Donald MacPhee’s 2020 vision and a postcard from 2022

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In the final ever edition of the Piping Today magazine published in May 2020, a wide range of people were asked to give their 2020 vision for piping going forward. They were all sent a list of questions and asked to choose one to answer in no more than 200 words.

The questions prompted a wide range of interesting and entertaining answers, and we will share them on bagpipe.news over the rest of this year. To give the writers a chance to update their thoughts, we have asked them to write us a short and snappy postcard from 2022, letting us know their plans for this year now that piping is opening up again and life getting back to some normality.

Donald MacPhee’s 2020 Vision

I owe what seems my life to piping. An idiom that has given me so very much in the people I’ve met, places I’ve visited and opportunities and experiences I’ve had. This from a long time ago young, red-haired, freckle face, eye-glass wearing, overweight non-athletic, stuttering young schoolboy. Piping provided me the opportunity of musical expression and growth in the music of my forefathers.  It’s up to all of us to make piping a better place than when we came into it.

Piping in 2020: we have more qualified teachers than ever before. Learning centres and examining bodies provide a structured learning that develops all aspects of piping. Competition piping from the juvenile through to the CLASP and senior levels is very strong and very competitive. The talent that are coming through piping programs in the Gaelic music and Conservatiore levels are feeding an ever-growing traditional music scene. We are able to share our music so easily on social media. And products for our idiom are in an ever-increasing competitive environment – creating better products for the consumer.  For all aspects of piping, in my opinion – it’s never been healthier. 

Donald’s postcard from 2022

2022: Looking forward to reacquainting with old friends and new ones too. Very much missing the human interaction with my fellow competitors, adjudicators and dancers – the message has been to be safe and kind over these past couple of years. Kindness and positivity is what the recent past has taught us – you just don’t know what people are going through or have gone through – choose kindness. Wishing you all a safe return to what we all love to do. Godspeed 

Donald MacPhee


•Bill Livingstone’s 2020 vision and a postcard from 2022
•Keith Bowes Jnr’s 2020 vision and a postcard from 2022
•Jim McGillivray’s 2020 vision and a postcard from 2022
•Dr Peter McCalister’s 2020 vision and a postcard from 2022
•Jack Taylor’s 2020 vision and a postcard from 2022