GREY’S NOTES by Michael Grey. Piping Today #79, 2016. I once read something somewhere about the spiritual power of making music in a group. The words I recall spoke to group music creation in a sacred sort of way. Making music with others joined energy and life forces and, well, […]
Pipe Major Richard Parkes of Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band paid tribute to Ian Duncan in the build up to the Names and Places annual pipe band concert at Celtic Connections on February 4, 2023. Details of the concert, and other Celtic Connections concerts, and how to buy tickets can […]
By Donald MacPhee Piping for dancing has been a big part of my life. My two sisters were highland dancers and latterly became highland dance teachers. When I got on to the pipes, my dad and bagpipe tutor (Sandy MacPhee) encouraged me to play for the dancers that were getting […]
It’s been a quite a decade. I took over as Director of the National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland (NYPBoS) in 2009 shortly after moving to Scotland from Australia. Ten years later, I’m looking forward at marking that decade with an NYPBoS concert on February 8 in Edinburgh at the […]
Richard Parkes MBE received an honourary PhD today at a graduation ceremony at Queen’s University, Belfast. After the ceremony five pipers from Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band surprised him on the lawn outside the building. Parkes, the legendary Pipe Major of Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band since 1981, is the […]
Grade 1 pipe majors wait in turn to receive their prizes at the British Pipe Band Championships in Paisley 2016. Inveraray won first prize that day, with Richard Parkes shown going to collect second prize, followed by Allen Tully, Chris Armstrong, Roddy MacLeod and Ryan Canning respectively.
