he is saying to keep the two separate and give amateurs the in-person contests needed for those who wish to progress to higher levels. I don’t think anyone wishes to take your experience away from you.
Fourth: The CLASP system falls down a little as it isn’t joined up with the CPA, RSPBA or others. Due to this, we see less of a spread of events over a season, compared to the juvenile solos where bands supported them. (Craigmount High School Pipe Band ran a well attended solo contest from their school for example).
This barrier to entry has led to more online contests than in person – this will only change when the NPC, RSPBA and other bodies stop being so Glasgow-centric and make the effort to host or organise events across the country.
An online system means they can get as many entries in as possible, including from Americans, Canadians etc, but it is to the detriment of the pipers who want to advance and don’t get the same experience of travelling in, tuning up, managing nerves etc.
March Lessons… A large range of tunes…. click on pic
Lessons on marches… click on pic to select your tune