The CRPB started in Fall 1992, and1993 was our first season of performance and competition. So, we've been marking the 20 years for the past two seasons, first with a trip to Scotland in 2012, and this past year with the usual performances and competitions. But generally, for those of us who have been around the band for a long time, there has been a lot to think about.
The 2013 year held some great times and good performances for the band, and while we struggled with consistency due to the dispersed nature of the membership, we had some good plays and made some overall improvements in the way we did things. Large credit is due to L-D Roland Reid, who retired at the end of the season. Rolly's calm and intelligent approach to band and music—and especially to people—made us a better band, and we're going to miss him.
The Saskatchewan Highland Gathering and Celtic Festival was a great event for the band, largely in that it allowed us to see exactly where the deficiencies lay, and give us a roadmap for the summer. The months fly past too quickly when you rely on "band weekends," and yet we got lots of good playing done with smaller groups. Some of the Sunday morning practices in Wascana Park were just highly enjoyable playing in a great location.
For the 20th year running, the band performed for the Royal Canadian Legion's Decoration Day (June) and Remembrance Day (November). These are key events for the band, and ones that we take very seriously. A recent addition to this is band support for the University of Regina convocations (June and October), which help the Conservatory Pipe Band.
And on that note, CRPB band members stepped up to assist with all manner of teaching and support for the Conservatory Pipe Band. Regular instructors in 2013 included Barb MacDonald, Alex Rasmussen, Brett Stinson, Morgan Brady, Willie Currams, Kenna Whelan and Brenna Smith. Along the way, we had lots of help from other band members playing for drummers, helping with gigs, tuning, etc. This is a critically important thing the band does, and one that we need to do better as the years go on.
The trip to Ottawa and Maxville Games in late July/early August was a summer highlight: days together practising, laughing, plotting and then competing. While the results (5th) were a little disappointing, there were some major improvements made, and the band came away feeling that we were travelling in the right direction. The Maxville beer tent was a bit of a highlight also. I believe one band member jumped for the first time in 10 years. Amazing.
The surprise gig of the year would be the band's performance of "Mull of Kintyre" with Sir Paul McCartney at Mosaic Stadium in Regina. Nothing like playing in front of 44,000 people in your own city, and the media swirl lasted for days after. There were some nice side stories to this, an example being the Ottawa Police Pipe Band loaning us a set of chanters that would handle A=446, and perhaps the fact that we used an old R.G. Hardie pipe chanter from the 1960s as the main instrument. The Hardie chanter belonged to long-time Regina piper Don Felstrom, who died earlier in the year, shortly after leaving me with a box of chanters and parts that he wanted out of his house. I thought of him that night.
For the first time in a few years, the band ventured back to Calgary Highland Games and then Canmore Highland Games on Sept long weekend. The band had not played medley or MSR since Maxville, so it was a bit of a gamble, but fun was had, despite a horrendous hotel mixup in Canmore. We were 2nd to a very nice sounding Edmonton & District Pipe Band at Calgary, and snuck past them on ensemble preference for the win at Canmore.
After a month off, we started gathering in October, and found that we have a larger local band than we've had in years, and Willie Currams took over from Rolly as L-D to give us a strong local flavour. An early highlight has been the number of people at band most weeks, and that fact that we have pretty strong numbers heading into 2014.
So there it is: a wrap on 20+ years, and a pretty positive spot for the band. It's been an amazing time, all of it, and marked by many people in and around the band who have done their part to make it all work. A quick scan of the news stories on pipes | drums gives you the sense that Grade 2 bands are tough to keep on the road, hard on the members, and fragile overall. Keeping the CRPB active, healthy and playing for all these years has not been easy, and I think there are two things that the band in general needs to plan:
1. Ongoing recruiting, teaching and organizing of kids to play in the Conservatory Pipe Band, so that the local talent pool continues to grow.
2. The next generation of band leadership needs to get ready to take on the Grade 2 band challenge, and to plan it's strength for years into the future.
The more people who write themselves into the plans, and take an active role in developing piping and pipe bands, the more chance there is of the band seeing out the next 20 years with the same success as the first 20.
Monday, December 30, 2013
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Some Photos Are Worth 1000 Words
Last Sunday we had the opportunity to host a wee concert with stellar Antigonish fiddler Troy MacGillivray and Louis-Charles Vigneau, a francophone singer/guitar virtuoso also from the Maritimes. So, we put up the posters, sent emails to our band and MWCF mailing list, and we got enough people out to make a nice Sunday afternoon concert of excellent music in our regular practice space.
