Oban and Inverness Entries/ Northern Ireland Band Dates/ Ross Miller New Single

Entries for the major competitions at the 2025 Argyllshire Gathering (Aug. 27/28), and the Northern Meeting (Sept. 11/12), close on January 31, just over two weeks away. No late entries will be considered by the promoters. The entry deadline includes those playing for the Senior Piobaireachd, the Clasp and both Former Winners’ March, Strathspey and Reel competitions. A meeting to finalise those eligible for Gold and Silver Medal competitions will…

Editor’s Notebook: Concert Formation/ Col Sutherland Award/ Scots Guards KO/ Florida Games

Not for the first time the Eastern United States Pipe Band Association is showing the way. They have enshrined into ‘law’ that bands competing indoors must do so in concert formation. Their rules now state: ‘When approved by the Executive Committee, a band may form on a stage or field in a semi-circle formation facing the audience. ‘If at all possible, this contest will be held on a stage with…

St Thomas Instructor/ Jimmy McIntosh Scholarships/ Scott Currie Ltd Closure

St Thomas Episcopal School in Houston, Texas, is looking to hire a full-time snare drumming instructor to work alongside Graham Brown and Andrew Elliott. The blurb: ‘We are seeking a passionate and dependable full-time Drumming Instructor to join our team. Responsibilities will include, but are not limited to, teaching all levels of pipe band drumming, including beginners. This position will require an individual who is able to handle a wide…

Lochore Pipe Band and Legendary Drumming Tutor Robert McLaren

I previously prepared an article about the history of pipe bands in the East of Scotland, which was published on Piping Press in October 2023.  Included in the article were the names of many pipe band leaders and individuals no longer with us who were from the East, or were based there, and who greatly contributed to the development of the SPBA/RSPBA and pipe band music in general.  The article…

Kilberry Book of Ceol Meadhonach-‘Middle Music’- Now Available in Digital Format

A digital version of the historic ‘Kilberry Book of Ceòl Meadhonach’ is now available for purchase on Piping Press. First issued in 1909, the book was compiled and edited by Captain John Campbell, Kilberry, and his brother Archibald. The book has 43 tunes each with a note on its provenance. The music is neither piobaireachd nor simple slow march but somewhere between both – hence the title. The tunes are…