Reaching out to LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities (video)

The launch of the new Los Angeles-based City of Angels Pipe Band coincides well with June, Pride Month.

The band takes a novel approach to growing its membership by proactively welcoming those who identify LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or sometimes questioning) and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of colour).

In 2021, a band that does not welcome any person able to play and learn the pipes or drum is a band out of touch. We don’t know of any band that wouldn’t.

But as we wondered in our recent editorial, do bands and associations actually actively seek and welcome potential players from those and other non-traditional communities? Associations and pipe bands are notoriously passive when it comes to seeking out new players. There are exceptions, of course, but most will wait for interested learners to come to them.

Trevor Takahashi, previously pipe-major of the Grade 3 Pasadena Scottish, is clearly a person of action. He recognizes that hard work produces results, and proactively welcoming learners, regardless of identities, is the only approach to take.

The best disinfectant, as they say, is sunlight. pipes|drums has proactively shone a light on many issues. Only by asking questions and discussing matters rationally and with an open mind can we expect to learn and prosper.

We decided that checking in with Trevor Takahashi on June 1st was the right thing to do.

We hope you agree.

Related

Opinion: Extend an invitation, don’t wait for a secret knock on the clubhouse door
June 1, 2021

New City of Angels band formed in LA
May 23, 2021

Pasadena Scottish sweep Las Vegas, baby
April 15, 2019