By Our Special Correspondent The practice is done, the preparation in train, and the first of the significant indoor competitions falls this Sunday, March 8. Notwithstanding the virus concerns, organisers are pressing ahead. From far and wide six hundred of boys and girls, all pipers and drummers, will gather and compete in the 2020 Scottish Schools Championships. Convergence on Kilmarnock, that Ayrshire town of renown, to the William McIlvanney Campus,…

The Florida Pipe & Drum Academy concluded after an excellent week of study and good fun – shame about the weather, cold and wet to begin with, writes Robert Wallace. We spent the last day of the trip at the North East Florida Highland Games where it was good to catch up with piping judges John Bottomley, John Rechnagel, Al MacMullin, Jim Dillahey and Bill Caudill, and they kindly invited…

Dr Peter McCalister: A very successful AKQ again today, with 23 players on the day. The competition is sponsored and promoted by the Piobaireachd Society in memory of its former Music Committee Editor Archie Kenneth. The winner was Andrew Park with a bold rendition of the Rout of Glenfruin from Donald MacDonald’s book. Judges were Donald MacPhee and Patricia Henderson. Full results:1 Andrew Park2 Stuart Gaudin (The Groat) 3 Gill…

By Iagan MacNeil A new tune has been composed to support the work of the Eilidh MacLeod Memorial Trust. It will be premiered live at a special fundraising event in Glasgow next month. ‘A Tune for the Trust’ is by music student and award winning pipe band drummer Fergus Bryce. 14-year-old piper Eilidh, from the Isle of Barra was a victim of the 2017 Manchester Arena attack.   Fergus’s starting point…

Every day is a school day as they say and if ever the old adage was proved true it is here in Florida at the Pipe & Drum Academy. Star of the week has to be the brilliant Stephen Creighton, World Champion leading drummer with St Laurence O’Toole. Harsh truths about playing standards have been told and it seems that the more Stephen dishes out the honesty the more his…