Four National Piping Centre leaders on their roles and projects – Part 2

Our discussion with four leaders from the National Piping Centre: Emma Hill, NPC Clubs Producer; Laura-Beth MacCrimmon, Youth & Communities Producer; Finlay MacDonald, Director of Piping; and David Shedden, NYPBoS Producer, continues as the organization reaches its 30-year milestone this year.

In the first part, the group discussed the various programs and projects underway at the NPC. To conclude, the four discuss the meaningful work the organization is doing to foster and promote Highland piping, pipe band drumming, and Celtic folk music in Scotland and worldwide.

Here’s the text of Part 2, with minor edits for written clarity.

pipes|drums: It seems like the National Piping Center and all its programs are becoming more broad-based, less about preparing pipers for competition and more for the experience, the community, the musical. Is that a conscious direction that the organization is moving away from competitive piping?

Finlay MacDonald: We’re not. I don’t think we are moving away from competitive piping. We’re just broadening the goalposts much more in terms of what anyone can do with a piping. In the old days, some people used to say, “You have to play in a pipe band or have to play solos, you can’t do both.” And then it was, “You know, you can’t play folk music and then play solos.”

We think you can do anything with music and with any instrument. If we bring more young people and old people, if we bring more people into piping, then give them the options of which direction they want to take, then that’s a healthy thing for me.

The proof is in the pudding, we’ve got our Junior Competition in two weeks’ time with the biggest entry ever. We’ve got the Duncan Johnstone Memorial Competition following that. We run the Glenfiddich, the Masters. We’re not trying to divert anyone from competing in any way. We’re just saying, Well, here are the options. We can give you that opportunity to start piping, and whatever direction you want to go in, we’ll support you.

We pass people on to things like local pipe bands or the competitive scene, the CLASP [THE Competition League for Amateur Solo Pipers] scene, which runs a fantastic community. If we talk about community and piping, that’s one of the best, and it’s competitive. Margaret [Houlihan] and the team have built that sense of community around the CLASP, which is fantastic.

We’re definitely not against competition. We’re just up for giving everyone an opportunity to go in whatever direction they want.

pipes|drums: It seems like a broadening of what the instrument can be about, the musical side of it seems to be in lockstep with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the work being done there, and the number of pipers going into not only competition, but people like John Dew becoming a professional composer of classical music.

David, certainly your work in the broader Celtic folk scene complements that as well. You’ve had a strong background in competitive piping for a while, but have seen both sides of it.

David Shedden: Yeah, that’s the thing. Finlay’s totally right. It’s about offering more, not less. We’ve not taken away any competitions. In fact, if you look at Piping Live!, it’s a music festival. There are at least two competitions that you could enter every single day – loads of competitions. The CLASP is an amazing.

I grew up through competitive piping. I did all the competitions all the way up to Silver Medal and learning the set tunes and all that. But now make a living at it. Obviously, I work for the National Piping Centre, but I also make a living as a professional musician playing gigs and doing recordings. It’s really about broadening what people can d.

We want to create a space for people. Some do really well with competition. I did really well from it, and you yourself, Andrew, did very well, thriving in that scene. But it’s not for everyone, and by giving more people more opportunities to play our instrument in more ways. As alway,s more is always more.

Emma Hill: It’s more about the art.

David Shedden: Yeah, one thing we haven’t talked about is our trainee tutor program at the National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland. The National Youth Pipe Band works with young people from ages 10 to 25, and at the higher end of the age bracket, we have opportunities to be a trainee tutor. People who are interested in teaching pipes and drums as a career.

They can do our trainee tutor program, and it’s paid work. It’s real work experience. The whole program is about young people developing their skills, improving their confidence, and having a sense of belonging with pipes and drums.

Actually, Emma was one of my trainee tutors a couple of years ago. She’s a fantastic success story, and she now runs the clubs.

Emma Hill: Yeah, that story starts out quite funny. One of the first times I went into the Youth Band, I was very, very nervous, and I remember very much getting put on the spot, being told to lead the rehearsal. It was a bit of a shambles! I wasn’t sure what I was doing, and was quite nervous.

It was one of my first big teaching jobs. I had been teaching as a Club Tutor beforehand, but they’re two very different ways to learn to teach. The Clubs are for those aged seven to 17, very much the grass roots of learning, and then you’ve got the Youth Band, where they all have a bit more experience.

It was very interesting starting out, but I very much grew my confidence with the Trainee Tutor Program. It shaped my teaching a lot. By the end of it, I was conducting a couple of sets at the Youth Band Concert, which was incredible and, looking back at that first rehearsal, I did not think that would have happened at all.

It’s an amazing program.

David Shedden: It’s such a different experience as well. Leading an ensemble like the National Youth Pipe Band is such a different thing from getting experience as a tutor doing one-to-one lessons. There are lots of opportunities for people to gain experience doing one-to-one lessons and even small group lessons.

Finding tutors who have got the experience of leading a big rehearsal like a National Youth Pipe Band event is tricky. It’s been an amazing thing to offer to young people. It’s great seeing people like Emma coming in and being kind of rabbit in the headlights to really, really excel.

Finlay MacDonald: I was just going to say how well you conducted. I was at the concert last year, obviously. It’s no mean feat when you have to turn your back to an audience of a couple of thousand people and conduct an ensemble on stage. You did it spectacularly well, Emma.

Emma Hill: Thank you!

David Shedden: And it wasn’t just pipes and drums either. It was the whole back line, and they were all looking at Emma to know exactly when to come in. That was great.

Emma Hill: You’re not just teaching a lesson. You’re very much in a rehearsal. It was actually something I found really good when I started. I was going in thinking that I only had to teach music, and it that wasn’t at all. It was actually more the arrangement and how they’re playing it and fitting the rest of the ensemble. It was great.

pipes|drums: Finlay, anything else to add that we might look forward to in the next while?

Finlay MacDonald: The Junior Competition, as I mentioned. You can’t enter anymore because it’s fully subscribed, but that’s a good, healthy sign. We’ve got the Duncan Johnstone coming, and various gatherings and schools throughout the spring and summer.

And of course, one of the big things is Piping Live!, which we are currently planning. We’re well down the line with lots of cool stuff happening there. We’re always thinking about the next thing. [Events Manager] Helen Urquhart is thinking about Piping Live!, the Glenfiddich, the charity dinners and different events.

It’s a constant cycle It’s a really exciting time and place that we’re. We’ve got much to do and much variety. It’s a busy place, and we’re just happy to have such a great team in place. There’s a good energy about the place, and making sure everyone knows we’re here and they’re welcome.

pipes|drums: Well, who could have imagined such success back in the 1990s, when the National Piping Centre, or the Piping Centre as it was at that time, was just a vision. I doubt anybody would have imagined what it is now with such a variety of things going on and the impact that it’s made, not just in Scotland, but worldwide. Credit to all of you.

Finlay MacDonald: We recognize everyone who’s made it happen before us and continue to. That’s part of that carrying stream. We’re part of this thing that’s bigger than all of us, but we’re contributing what we can at the time.

pipes|drums: It truly is a centre of piping for the world. Congrats again on that. And thanks again for bringing us up to speed on a few of the developments that have been going on with the National Piping Centre and everything associated with it. We’ll be watching closely.

Finlay MacDonald: Thanks!

pipes|drums: Stay tuned for more from pipes|drums coming soon.