Drummers get a break at Balmoral Classic Junior Solos

It’s not often when pipe band drummers get a leg up, but the Balmoral Classic United States Junior Solo Piping & Drumming Championships has decided to extend the deadline for young drummers to enter the online contest to give the more time to organize required piping accompaniment.

The contest is even offering to arrange for a professional piper to lay down a track to enable them to compete.

“This extension is an acknowledgement of the fact that drummers have more hoops to jump through when preparing a video for a virtual contest in the days of Covid,” said competition spokesperson Elaine Lee. “In other words, they must have an accompaniment by a piper during a period of social isolation. Our message to young drummers is: ‘Need a piper for accompaniment? Let us know and we’ll find a professional to record your competition tunes and send them to you.'”

Many drummers struggle to find a piper to accompany them at the best of times, and entry numbers can be small around Highland games that offer events. Many associations allow for pre-recorded piping, but virtual events have presented new challenges.

The 2020 online rendition of the event will be held as part of the 14th annual Balmoral Classic on November 14th. The deadline for pipers to enter and submit videos was on October 14th. On November 14, all competition performances will be broadcast on YouTube, with LiveChat available to give viewers the experience of attending a live event. First prize for the winning piper is a set of pipes from McCallum Bagpipes. and the winning snare drummer receives a new Premier snare drum from Henderson Imports.

Inquiries should be made to the organizers by email.

Kayleigh Johnstone of Aurora, Ontario, was the piping winner of the 2019 event, and Nicholas Moore of Cleveland won the drumming.

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