Category: Pipe Bands

More Information on Instrumental Teaching Following Row Over Director’s Comments

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On request, the Scottish Schools Pipes and Drums Trust (SSPDT) have supplied figures regarding instrumental teaching in schools. It follows the furore two weeks ago over comments by a Head of Education in Ayrshire saying she would rather have pupils ‘on the tools’ than learning music. The 2024 figures show almost 66,000 Scottish schoolchildren receiving music instruction, demonstrating the ongoing appeal of these lessons, and likely reflecting the impact of…

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Editor’s Notebook: The Demise of G1 Pipe Bands/ SPA Juveniles/ Donald Cameron’s Powder Horn/ Keith Sanger

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To lose two Grade 1 pipe bands in one week is dispiriting news. Closkelt and Johnstone have gone to the wall both victims of a lack of numbers. Will those in authority wake up? How long has this column, and significant cadre of our readers, been banging on about the need to restrict sizes in Grade One? Don’t the bigwigs at the RSPBA realise that if you allow unlimited numbers…

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The Demise of Closkelt Pipe Band is a Blow to the Worldwide Pipe Band Community

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The loss of the Closkelt Grade 1 Pipe Band is a great blow to the RSPBANI Branch, the local pipe band community and, judging by the worldwide response to the announcement that they had folded, a wider community as well.  More importantly it is a major blow to the band’s leadership and committee who worked tirelessly to follow their dream to create a Grade 1 band. They achieved this in less…

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New Jack Lee Contest Announced in Canada

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The British Columbia Pipers’ Association (BCPA) is thrilled to announce the launch of the Jack Lee Amateur Invitational Piping Competition, writes David Hilder, President. This exciting new annual event will celebrate the art of piobaireachd and showcase the top piping talent in the amateur grades of the Association. The inaugural competition will take place on Saturday, March 28, 2026, at the Seaforth Armoury in Vancouver. This new invitational honours the remarkable…

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Editor’s Notebook: 2026 Majors/ RSPBA Fundraising/ Mod Piping/ Lochnell Championship/ Letters

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I wonder how the RSPBA are getting on with the planning for next year’s major championships? Will it be five or the three and a half we had this year? Looking back it seems there was confirmation of the Worlds, the Euros, the Scottish and the UKs for 2026. The latter was a bit of a non-event given the date on which it was held (July 12) but the Association…

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