The picture up top will let you see what a huge success last week’s Northern Winter School in Lohheide, Germany, was. It is of the closing concert. Hundreds of locals attended. Admission was free and they made substantial donations to the school. The dates for 2019 have been announced as November 8 -15. Such is its popularity that registrations for the school will open early in the new year. Hornby,…

The Scottish Schools Pipes & Drums Trust have sent this… A schools piping competition which is already the biggest in the world is set to grow further. Organisers of next year’s Scottish Schools Pipe Band Championships say they expect over 150 schools from across Scotland to be represented. Event organiser Patrick Gascoigne said the predicted boost is based on the number of school pupils being taught in programmes run by…

Volume three of our footage from the 1995 Northern Meeting highlights the brilliant playing in that year’s Hornpipe & Jig contest, writes the Editor. The contest was in two parts, a qualifier and a final, the first in one of the small rooms at Eden Court Theatre, Inverness, and the final in the main auditorium. The contest was won by Angus MacColl with Alan Bevan, P/M of BC’s Simon Fraser…

The Annual Scots Guards Association Pipers Branch Junior Solo Piping competition will be held at the Army School of Piping, Inchdewar House, Edinburgh, this Saturday (17 November) commencing 10am. Contests: Under 15 March, Under 15 Strathspey & Reel, Under 15 Piobaireachd (own choice submitted on the day), Under 18 March, Strathspey and Reel, Under 18 Piobaireachd (two piobaireachd, and two MSR sets to be submitted on the day); Open Hornpipe and Jig entries on the day. The above picture…

I hear the RSPBA’s Board of Directors are looking at ways of better using the Friday of the World Pipe Band Championships. One suggestion is that the Friday becomes the Juvenile World Pipe Band Championship day with all Novice and Juvenile bands and Junior Drum Majors completing their contests that day with a separate prizegiving on conclusion. Prizewinners from the Friday might be invited to take part in the finale…