“Piping bursary available”
The McIntosh Girls Pipe Band Society awards an annual bursary to a deserving piper or drummer who wants to attend Piping Hot Summer Drummer, a school that is held at every summer at Silver Star Mountain.
Preference is given to anyone who was ever a member of the McIntosh Girls Pipe Band, and their relatives and friends.
When there is no applicant from that priority group, the funds are awarded to other individuals so all interested pipers and drummers are encouraged to apply. The funds are usually awarded to children and the names of promising young pipers and drummers have sometimes been put forward by pipe majors.
The McIntosh Girls Pipe Band flourished from 1946 to 1966 under pipe major Hilma Martens (nee Foote), who started the band with her parents. Her dad had been in a military pipe band and took charge of marching and drills.
The uniforms were made by Mrs. Foote. Hilma was pipe major and took lessons from an eminent piper, Mr. Barry, who was stationed at the army camp in the post-war period. The young women travelled all over North America.
When membership dwindled in the mid-1960s, the band folded.
Members formed a society which awards the annual bursary of about $400, depending on available funding sources. Donations will be accepted toward the bursary.
“Pipers and drummers coming up now have to compete with much stiffer competition that we ever did,” said Jan Mattock, who was a drum major in the band.
“Piping Hot is taught by the Simon Fraser Pipe Band, world champions and great teachers. They have classes for piping, base drums and tenor drums, leading a band and more.”
The McIntosh Girls Pipe Band Society currently has about 40 members including active alumni Birdie Cooney, Joanne Georgeson, Gloria Trierweiler and Jean Wetherill. Hilma Martens is now in her 80s and lives in Kelowna.
She is active on the bursary committee with Maureen Soichuk, also a former pipe major, and Mattock.
The deadline for application is April 30 each year.
Interested pipers and drummers should phone Soichuk at 250-542-3088 for information on the application process.
The process includes a letter from the student detailing their piping or drumming background and why they want the bursary, and a reference check with the applicant’s pipe major.
]]>“FOR Scotsman Sandy Dalziel, the second annual bagpiping, drumming and drum major workshop at The Scots PGC College is an opportunity to teach others how to excel in their bands.
They came from far and wide – some as far as Longreach and Rockhampton – to attend the course, which has increased from about 24 last year to 35 students this year.
However the term ‘students’ may be somewhat misleading about the age of participants, who ranged from eight years old to well into the retiree years, as Southern Downs Regional Council candidate Doug Cutmore, who attended, will attest.
Mr Dalziel said the course focused on the main areas of being in a bagpipe band – drumming, drum major, bagpiping and mid-section (tenor and bass drums).
The Scots PGC College band master and school tutor said the best part of the school, which is sponsored by the Queensland branch of Pipe Bands Australia, was that it gave people from regional areas the opportunity to further advance themselves in the craft.
‘We have people from Brisbane and Toowoomba as well, but it is an opportunity for people from regional areas to come and learn,’ he said.
‘I have been surprised by the enthusiasm, the keenness of people wanting to take down all the information on recorders and notepads away with them.’
One of those people was Caitlyn Jarrett, who travelled all the way from Longreach to refine her skills on the tenor drum.
She said she didn’t mind making the trip, given she would take what she learnt back to her band.”
(Via – Read Full Article.)
]]>15th – 19th February 2010
In 2010 we have made some changes to our school to allow you more flexibility in the schedule.
As normal we have an option for piping and drumming students to be taught throughout the entire week in groups of similar ability where instruction is given on all aspects of piping and a variety of new music is covered. The all inclusive cost of this option is $600.
This year we have also introduced the options of two half week piping packages (each priced at $300) which are entirely workshop based. From Monday to Wednesday we offer a series of workshops suitable for Novice – Intermediate standard pipers and from Wednesday to Friday we offer a second workshop series for Intermediate to Advanced level pipers. The workshops offered can be viewed on the New York School page on our website – scroll down to find a PDF brochure. I am sure you will agree there is excellent coverage of a number of major topics on offer.
