Coming soon to a desktop near you! The Balmoral School of Piping & Drumming will hold its 2020 summer school sessions via Zoom. Joining us through the magic of the Internet will be three acclaimed guest instructors from Scotland, Ireland and Nova Scotia, all with incomparable records of teaching and promoting pipe music around the world.
From Hamilton, Scotland, Robert Mathieson is a composer of pipe music, as well as an award-winning Pipe Major. He served as pipe major of the Shotts and Dykehead Caledonia Pipe Band of North Lanarkshire, Scotland, from 1986 to 2010. The band won 30 major championships under Mathieson’s leadership and was a 5-time winner of the World Pipe Band Championships.
Fmr Pipe Major of the Grade 1 St. Laurence O’Toole Pipe Band, Terry Tully, is one of the most influential composers of bagpipe music in Ireland. Under Tully’s leadership, SLOT won the Scottish and British 2008 Championships, and was the 1st pipe band from the Republic of Ireland to win the Grade One World Championship. Tully performed with the Chieftains at Carnegie Hall and has appeared on three of the band’s albums.
Bruce Gandy was a member of the 78th Fraser Highlanders Pipe Band when they were the first non-Scottish pipe band to win the World Pipe Band Championships in 1987. His solo awards include the Canadian Gold Medal, Gold Medal at the Northern Meeting, Gold Medal at Oban, and Bratach Gorm. He is a 3-time winner of the MacCrimmon Memorial Cairn for Piobaireachd and is a Vancouver Indoor 6-Time Metro Cup Winner.
Summer drumming instructor and head of Balmoral’s drumming program, Gordon Bell, a EUSPBA Overall Champion from 1979-1987, has over 30 years experience instructing drummers. Bell is a veteran of many top Grade One Pipe Bands.
In virtual classes of five or fewer, students will receive instruction on the Great Highland pipes, Scottish smallpipes, snare, tenor drum and bass drum. Tech help will be made available for those not familiar with Zoom.
Balmoral will also offer social hours or “mixers” via Zoom, in which students can discuss topics related to piping and drumming, or just get to know each other. A big part of the Balmoral experience is our community. Even in our virtual schools, we will give our students the opportunity to network, as well as to make friends who share a common interest in piping and drumming.