Scotland Once More

What seemed like an impossibility several months ago is about to happen, once again—a CRPB trip to Scotland. The band will be competing at North Berwick Highland Games, at the World Championships and we are also playing at George Square [12 noon, Monday, August 6] and the National Piping Centre [2pm, Tuesday, August 7] as part of the Glasgow International Festival of Piping, Piping Live!.

This is the band's fourth trip to Scotland since 2005, and each time we have gone, there have been specific challenges faced to get there. This year was no different. Back in March we didn't have enough members committed to going, and it seemed like it was not going to happen. It has been one of those years when circumstances work against the band: sudden loss of key members, cancellation of regional games that we depend on to build the band, illness, pregnancy(!) and all kinds of other things.

Through it all, the band has been supported by several key members whose ongoing interest in the welfare of the band  and the band members works through issues to a happy solution. Key among those this season has been Lead Drummer Roland Reid, who took over fully [after acting in that capacity for months] in February, and who has patiently worked with the drum corps and the band to achieve common goals. Rolly's decision to stick with the band and develop the corps has resulted in the band going to Scotland, and his leadership and skills have attracted new players to the band.

Long-time member Stacy Durning won't be with us in Scotland this year, because she's staying home to have her first baby. We are all looking forward to the happy and safe arrival of the new addition to the band, and the whole band sends best wishes to Stacy and Ray. Despite knowing that she was "out" for Scotland, Stacy has continued to attend band, played right up to May, and has contributed hugely to the band through her management of the band's primary fundraising plan. A couple of weeks back, when we sent £14,000 to Scotland for the band's accommodations, it was largely as a result of Stacy's efforts.

The band has been very fortunate to attract and keep really good people over the years, and their steady work and interest have helped the group to maintain a viable band in an area where strong bands are not the norm. This year, we have added some players near and far who are bringing new energy and skills to the group, and we are all looking forward to that first big practice in Scotland, where all the tough challenges are behind, and all that's left is playing music and having fun for 10 days.

Thanks to all the band members, families and supporters who have made this summer possible.

Piping Live! and the World's: Some Observations

Piping Live! has grown in eight years to be an absolutely outstanding week, and full credit must be given to Roddy MacLeod, M.B.E. and the hard-working staff and volunteers at the National Piping Centre. There is no question in my mind that the Piping Centre has been THE driving force behind the development of the week we now have, and even the RSPBA [which does an excellent job managing and promoting the World Pipe Band Championship] has picked up the cues left by the early Piping Live! to develop the World's "package."

It was impossible to see and hear everything at the Festival, and the range of experiences available has grown enormously. There were solo piping concerts, contests and recitals; band practices, concerts and sessions; and piping music from many cultures. There were talks on history and traditions, language, song and museum tours. In George Square there were many kinds of bands, whisky tasting, Scottish food market, crafts and lots of marching!

A highlight of the week for me was the ScottishPower Pipe Band concert on Wednesday. Not only did the band sound great as a pipe band, but the orchestral pieces they did were outstanding. Part of what made them outstanding was the significant risk involved in trying to pull such elaborate music together with limited [cost factors] rehearsals. The band's success in the concert was inspirational, and it also provided some really great moments, such as during the encore when P-M Chris Armstrong started solo into a slower arrangement of "Castle Dangerous," and the audience joined in and sang along to the tune. When the pipers joined him for the next-higher tempo, the audience carried on singing. You could tell from the reaction on stage that it was a great moment for them, too.

At the World's on Saturday, I took the opportunity to listen to bands warming up for the MSR final, and then see them in final tuning. You can learn a lot about the way bands operate by watching them in the final moments before they compete. There are lots of different approaches, and seeing the top Grade 1 and 2 bands preparing to go on was [as always] food for thought about how to modify what we do at the CRPB.

Some point-form highlights overall:

• hearing the Armagh Pipers Club group - outstanding
• uilleann piper Cillian Valley
• ScottishPower concert
• Anxo Lorenzo
• hearing Dowco Triumph Street PB in the George Square performance, and then in the medley final at the Worlds. This band has developed tremendously [as you would, having to compete regularly with SFU] and they have really made a mark in the Grade 1 class.
• watching SFU, Power and Inveraray tune up.
• FMM's medley performance: absolutely brilliant in every way
• Michael Grey's recital of his compositions at the Piping Centre.
• Seeing that the World's Grade 1 results were overall about right, despite some questionable individual judging decisions

A Month Later...
The month has come and gone, and so too another trip to Scotland with the CRPB. We had a fantastic trip with the band, and members learned a lot, experienced a lot, and had a great time together. The highlights included the band performance at the Worlds, which although clearly flawed, was our best performance of the current medley, and a building experience, despite the results.

The CRPB was profiled in Scottish news footage, papers and web sites from its performance at the Piping Live! Festival, and we also had a great day at the "Pipes of Peace" Festival with the Celtic Spirit lads, including an evening concert with Scottish Grade 1 band Inveraray and District. The trip wrapped up with the Perth Highland Games, where the band won the Grade 2 band event, and also was "Best Band on Parade," winning the Provost's Cup.

The trip brought a lot of things into perspective, both musically, and in terms of group dynamics. It underlined for me what a superb group of people we have in the band at the moment. It has also given me a definite "to-do" list musically, and that should have a very positive impact on the way the band sounds in the future.

Thanks to all band members and supporters for a great season, and a memorable trip to Scotland. Looking forward to the coming season.