Scottish Schools Results/ Ayr Festival Results/ SPA Juvenile Draw

Isle of Arran Schools (above), Lochgilphead A, Hutchesons’ Grammar, Glasgow High School, Fettes College, Dollar Academy and Skye Youth Pipe Band hit the right note with the judges at this year’s annual Scottish Schools Pipe Band Championship, writes Fergus Robb. An array of bands, quartets and freestyle groups showcased their skills on Sunday (March 12) at Kilmarnock’s William McIlvanney Campus. More than 120 schools went head-to-head across 81 performances, vying for success in…

Duncan Johnstone Memorial Results 2023 – Updated with Picture and Comment

This competition for junior professionals was held today (Sat, March 11) at the National Piping Centre, Otago Street and McPhater Street, Glasgow. There were large entries in all categories, 33 in the C Piobaireachd and 30 in the C MSR. There were 23 in the B Piob and 21 in the B MSR. Pictured above are all the trophy winners with Champion Piper Callum Wynd far left. B Grade Piobaireachd,…

Editor’s Notebook: Highland Games Threat/ Trophy Search/ Oban Festival/ Dollar Contest/ Sandy Jones

This from a prominent Highland games organiser: ‘On the CPA judge/pupil pronouncements that have lately been made, has anyone raised the problems this causes for competition organisers? ‘How are games committees, expected to be able to attract decent player numbers, or to maintain their ‘local’ feel, when they may not be able to use local piping adjudicators because they then wouldn’t get local competitors? ‘How can they afford to import…

Jimmy McIntosh Scholarship/ Balmoral Summer Camps

The inaugural cycle of the Jimmy McIntosh Piobaireachd Scholarship was completed with a culminating piobaireachd workshop held the last weekend of February, at Carnegie Mellon University, writes Joyce McIntosh. Thirty-two registered piobaireachd enthusiasts travelled to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from eight different states to receive high-level tuition with Mike Cusack and Andrew Carlisle.  Each of the two scholarship winners played a tune he/she had learned over the eight-month course of the scholarship. …

CLASP ‘Live Online’ 2023 Results

This February 11 competition was the first CLASP ‘Live Online’ event for 2023 and there was a particular interest as an invite to compete at the inaugural amateur invitational at The Sun Belt in Florida in November 2023 was up for grabs for the overall winner of Grade 1.  Eric Stein, who runs the Sun Belt Professional, has expanded his event to include an amateur invitational and Eric is kindly…