News

In 1953 The College of Piping ran a School at Carbisdale Castle in Sutherland.

55 years on, The College has now joined forces with The Ross and Cromarty Pipes and Drums School to run what we hope to be an annual Piping and Drumming School at the Castle.

The School will take place next Easter between March 23 and March 29, 2008. It will offer intensive instruction by world leading pipers and drummers from The College and will also offer the opportunity for participants to achieve certification through The Piping and Drumming Qualifications Board.

The School is open to all ages and to pipers and drummers of all levels of skill from beginners to competition players, from solo players to band members. Each student will be placed in a class of 8 to 10 students within their level of experience and skill.

Optional classes are planned to be offered in such as piobaireachd, reedmaking, pipe band techniques, and bagpipe and drum maintenance. Nightly lectures and recitals are offered by the instructors demonstrating prize-winning piping and drumming. There will also be presentations on some interesting history about bagpipes and drums and piping and drumming.

Formal Registration for the School will be on the afternoon of Sunday, March 23 and the course will then commence the next day until Friday, March 28. On the Friday evening there will be a Piping and Drumming Concert in the Great Upper Gallery of the castle and the course will then finish at lunchtime on Saturday, March 29 after the presentation of certificates to participants.

The Tuition Fee plus Bed and Breakfast at the castle will be £325.00 for adults with a £25.00 reduction for juniors for a great week of piping and drumming with some of the world’s best piping and drumming instructors, together with the opportunity to gain PDQB qualifications. 

Bookings have already been taken for the course even before the official launch of the website and this information is being passed on to all North of Scotland Members so that they can have the chance of registering for the course before it is promoted to the world through "The Piping Times" and the College of Piping Website.  So if you want to secure places for your Band Members then don't delay. 

The Easter School, 2008  has its own dedicated website at The College at Carbisdale 

If you have trouble accessing the website through this hyperlink then please use www.thehighlandpipesanddrumsschool.com

For anyone without access to the web then please contact Paul Turner, Business Manager of The Ross and Cromarty Pipes & Drums School, who are handling the Registrations on behalf of The College of Piping.  Paul can be contacted on 0780 339 8426.

Can any articles for the Pipe Band Magazine be returned to Heather MacKay via the Branch Secretary by Friday 11th May.

The National Youth Pipe Band Of Scotland will be holding a concert at Aberdeen Arts Centre on the evening of Saturday 21st April.

Tickets are £8.50 for Adults and £5.00 for Concessions, and are available at the Box Office.

Please come along and support this innovative young outfit, which boasts a number of local Pipers and Drummers in it's ranks.

Following the decision at the Branch meeting on 4th March, a Workshop has been arranged for Sunday 1st April 2007 at Linksfield Academy, Aberdeen, from 10am to 2.30pm approximately. We would encourage all Grade 4 and Novice Juvenile Pipe Majors and Leading Drummers to attend, but other band personnel and tutors are also encouraged to attend. This will also be a practical workshop and you are asked to take your instruments with you. The workshop is for both piping and drumming.

We are unable to provide catering so please take a packed lunch with you.

Please advise by 24th March if your band will or will not be represented.

Following discussions at the Branch Meeting held Sunday 4th March, it was proposed that the Branch would add a Tenor Drumming Section to the Branch Solo Contest in November.

Our Music Board reps will advise on format and sections, but to assist them we need to find out if, infact, this new section will be supported by the Bands. Can you please discuss this fully with your Band and reply by 5th May of your Bands interest in this.

The Letter and Form can be downloaded at
www.rspba-nos.org/documents/SoloTenorDrummingContestLetter.pdf