Teaching Older Players – a Panel Discussion – Part 2

We continue our look into teaching older pipers and drummers with a fascinating and essential panel discussion with world-famous piping teachers Jori Chisholm of BagpipeLessons.com in Seattle, Margaret Dunn of the National Piping Centre in Glasgow, and Andrew Douglas of the Piper’s Dojo and Dojo University in Albany, New York.

With the average age of the piping and drumming world’s population getting older, the experience of players over age 40 will come increasingly into focus.

In Part 1, the panel focused on their experiences and techniques in teaching older players and the many advantages they might have over younger learners.

In Part 2, they continue with their observations, including that competition is not always the ultimate goal. They provide valuable advice for adult pipers.

Our esteemed panellists:

Jori Chisholm is a mover and shaker in the piping and drumming world. The founder of BagpipeLessons.com, the world’s first online business that focuses on instruction, Chisholm is one of the world’s most successful competitive pipers, with a bounty of solo awards and more than 20 years as a member of the Grade 1 Simon Fraser University Pipe Band on Vancouver. BagpipeLessons.com continues to stage the World Online Solo Piping & Drumming Championships. Chisholm is the inventor and manufacturer of several innovative and award-winning products designed to improve the piper’s experience with the notoriously temperamental instrument.

A native of Ireland, Margaret Dunn has lived in and taught piping at the National Piping Centre in Glasgow for many years, teaching pipers of every age and ability in Scotland and worldwide. One of history’s most competitively successful female solo pipers, her awards include both the March and Strathspey & Reel at the Argyllshire Gathering and the Silver Medal at the Northern Meeting. She’s a member of Grade 1 Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia and has led the Grade 3 Cullen Pipe Band of County Cork, Ireland. In addition to teaching, Dunn is the head of The CLASP (Competition League for Amateur Solo Pipers), running an annual season of in-person and online competitions for adult amateur players worldwide.

The founder, creator and CEO of the Piper’s Dojo and Dojo University, Andrew Douglas made piping his profession after graduating from college. His teaching experience is as comprehensive as can be, working with beginners, intermediate learners, and advanced players of every age and background. He was the pipe-major of Grade 1 Oran Mor for six years and has won numerous prizes at the top solo levels, including events at Winter Storm, the Northern Meeting and the Argyllshire Gathering. A member of Grade 1 Inveraray & District for almost 10 years, he was part of the band’s 2017 and 2019 World Championship wins.

Here is the second and final part of our exclusive Teaching Older Players pipes|drums Panel Discussion:

Our thanks again to Jori Chisholm, Andrew Douglas and Margaret Dunn for contributing their thoughts and advice.

What do you think? As always, we welcome your thoughts, so please use our Comments feature below.

Stay tuned to pipes|drums for further conversations and articles on piping and drumming for older players.