Kintyre Schools Pipe Band
Events
The Creation
Kintyre Schools Pipe Band was formed in October 2000, in response to a demand from a small group of young musicians to provide a structure for their collective piping and drumming interests. It sparked a local revival in juvenile piping, after years in the doldrums. At the same time the Kintyre Juvenile Pipe Band Association was formed as the vehicle, driven primarily by parents, to fund and administer the Pipe Band on behalf of the Primary and Secondary Schools in Kintyre.
Ian McKerral, Schools Piping Tutor, gathered together a group of his own contemporaries to help him pull the talents of the youngsters together. The tuition team of Ian McKerral and John Brown (pipes) and Campbell Anderson and Tommy Blue (drums) have worked together continuously and voluntarily since 2000 to develop the band. More recently, former band member Julie Blue and Peter Ferguson have joined the team. Over the years, a number of other local volunteers (including Ian Campbell, Jimmy McGeachy and Jim Henderson) have freely given of their time to teach the young players. Former Grade 1 drummer Lee Lawson from Northern Ireland tutored the drum corps for some time. Andy Gibbs, with years of recent Grade 1 piping expertise behind him, joined up in 2006 and then spent three seasons as one of Kintyre Schools Pipe Majors.
Kintyre Schools Pipe Band aims to achieve excellence in piping and drumming. A disciplined commitment is expected of and received from the band members who strive to enhance the reputations of themselves, their schools and their community.
These standards were instilled from the start and were most noticeably apparent when a small band of pipers and drummers took to the stage in March 2001 at the first of the Association’s annual pipe band concerts.
By November 2001, the Novice Band of rookie pipers and drummers were deemed ready to take the competitive plunge, and were duly registered with The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association as a new band at Novice Juvenile Grade.
The Development
In its first competitive season (2002), the Band, rigged out in brand new uniforms and sporting prominent Blue Ramsay tartan kilts, entered all five Pipe Band Major Championships, led by Ian McKerral as Pipe Major. Although they did not win a Major in that first season they did remarkably well to achieve top six placings in all five Majors.
In 2003, determination and commitment were increased, and the Band of just 11 pipers and 7 drummers was found to be unbeatable, winning all five Pipe Band Major Championships at Novice Juvenile Grade, including the World Championships, and the prize of Champions of Champions which was collected at the European Championships in Belgium.
Promotion from Novice Grade to Juvenile Grade was then inevitable and this was confirmed in October 2003. At the same time, Kintyre Schools registered a second, feeder Pipe Band at Novice Juvenile Grade, with the aim of ensuring a continued progression of young pipers and drummers through the system in the years ahead.
With two bands to develop and administer, the demands intensified and work loads doubled. The youngsters maintained their efforts and, although neither Band won a Major in 2004, they both performed consistently throughout the season. The Juvenile Band was placed Second in the Champion of Champions rankings in their grade.
In 2005, the Juvenile Grade Band was placed Second at the Scottish Championships, at the European Championships, and at the British Championships. That same year the Novice Band, with John Brown in charge, went on to win the British, European and World Championships.
Success was maintained in 2006, with the Juvenile Band, under Ian McKerral, winning its first ever Major at the European Championships at Greenock. The Kintyre name was then to the fore at the World Championships that year, with the Juvenile Band securing Third place and the Novice Band being crowned World Champions for the second successive year. The Juvenile Band rounded off its 2006 season with a return visit to the Belgian Pipe Band Championships at Alden Biesen in September.
By November 2006, Kintyre Schools Pipe Band had developed to monstrous proportions, with some 80 pipers and drummers registered. The Band had a struggle with the R.S.P.B.A which promoted the Novice Band to Juvenile Grade. It was felt that it would be wrong to have the two bands competing against each other in the same grade and also be wrong to drop scores of new personnel who had worked hard to claim their places in the novice band, but did not have the experience to perform at juvenile grade. The upshot was that a third Kintyre Schools Band was registered. In 2007, the three bands competed at Juvenile Grade, adult Grade 3A, and at Novice Juvenile Grade.
In 2007, the Juvenile Band, with Ian McKerral at the helm, performed in horrendous horizontal rain to win the Scottish Championships at Dumbarton. Later in the year, in glorious sunshine, the Juvenile Band won the Pipe Band Contest at the Inter-Celtique Festival at Lorient in Brittany. The very same day, the Novice Band, led by Pipe Major Julie Blue, in dreadful weather in Glasgow, achieved Fourth spot in their Grade at the World Championships.
The Grade 3A Band, led by Pipe Major Andy Gibbs, supported by all the other tutors, lasted for just the one season. In its final performance before being wound up, the 3A Band claimed an outstanding 5th place at Cowal in 2007.
The “three band” set-up in 2007 had not been a success. There were too few tutors and too many commitments and demands to sustain three bands year on year. For 2008, Kintyre Schools reverted to two (large) bands competing at Juvenile and Novice Juvenile Grades. The Novice Band won the European Championships in Northern Ireland in 2008, and the Juvenile Band maintained a sound standing, including an impressive Third Place at the World Championships.
Drum Majors
The visual side of pipe bands is certainly important. From inception, Ian Campbell took on the role of Kintyre Schools Drum Major. Over the years he has taken more of a back seat by tutoring and bringing on his protégés, the Renton boys, Liam and Kevan. The Band’s drum majoring highlight to date was Liam Renton’s success at the Cowal Gathering in 2009 when he won the coveted Cowal Juvenile Drum Major Championship.
The non-competitive side of Kintyre Schools Pipe Band.
