January 2018 Pipe Band Magazine Preview

The January 1, 2018 edition of the RSPBA’s Pipe Band Magazine will be available for free digital download in the next few days. Keeping checking Piping Press and the RSPBA’s own website for your copy. The front cover pays tribute to World Solo Drumming Champion Steven MacWhirter (see above) who secured his eighth title at the championships held last October at Glasgow Caledonian University. Inside the 30 page magazine: Headquarters…

MacStig Ends his 2017 Review With a Look at Juvenile

In the year just ending I was paying most attention to Grade 2 with Juvenile and Novice bands and their wider organisations. As everyone will know, most of these competitions happen earlier in the day and are well worth following. They are often led by big names in the upper grades.  In Juvenile, Matt Wilson’s (FMM) Dollar Academy Juvenile Band (pictured top) had the lot – sound, tightness, musicality and…

European Pipe Band Champs Promo/ South Africa Soloists End of Year Meeting

Need a reminder of the summer’s pipe band contests? Below is the link to a promo video put out by the sponsors of the European Pipe Band Championships, Piping at Forres. It is ostensibly a plug for their commercial side but there are some good shots of bands, drum corps, RSPBA officials and adjudicators. The picture above shows Boghall and Bathgate Caledonia marching to the line at Forres last summer….

John Retires With a Look Back at Northern Ireland's 2017 Band Scene

After ten years of covering pipe band events and competitions John Kelly (RSPBANI Honorary Vice-President) has decided to pack away the Nikon D3 camera, hang up the now familiar straw hat and retire from the pipe band scene.  In concluding this ‘Review of 2017’ John would like to thank his many pipe band and drum major friends for many special memories and wish them every success in 2018. January (pic…

Northern Winter School in Germany Comes to a Successful Conclusion

So that is the third annual Northern Winter School over and we are now travelling home, writes the Editor. I think it would be fair to say it has been a success and Principal Ronnie Bromhead has already booked his premises for the next few years ahead. The picture above shows students and instructors.Many of the students have expressed a wish to have a weekend refresher course a few months…