The NPC at 30: meet four leaders and learn about their roles and projects – Part 1

When Seumas MacNeill envisioned a new “Piping Centre” for Scotland in the early 1990s, he likely never dreamed it would become the expansive, adventurous operation it is today.

Since opening its McPhater Street doors in 1996 and, a few years later, adding “National” to its name, the Glasgow-based NPC has:

• 2000: Started the Masters Solo Piping Competition
• 2002: Created the National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland
• 2003: Launched the Piping Hot! Festival (two years later renamed as Piping Live!)
• 2006: Started the Competition League for Amateur Solo Pipers
• 2010: Established a BA Music degree partnership with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
• 2018: Acquired the 70-year-old College of Piping and opened renovated premises on Otago Street
• 2018: Assumed the organization and hosting of the 60-year-old Silver Chanter Competition
• 2021: Took on the management of the 47-year-old Glenfiddich Invitational Solo Piping Championships
• 2024: Introduced the Maket Collective, a focal point for content about women in piping
• 2025: Launched NPC Clubs, a structured community outreach learning initiative for young pipers throughout Scotland
• and many other projects and initiatives . . .

For 24 years, the National Piping Centre was led by legendary piper Roddy MacLeod, so most of the above can be attributed to him and the teams he assembled.

Since 2020, the renowned piper and Celtic folk musician Finlay MacDonald has continued to guide the Centre’s expansion and widen its scope as its Director of Piping. While not a competitive solo or band piper, MacDonald is one of the most well-regarded Highland pipers through his prodigious work as a performer, most notably as the front man of his namesake Finlay MacDonald Band.

David Shedden, joined the National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland in 2022 as Piping Instructor, and following the departure of Steven Blake last year was promoted to Producer. Like MacDonald, he’s perhaps best known for Celtic folk performances with his band, Assynt. He was a member of the Grade 1 ScottishPower for many years, and played in the 2016 edition of the Grade 1 Spirit of Scotland, and had much success in the upper echelons of competitive solo piping. Shedden is a true piping professional, converting his playing and leadership skills into his career.

Emma Hill is the Producer of NPC Clubs, succeeding Ailis Sutherland in 2025, who departed to focus on her career as a performer. Originally from Connel Village in Scotland’s West Highlands, Hill was taught from the get-go by piping legend Angus D. MacColl, and is a 2024 graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s BMus Traditional Music (Piping) program. She transferred her skills to the NPC’s Weekend Piping Club, and then as a Trainee Tutor for the National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland, before earning the NPC Clubs Producer role. She recently joined the Grade 1 Police Scotland & Federation, and occasionally plays with the Rollin’ Drones collective.

The NPC’s most recent, and perhaps most unexpected, addition is Laura-Beth MacCrimmon, Youth & Community Producer. Known throughout the world as Laura-Beth “LB” Salter, she’s not a piper, but instead a world-class mandolin player from England. As a musician, composer, and teacher, MacCrimmon (she prefers to use her married name for piping-related contexts) brings experience managing major educational events, such as the Edinburgh Youth Gaitherin, and working with organizations like Hands Up for Trad. She is a member of the Celtic folk group, Kinnaris.

So, at 30 years since its launch, it’s a good time to hear more about the National Piping Centre’s activities.

We connected via video for a chat with these four extremely creative and busy leaders, which we’ll publish in two parts.

Here’s a transcription of our discussion, with minor edits for clarity.

Part 1

pipes|drums: Thanks very much, everybody. Really appreciate you guys taking the time.

Finlay MacDonald: Well, thank you for having us.

pipes|drums: It’s our pleasure. Let’s start with Finlay. A lot of things have been going on. You have the National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland, Youth & Community work, NPC Clubs, the Maket Collective, and many other initiatives. Can you bring us up to speed?

Finlay MacDonald: I was just suggesting there never really a dull moment around here, which is great. We’ve also just finished the Celtic Connections Festival, which is a great thing for traditional music across the world and Glasgow in particular. We hosted several events here as well as being a venue. Lots of things are happening.

To give context, last year the funding structure in Scotland changed dramatically, shifting from regularly funded organizations to a multi-year funding program. We applied as the NPC for a three-year program, for 2025, ’26 and ’27. We’re now just about to start the second year of that, and when you’re forced to really look at something with fresh eyes.

There are certain things that come to mind, and when I started the role as well, there were a few things I thought, well, where are the gaps here? What can we do? Where are things going after COVID? As we all know, the whole world changed. One thing I remember thinking was that at the weekend, there wasn’t really a lot happening in terms of youth tuition in the Centre.

We started with the Weekend Piping Club. At the time, Ailish Sutherland was working with us. She took the lead on that. And before we knew it, within a few terms, we had 15 or 20 young people starting to learn at the centre on a Saturday morning. And then Ailish’s train of thought said, Actually, if we look at some of the barriers that may be in place for young people accessing tuition, that journey into the Piping Centre may actually be a barrier.

We explored ways to develop community piping clubs, starting in local communities that lack access to piping.  We’re not talking about places that currently have pipe bans or schools that teach. We are trying to find the communities that don’t have that and go into these different communities, and start piping and give young people that opportunity. And safe to say, it’s grown arms and legs, as these things do.

That was one of the major parts of our funding campaign. Also, through the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo and TTAP [set up by the REMT to fund the traditional arts], we secured funding to develop the whole Clubs program in different communities.  We’ve now got the Weekend Piping Club here at Cowcaddens [the area of Glasgow for the NPC’s McPhater Street HQ]. We’ve got three different clubs in Glasgow. We’ve just started one in Edinburgh, and we’re just about to start one in Leith.