In order to be as flexible as possible we are also making the piping workshops available as a pick ‘n mix option for $40 per workshop so that students can come to as few or as many as they wish. All of these options are available to book online here
We are offering an “early bird special” which will run from now until the 1st January 2010 where students will receive 10% off the quoted price. In addition to this we are offering a family discount of 10% (two or more people from the same family) and a band discount of 10% (five members or more of the same band). This early bird special is available online via the booking form page.
The school is held during President’s week so we hope that having it during this vacation will make it easier for you to attend. Also, we link in with the Metro Cup piping competition which is to be held on February 20th at the Holiday Inn, Newark. This event showcases some of the worlds top pipers in competition including some of our instructors so we hope this might appeal to you as a great way to end a fantastic week of piping.
I really hope that you might consider coming to our New York school. For more information on the school and booking please visit www.thepipingcentre.co.uk/schools/new-york/ and for information on the Metro Cup please visit www.themetrocup.com/
I would be pleased if you would pass this on to your band members and anyone else you believe would be interested in our school.
Sincerely,
Roddy MacLeod MBE,
Principal
The National Piping Centre Ltd.
Registered in Scotland no. 139271, Charity no. 020391
The Piping Centre Trading Ltd.
Registered in Scotland no. 162342
Glasgow International Piping Festival.
Registered in Scotland no. 256248, Charity no. 34875
Every journey starts somewhere and learning to play the pipes starts here with a 10 week course.
You will learn on the practice chanter to correctly play the scale, embellishments and a tune or two.
The weekly 6:30 to 7:30 pm class starts on Tuesday November 10th and runs for 10 weeks with Christmas and New Years off.
No experience is necessary. You don’t have to know how to read music. You don’t have to have huge lungs.
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Two years ago, UC Riverside became the only college in the country to offer music majors the chance to concentrate on bagpiping or Scottish drumming.
It made sense. The university’s nickname is the Highlanders. Residence halls have Scottish names: Aberdeen-Inverness, Lothian and Bannockburn. And the school has its own tartan plaid registered in Scotland.
It appeared to be working. The bagpipe band started winning competitions. The world-class bagpiper hired to lead the program started to be recognized on campus. Alumni were excited. Students enrolled to continue studying the bagpipes.
That all changed last month. The university’s $51 million budget gap this school year led officials to lay off the bagpipe and Scottish drumming instructors.
]]>Upon closer inspection, it’s as if Silver Star Mountain has transformed into the Highlands of Scotland, with a few differences.
Kilts have been traded in for shorts and T-shirts, and instead of heather and haggis, there’s alpine meadow and hot dogs as hundreds of drummers, pipers, and even a few Highland dancers, make their way to the Piping Hot Summer Drummer school.
Chanters and snares will be buzzing up at the Star as of today when one of the largest piping and drumming schools in the world starts for two sessions until July 17.
Headed annually by the Simon Fraser University (SFU) Pipe Band, this year’s event includes a special performance at the Vernon Performing Arts Centre Friday, where the public will get a chance to see and hear the five-time and current world champions.
via Vernon Morning Star – Champs are piping hot for summer .
]]>We would like to announce some very exciting news! We have just added Tano Martone of Shotts and Dykehead and Scotty Fletcher of SFU Pipe Band to our online teaching faculty! Join the rest of our happy students and enjoy World-Class tuition.
via Pipeband drumming, Pipe Band drumming, Drumming Lessons Online, pipeband drum lessons.
]]>Campus Chatter : Wanted: Bagpipers, Klingon Speakers and Nudists.
]]>Posted on : Wednesday, 25 February, 2009 23:35
Reply to : Use contact form below
Price : $20.00
Telephone : 907-841-3243
Bagpipe lessons through Grade 3 Piping.
$20 for the half hour / $35 for the full hour
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