Singer Pipe Band was based in Clydebank near Glasgow and featured mainly employees of the giant sewing machine manufacturer. This article is taken from the company’s ‘Singer Light’ staff magazine of April 1971. At its peak the factory employed 11,500 people shipping their ubiquitous machines around the world. Sadly the factory closed in 1980 and the band is no more, but in their day it was the perfect public relations…

Both of the following items are taken from the the December 1935 ‘Piping and Dancing’ journal. Last month we had an article which described the village of Torphichen in West Lothian, given its extensive teaching programme for piping, as the Borreraig of the 1930s. For those not au fait with piping history, Borreraig on Skye is where the MacCrimmons had their legendary school of piping from the 17th century onwards….

By John Hughes, Chairman, Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association I would like to begin by wishing everyone the compliments of the season and all the very best for 2020. This will be a very significant year for the RSPBA. It is our 90th Anniversary yet it doesn’t seem that long ago we were celebrating our 75th. I wonder if our founders back in the 1930s would ever have dreamt that…

Herewith are the playing requirements for the major championships for season 2020 as agreed by the RSPBA’s Music Board: Also announced today are all the dates for the year beginning with Bangor, Northern Ireland on May 9 and running to the World Solo Drumming on October 24. Check out the calendar here.

Before another decade slips by we thought we’d have a look back at the 2009 Worlds when, on August 15th, Canada’s Simon Fraser University Pipe Band triumphed at Glasgow Green winning both the band contest and the drumming. Here’s a photo gallery of pictures from the great day for the lads and lassies from British Columbia, a day that saw them placed first in both Medley and MSR under P/M…