Competition may be a spur towards excellence. Kintyre Schools Pipe Band is, however, also a renowned concert band. The children in the Band relish entertaining the local community and visitors to Kintyre at every opportunity, whether at street performances, ceilidhs, festivals and other social events. The band has developed an interesting and exciting concert repertoire, and the Kintyre Juvenile Pipe Band Association’s annual concert and ceilidh over two nights in March has become something of a local institution, with a wonderful atmosphere, and tickets in short supply. In solo piping and drumming circles, a number of members of the Band have over the years shown great promise, and, apart from competing all over Scotland, enjoy entertaining the crowds in Kintyre and elsewhere.
In June 2005, Pipe Major Ian McKerral was honoured to receive the Yamaha Award as Scottish National Music Instructor of the Year.
Kintyre Schools Pipe Band was pronounced “Scottish Pipe Band of the Year” for 2007 at The Scottish Traditional Music Awards.
In 2008, the Juvenile Band performed with The Red Hot Chilli Pipers at their concert in Glasgow’s Old Fruitmarket. The Band feature on the Chilli Pipers DVD recorded at the Concert and called “Blast Live”.
More recent Developments
Kintyre Schools struggled a bit in 2009 with two large bands, one in Juvenile Grade, under Ian McKerral, and the other at Novice Grade, led by Andy Gibbs. The Juvenile Band competed in all the Majors in 2009, except Cowal. The Band was placed 3rd in the Scottish, European and British contests, but slipped to 5th at the Worlds. The Novice Band came on well, the highlight being the winning of the European Championships for the second year in a row. Additionally, in 2009, the Juvenile Band appeared at both the Celtica Festival at Courmayeur (Italy) in July, and the “Scottish Days” Festival run by the Flemish Caledonian Society at Flanders (Belgium) in August.
At the end of the 2009 season, the band leaders concluded that the time was perhaps right for a change of strategy and direction. In particular, the Juvenile Band had been struggling in a small yet tough Grade, and it was felt that there was a need to freshen things up a bit. There was also a need for a new adult band in the town to give older children and young adults a vehicle in which they could maintain and continue their piping and drumming interests. The Kintyre Schools Juvenile Grade Band was disbanded and the Sound of Kintyre Pipe Band, led by Andy Gibbs, was formed as a new town band in adult Grade 3A. Most of the Kintyre Schools Juvenile Grade Band and a few of the Novice Band members from 2009 joined the Sound of Kintyre Pipe Band (or Machrihanish Dunes Sound of Kintyre Pipe Band to give it its full name). The Sound detached from the Schools structure and adopted its own constitution, though it continued to be supported by the Association as it comprised mainly juvenile members. The Sound of Kintyre Band enjoyed a mixed bag of results in its first season (2010), but got itself squarely on the right track with another highly successful trip to the Inter-Celtique Festival at Lorient, winning the Pipe Band contest for Kintyre once more.
The structure changes left Kintyre Schools with just the one Pipe Band in 2010, registered at Novice, and comprising, in the main, brand new recruits from the Beginners Band ready to tackle the serious stuff. The Band enjoyed a fairly light year in 2010, a year of development, competing in just three Majors at the Scottish, World, and Cowal Championships. At Cowal, the Band was delighted to sneak into the prize-list with a well-earned 6th place
The Year Ahead
In 2011, Kintyre Schools will be competing with one band, at Novice Juvenile Grade, now much tighter with a full year’s experience under their belts. The band will be entering the Scottish Championships at Dumbarton on 21st May, the British Championships at Annan on 25th June, the European Championships at Belfast on 30th July, the World Championships at Glasgow on 13th August and the Cowal Championships at Dunoon on 27th August. The Band also plans to compete at Gourock Highland Games on 8th May and at Bearsden Highland Games on 11th June. The Band will of course be appearing at many functions and street performances in the Kintyre Area throughout the year. The current Band has 18 pipers and 13 drummers, all aged between 10 and 16 years, except of course Pipe Major McKerral who will be celebrating his 50th birthday later in the year. The Band is delighted to have secured regular support from long time helpers Eric & Lynne Ward of Strathclyde Police Pipe Band in developing the skills of the drum corps.
The Band’s target in 2011 is to work really hard and secure promotion to Juvenile Grade. If that were to happen, the tutors will then consider going full circle by, as happened in October 2003, registering a second, small, band at Novice Grade from those youngsters who are currently learning their piping and drumming skills in our Beginners Band.
The Band looks forward to its trip to the World Championships in August, and to a performance in George Square, Glasgow on Thursday 11th August as part of the annual Piping live Festival.
Kintyre Schools Pipe Band has just produced and released a new Concert DVD called “Bengullion” to celebrate its 10th Anniversary.
Ten Years: the ups and downs: a short yet proud history
Since March 2001, some 140 young pipers and drummers, have come through the system and have turned out and competed for Kintyre Schools Pipe Band. Through hard work, dedication and commitment, they have earned their places in the Band. They have competed in a spirit of friendly rivalry at the highest level of juvenile pipe bands and have been privileged to be part of the band’s achievements. Basically, it’s something none of them will ever forget.
Community Support
The initial purchase of uniforms and instruments was substantially funded from Lottery grants. Since then, Kintyre Schools successes have been achieved on the back of tremendous community support from family members, from local businesses, and most notably from the Campbeltown Common Good Fund. The costs involved in running a pipe band (trips, uniforms, instruments and an array of other bits and pieces) can be quite frightening, but the good people of Campbeltown and Kintyre have always, even in the current financial doom and gloom, rallied to the call. In particular, the following local businesses have over the past 10 years sponsored the Band and the Association to the tune of hundreds, indeed thousands of pounds:- McFadyens Contractors, McFadyens Transport, P. McKerral & Co, D. McNair & Son, McEachran & Robertson, McKinven & Colville, Phoenix Motors, Kinloch Diner, Howdens Joinery, and West Coast Motors. The support from these firms and from numerous other small businesses, individuals and funding organisations in the community is most gratefully acknowledged.