ANAPBA Summit this weekend in Florida

The Southern United States Pipe Band Association will host the 2006 Summit of the Alliance of North American Pipe Band Associations (ANAPBA) in Orlando, Florida, this weekend and a variety of topics are on the agenda.

All but a few of the 10 North American associations will send at least one representative to the meeting, with most executive and music board leaders attending. Kevin Reilly, chairman of the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association (RSPBA), will again attend the Summit.

The conference begins on the evening of Friday, Jan. 27, and runs until the late-morning of Sunday, Jan. 29. There will be separate meeting of association presidents and music board chairmen, each with a specific agenda. The two groups will convene several times to report on their discussions and other common themes.

Among the agenda items is a meeting with a representative from Walt Disney World on a proposed ANAPBA “Champions of Champions” pipe band event. Other discussions will involve potential accreditation processes for instructors, music copyright issues, and competition scoring.

On Saturday, Bob Shepherd of the RSPBA’s Musical Appreciation and Presentation (MAP) committee and adjudication panel will discuss his association’s developments in that area via a 60-minute conference call. Kevin Reilly will then discuss the MAP program further, as well as a discussion entitled “Working together with the RSPBA,” which will include segments called “Update on future World Pipe Band Association, North American qualifiers?” and “Update on the future format of the World Pipe Band Championships.”

ANAPBA member associations comprise: