Some promising news on the North Lanarkshire music provision front. It would appear that all of the bands and orchestras in the local authority’s schools are to remain, and that includes their award winning pipe bands. The downside I hear is that they are looking for cuts of £186,000 from ‘management and tuition’ in schools. That sounds to me like a few big jobs are going to be axed and…

By The Editor A reader has contacted us to mention that his son played in a Piping Centre Junior competition Piobaireachd event last weekend. When the boy finished the judges called him over and told him that he had played well but that he had gone off the tune. The boy was surprised; he didn’t think he had. The father, in the audience, naturally asked the boy what the judges…

The above photograph is from the British Legion piping competition 2002. I can identify some of those pictured ((l-r): Donald MacKay, Stuart Samson, ?, Jim Penman, Brian Donaldson, a very young Ben Duncan?, Ross McCrindle, ?, ? If anyone can fill in the gaps please pass on. I met Jim again recently at Bob Shepherd’s funeral and among other things he was telling me about the early days of his…

The Board of the National Piping Centre are seeking applications for the post of Director of Piping to replace Roderick MacLeod, hitherto ‘Principal’ of the Centre, who is leaving the organisation in May. The advert reads: ‘The National Piping Centre (NPC) is a charity established to promote and encourage the study of the music and history of the Highland Bagpipe….. The new Director will lead the continuing development of the…

Following on from our articles on the Ford Motor Company Pipe Band and the Detroit Highlanders, correspondent Steve Thomson has forwarded another great picture (above). Steve writes: ‘This one from a parade in Detroit in 1910. Not sure who the players are (perhaps some of your intrepid readers will assist?). At that time these are likely immigrant Scots. The local St Andrews Society here [in Detroit] was founded in 1849…