New push to play the pipes
There’s a new initiative to encourage young people to pick up the pipes in the Perthshire area.
Perthshire Highland Games Association (PHGA) chairman Ian Stewart this week announced the decision to team up with the Vale of Atholl Pipe Band to promote a bigger uptake of piping and drumming tuition.
The Vale of Atholl Pipe Band has agreed to sponsor the PHGA junior solo piping league while the PHGA will sponsor a junior event at the Vale’s annual solo piping competition.
It is said that ‘In union lies the greatest strength’ and through this new partnership the Vale were able to secure a £5000 donation from a charitable organisation to be split between the Vale and the PHGA for the purpose of promoting and tuition of piping in Perthshire.
The first of the many ideas saw the Vale invite youths along to Perth this week to a ‘come and try session’ where participants experienced many of the instruments involved in a pipe band and saw how the band worked.
PHGA chair Ian said: “We at the PHGA are hugely excited by this new partnership with the Vale of Atholl Pipe Band and, in particular, its tuition academy.
“Both ourselves and the Vale have some great ideas to promote piping in the Perthshire area and, by joining forces, we feel we can make a real difference in encouraging youngsters to learn the bagpipes.”
Vale of Atholl chair Ian Elrick added: “The Vale of Atholl is delighted to team up with the
PHGA to promote and encourage youngsters to learn piping and drumming in the Perthshire area.
“The Vale has a tuition programme running on Tuesday evenings and, with the help of the PHGA, it is growing in numbers week-on-week.”
The band encourages youngsters to participate in the PHGA junior solo piping league.
For further information on the tuition programme contact gary.nimmo@thevale.org or ianstewartcrieff@gmail.com