Barbara took this photo, and while she was primarily getting a nice shot of Sylvia and Vincent Aitken in the front, it also captured quite a bit in the background. I likely first met Sylvia and Vince in the late 1970s, when I was the P-M of the Fraser Pipe Band in Regina. Their son Jamie was a snare drummer in the band, and daughter Ramona later learned the pipes. Vince and Sylvia were always cheerful, practical, hard-working band parents, and over the years took on many roles with the Fraser Pipe Band. Eventually, their kids moved on from pipe bands, but not Vince and Sylvia. They continued to go on trips to Scotland with the Fraser band, and when the City of Regina Pipe Band started in 1992, they also attended our events regularly. Over the years, they have supported our every ceilidh, concert and social, and are always in the background when the band plays at a pub, has a send-off, or a public performance. Last summer, they came to Scotland with the band, and in 2010, they were there cheering us on at every turn. These are really fine people, who love pipe bands, piping and everything Scottish, and whose long-term enthusiasm has really made a difference to the pipe band. We love to see them out, and it's always more fun when they are there.
Framed right between Sylvia and Vince is Melita Clemence, who raised a family of six, and who had all six in the pipe band! Melita is another long-term contributor to Scots/Irish culture in the city. She supports everything the pipe bands do, and she has donated many beautiful handmade items for silent auctions, and she is always there with a cheerful laugh about the latest happening. She kept all six kids busy in pipe bands, and to this day daughters Pat (half-hidden behind Sylvia) and Arlene are both members of the CRPB, and their kids have all been members of the Conservatory Pipe Band and the CRPB, and they have all volunteered, donated and been the backbone of many initiatives for pipe bands and also Irish dancing in Regina.
Way in the back of this photo is Brett Stinson, who came to the band aged 20 or so, and who has been an excellent band member, Lead Drummer and drum instructor for the band all these years. His dedication to working with kids in the Conservatory band has been amazing, and the results of his efforts have at times made up the bulk of both bands.
And last, at the right of the photo is drummer Will Currums. Willie moved to Saskatchewan from Ireland last summer, and is anxiously waiting for his family to join him this spring. Willie has been an absolute gift to the pipe band, and also to the country. It's always great when a new band member moves to the area, and it's been amazing to have someone locally with Willie's sheer passion for pipe bands and the music, and for living in general.
So there you have it. A little snapshot out of a band Sunday, with people who have been contributing to pipe bands for years, and without whom the pipe band world would be much poorer.
 |
| Sylvia & Vince |
Barbara took this photo, and while she was primarily getting a nice shot of Sylvia and Vincent Aitken in the front, it also captured quite a bit in the background. I likely first met Sylvia and Vince in the late 1970s, when I was the P-M of the Fraser Pipe Band in Regina. Their son Jamie was a snare drummer in the band, and daughter Ramona later learned the pipes. Vince and Sylvia were always cheerful, practical, hard-working band parents, and over the years took on many roles with the Fraser Pipe Band. Eventually, their kids moved on from pipe bands, but not Vince and Sylvia. They continued to go on trips to Scotland with the Fraser band, and when the City of Regina Pipe Band started in 1992, they also attended our events regularly. Over the years, they have supported our every ceilidh, concert and social, and are always in the background when the band plays at a pub, has a send-off, or a public performance. Last summer, they came to Scotland with the band, and in 2010, they were there cheering us on at every turn. These are really fine people, who love pipe bands, piping and everything Scottish, and whose long-term enthusiasm has really made a difference to the pipe band. We love to see them out, and it's always more fun when they are there.
Framed right between Sylvia and Vince is Melita Clemence, who raised a family of six, and who had all six in the pipe band! Melita is another long-term contributor to Scots/Irish culture in the city. She supports everything the pipe bands do, and she has donated many beautiful handmade items for silent auctions, and she is always there with a cheerful laugh about the latest happening. She kept all six kids busy in pipe bands, and to this day daughters Pat (half-hidden behind Sylvia) and Arlene are both members of the CRPB, and their kids have all been members of the Conservatory Pipe Band and the CRPB, and they have all volunteered, donated and been the backbone of many initiatives for pipe bands and also Irish dancing in Regina.
Way in the back of this photo is Brett Stinson, who came to the band aged 20 or so, and who has been an excellent band member, Lead Drummer and drum instructor for the band all these years. His dedication to working with kids in the Conservatory band has been amazing, and the results of his efforts have at times made up the bulk of both bands.
And last, at the right of the photo is drummer Will Currums. Willie moved to Saskatchewan from Ireland last summer, and is anxiously waiting for his family to join him this spring. Willie has been an absolute gift to the pipe band, and also to the country. It's always great when a new band member moves to the area, and it's been amazing to have someone locally with Willie's sheer passion for pipe bands and the music, and for living in general.
So there you have it. A little snapshot out of a band Sunday, with people who have been contributing to pipe bands for years, and without whom the pipe band world would be much poorer.
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