Alyth Pipe Band is getting ready to compete at national and maybe even international level, thanks to a grant from Alyth Development Trust’s community projects fund. The fund is contributing £2000 to help the band hire specialist tuition from leading experts within the Scottish piping and drumming communities.
Founded in 2006, Alyth Pipe Band has long been a focal point of the town’s social and cultural life. They play at major events such as the annual Christmas Lights Switch-On ceremony, and also lead the town’s participation in national occasions such as Remembrance Sunday.
They are also a familiar sight at charity events and fundraising events for the town, where their presence boosts residents’ sense of pride and engagement in the community, as well as contributing to the preservation and promotion of Scottish heritage, arts and music which helps strengthen the town’s visual identity.
Pipe Major Charlie Munro of the band explained: “The grant has allowed us immediately to start structured tuition for our existing members and, we hope, attract new members keen to learn piping or drumming. As our pipers and drummers learn new skills and confidence, we plan to enter into national and perhaps even international competitions as ambassadors representing the Alyth district.
“Tuition and support from leading experts will encourage new and existing members to gain new skills and become confident enough to compete with other bands. It will also help younger or junior members to work towards achievements in music and pipe band studies. We’ll be able to offer specialised or one-to-one support for these requiring more enhanced learning environments that may not be possible in bigger bands or at school bands.
“The plan is for us to increase our membership and reach competition standard within six months to a year. It’s ambitious, but we’re determined to get there!”
The grant funding will allow the band to set up workshops and focus groups to help young and upcoming players or help existing players to enhance their skill set. Alyth Pipe Band already provides members with free tuition from the current pipe major but the enhanced tuition enabled by the grant will allow the band to provide a higher standard of tuition to a larger skill base from absolute beginner to academic level.
The grant has already enabled the band to retain the services of piping expert Jim Semple, who is a professional bagpipe tutor, examiner and adjudicator. Jim was a member of Strathclyde Police Pipe Band for 22 years and won the world pipe band championships twice while there. He also played for the Vale of Atholl grade 1 band and was Pipe Major of Linlithgow and District Pipe Band.
ADT’s community projects fund distributes the community benefit funds provided for Alyth by the operators of the Tullymurdoch Windfarm, some five miles north of the town. Applications to the fund are judged by an independent panel of volunteers drawn from across the community. Apply at https://lovealyth.org.uk/projects/alyth-community-projects-fund/.