Lossiemouth schools latest target for Scottish Schools teaching trust

The Scottish Schools Pipes & Drums Trust was formed as a national charity that helps schools, councils and communities in Scotland to introduce kids to piping and drumming at state-run schools for the formation of school pipe bands, and the SSPDT is now hitting the community of Lossiemouth to give children the chance to learn.

More than 80 beginners from Lossiemouth, Burghead and Hopeman Primary Schools, and Lossiemouth High School are expected to sign up after funding was received from a national music charity. A new school pipe band is anticipated to be formed within the year.

The Kick Start weekend enables interested young students to try the practice chanter and/or drums, and then sign up for lessons in school.

“I cannot express how exciting the prospect of piping and drumming being taught in schools is,” said Richard Bond, SSPDT steering committee member and the pipe-sergeant of the Grade 3A 2622 Squadron from the Moray region of Scotland. “A school’s pipe band would be great for the pupils to showcase the project. This is an important project in promoting Scottish music within our schools and ensuring a legacy in Moray’s schools for the future.”

In addition to providing grants for piping and drumming tuition to deserving areas of Scotland, the Scottish Schools Pipes & Drums Trust organizes the Scottish Schools Pipe Band Championships every March. More than 2,500 students are currently learning the Highland pipes or pipe band drums at 190 state-run schools in Scotland. The country is also rich with private schools teaching, with Dollar Academy, George Heriot’s and George Watson’s College among those producing top-flight bands.