Spirit of Scotland Pipe Band

My father always wanted my brothers and I to play the pipes, but as kids we weren’t interested. Then when I was twelve, I saw a Pipe band with tenor drummers. I signed up that day to take lessons! The rest of my family followed suit. My brother Bryce is a snare drummer, and my dad and my youngest brother Craig play the bagpipes.

My first lesson was a disaster! I met my instructor Sandy Anderson at orientation night. He had a very thick Scottish accent, which at the time I could barely understand. He told me that all I needed to bring with me to the lesson was tapes to hold the sticks to my hands. Not knowing that tapes was another word for laces I brought a roll of scotch tape (because what other type of tape would Scottish people use?). Anyways, I was very embarrassed, and had to use the shoelace from my runner.

The first band that I played with was the 96th Highlanders. I went on to play with the North Saskatchewan Regiment, Kenora Scottish, Alberta Caledonia, and St. Andrew’s Society, Winnipeg.

While I love playing and competing, my passion is for teaching tenor drumming. I taught a great group of students at the 96th Highlanders for six years. I miss them dearly and wish them all the best of luck in their upcoming competitions.

Many people have influenced my drumming, the most notable are: Sandy Anderson, who taught me all that I know, and has always encouraged and supported me. Kenna Weilan who first introduced me to Alberta Caledonia and challenged me to become a better drummer, and finally Wes Shepard, who has taken me under his wing countless times.

This year has been very exciting for me I moved away from home (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) to do my MA in Museum Studies at the University of Leicester. Currently I am doing an internship at the Natural History Museum, London, while madly typing away at my dissertation. Hopefully by the week of the Worlds I will be proofreading my final draft. While I have been studying hard, I have also squeezed in time for fun and travel, but one of the most exciting opportunities that I have had this year is playing in the band alongside so many elite players.