First North America Pipe Band Association Summit Scheduled

The first ever North American Pipe Band Association Summit will take place at Salt Lake City, Utah, October 15-17, with representatives invited from the Pipers & Pipe Band Society of Ontario, British Columbia Pipers Society, Alberta Pipe Band Association, Atlantic Canada Pipe Band Association, Prairie Pipe Band Association, Saskatchewan Pipe Band Association, Eastern United States Pipe Band Association, Midwest Pipe Band Association, Southern United States Pipe Band Association, and the host Western United States Pipe Band Association.

The summit is designed to be primarily a discussion and brainstorming session over the three days, with representatives sharing ideas, experiences, challenges and visions for the future.

Possible topics include: “Improving the quality of piping, drumming and bands,” “Improving quality of adjudicators,” “Development of programs to encourage players and bands to compete in other associations,” and, probably most importantly, an exploration of the possibility of a formal North American pipe band alliance.

One insider said, “The biggest challenge in combining structure and systems between organizations is the fact that the overall playing standards in British Columbia, for example, are far better than, say, the overall standards in the southern United States. Also, each of the organizations is at a very different period of growth.”

It is apparent that most participants in the summit will be attending with an open mind.

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