Emma is now taking that on. Ailish has left our company at the moment and is pursuing her own career as a performer, and we’re delighted to have Emma on board, who’s looking after all the Clubs.

pipes|drums: Emma, can you tell us about the Clubs? You must be flying all over the place!

Emma Hill: Yeah, it’s been a busy time, but it’s great. Like Finlay was saying, we’ve got four clubs in Glasgow now, one in Leith, and we’re starting one in Aberdeen in April. They’re going really well, now up to 80 participants throughout.

As well as the Community Clubs, we’ve also got our Holiday Clubs. We’ve got one coming up in April and two in July. Sign-ups and are now open for them. At the moment, we’re up to 30 participants overall, which is really exciting because we’ve still got quite a bit of time yet for more people to sign up. It’s all go with the Clubs.

pipes|drums: Leith, for those out there, is part of Edinburgh. But why Leith and not just Edinburgh?

Emma Hill: The kind thought behind it was that there is a piping scene in Edinburgh. Piping is taught a lot in schools, and there are several pipe bands, especially within the schools, whereas in Leith, there just wasn’t as much happening. We got in touch with a couple of people who know the piping scene there, and they were great in helping us out and helping it grow.

pipes|drums: LB – Laura Beth – your role as Producer of Youth & Communities is interesting.

Laura-Beth MacCrimmon: Yes, head of Youth & Communities is overseeing all our Y&C work. Not being a piper, I’m not a tutor here, but I am overseeing all of our outreach projects. As I’m new to this position, I’m learning what all our producers are doing, determining where we can expand that delivery, and identifying ways we can support that expansion.

“For me, it’s all about looking at groups of people who might benefit from learning pipes or drums, who maybe don’t have that opportunity in their lives, and finding ways to create those opportunities.” – LB MacCrimmon

I’m listening to some of the creative ideas and seeing new directions we might take. For me, it’s all about looking at groups of people who might benefit from learning pipes or drums, who maybe don’t have that opportunity in their lives, and finding ways to create those opportunities.

pipes|drums: Really interesting. You and Emma must work very closely together.

Laura-Beth MacCrimmon: Yeah, we do.

pipes|drums: And David, most people are familiar with the National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland, which has inspired many similar programs around the world. As Producer of that program, you’re evolving the National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland in a broader direction?

David Shedden: LB is my direct boss; she’s the overarching leader of all of our Youth & Communities programs. I’m the Producer, responsible for making the National Youth Pipe Band happen by running all the sessions and creating all the music. I get all the fun jobs that everyone just assumes the Director of the National Youth Pipe Band always did, and LB gets some of the more behind-the-scenes jobs, and she really makes everything kind of happen.

The National Youth Pipe Band has been around for 20 years now, but there’s a bit of a misconception about what it actually is. One question is, When are you going to be competing at the Worlds or something like that? We’re not a competing pipe band. We’re an annual program. People can join the National Youth Pipe Band and be part of the program for a year. That starts off with an audition process. Then we have loads of sessions where we get everyone together, make some cool music, and ultimately do a big concert at the end of the year.

“This year, the concert will be in the Royal Glasgow Concert Hall on the 18th of April. Big stage, big production. I’ve been involved in the National Youth Pipe Band since about year three of the program. I was a participant myself. I’ve actually worked with every Director of the National Youth Pipe Band. It’s really exciting for me to help steer the ship.” – David Shedden

This year, the concert will be in the Royal Glasgow Concert Hall on the 18th of April. Big stage, big production. I’ve been involved in the National Youth Pipe Band since about year three of the program. I was a participant myself. I’ve actually worked with every Director of the National Youth Pipe Band. It’s really exciting for me to help steer the ship.

pipes|drums: LB, let’s go back to you. You’re obviously really accomplished in other Celtic folk instruments, but the pipes aren’t one of them, as you mentioned. Is it a little bit odd for you to be joining the National Piping Centre? Did you ever think you would?

Laura-Beth MacCrimmon: I think if anyone has heard about me joining the team here, that’s probably the number-one question they’re asking: Why is this mandolin player in this role?!

The thing is that, of the very limited number of people who have heard of me, they would know me as a mandolin player in a band. A lot of people will never have heard of me, but if they have, it will be why.

But most people wouldn’t know the other work I’ve done alongside that for the last 15 or 20 years. I’ve done quite a lot in community music and organizing tuition events, and doing a lot teaching.

I’m really, really passionate about creating those opportunities for people, not just for young people, for anyone. Community through trad music is such an incredible part of our culture. And when this opportunity came up, and I saw the heritage that’s tied in, and the opportunity to work, to create those events, and create opportunities for other people to get involved with such an amazing team, I thought, Well, I might just go for that and see, because it’s kind of a dream job.

We have an incredibly skilled tutor team and a team of producers, all with a huge vision for what we can do. And the kind of statement that enriches lives through piping. I think it’s brilliant. I think it’s wonderful. If I could be a part of that team, it would make me happy, and I got the job.

pipes|drums: There’s certainly been a lot of discussion about community, or the loss of community in the competitive pipe band world. It’s on a lot of people’s minds right now. This is an interesting direction for NPC is taking.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of our discussion with Emma Hill, LB MacCrimmon, Finlay MacDonald and David Shedden, coming soon on pipes|drums.