Today (Feb 24) is crunch day for North Lanarkshire Schools Pipe Bands when their sponsoring local authority meets to decide on £30m proposed cuts to non-statutory expenditure. This morning’s special council meeting in Motherwell will be covered by all local media and national television, such is the interest in the outcome. There is a webcam facility for council meetings. Check it out here. There are signs of support for the…

Glasgow Skye Association have sent this: The Glasgow Skye Association Pipe Band is delighted to announce that Inveraray & District Pipe Band will headline this year’s ‘Pre-Worlds’ concert at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on Wednesday, 12th August 2020. ‘We are thrilled to be able to secure the current World Champions for our annual pre-Worlds concert,’ said Kurt Mackintosh of the Glasgow Skye Association Pipe Band. Their previous ‘Ascension’ concert in 2013 remains one of my favourites and we have no doubt…

This annual contest was held today in the National Piping Centre, Otago Street, Glasgow. The promoter was the Glasgow and West of Scotland Branch of the Association. The adjudicator was P/M Ian McLellan. Competitors and prizewinners are pictured above. Morning winners, Age 14 and Under MSR (Four-part March, two-part S&R). Winner receives set of pipes courtesy McCallum Bagpipes* and a trophy.1. Duncan Winters (Dollar Academy)2. Fraser Hamilton (Renfrewshire Schools)3. Gregor…

Activists have launched a petition to save music services in North Lanarkshire’s schools. It follows an announcement yesterday that the cash-strapped council must find £30m in cuts to their non-statutory budget this year alone. Music teachers and administrators were called to a meeting on Monday afternoon to be given the grim news. Under threat are the local authority’s school orchestras, wind and North Lanarkshire Schools Novice and North Lanarkshire School…

One of the world’s top juvenile bands, North Lanarkshire Schools, has been threatened with the axe following the announcement of stringent cuts by their sponsoring local authority North Lanarkshire Council. Music teachers and parents have been stunned by the announcement. One parent said: ‘Ultimately this all down to cuts to local authorities from the Scottish Government. ‘Who would have believed that an SNP administration could threaten a kid’s pipe band…