Northwest Junior Pipe Band

The Northwest Junior Pipe Band (NWJPB) is a Novice/Grade 4 and Grade 5 youth bagpipe band based in the North Seattle/Shoreline area of the Pacific Northwest in Washington. Founded in 1995 by Charlie McNeill, a Scottish emigrant with a deep love for the bagpipes and for teaching youth, the band has grown rapidly beginning in 2005 to its peak of 50+ members during the 2007/2008 season. The 2008 Juvenile Pipe Major was Matthew Maier and Drum Sergeant Joseph Young.
The band director and piping instructor is Kevin Auld, midsection instructor is Marcie MacRae, snare drumming instructor Scott Parker (who joined the band in 2010), replacing Steve Roy who was drum Director from 2005 through 2009. It is the only youth competition pipe band in Washington.
The band won the Washington State Championships in 2008, and traveled to Scotland to compete in the World Pipe Band Championships. While in Scotland with 30 members aged 9 to 18, they were featured performers at the opening of the in George Square, and the international parade of bands sponsored by the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association on Friday before the Championships. The band competed in a field of 24 pipe bands in Grade 4 at the Perth Highland Games, winning against the 2008 British, European, and World Champions in Grade 4B and many other youth and adult bands from around the world. The band won 1st place of 11 pipe bands at the Crieff Highland Games, and placed in the top six at the Championships in Glasgow on August 16, 2008, winning third place in the Novice Juvenile qualifier round and ultimately placing 5th in the world; the top position of any North American youth bagpipe band who competed at the 2008 World Pipe Band Championships.
A non-profit organization, the band keeps the cost of membership in the organization as low as possible, provides scholarship opportunities to low-income members to pay for private or group instruction, and started a low-cost group lesson program for beginners called "Pipe Band School" in 2007. In 2007/8, less than 15% of the band's budget came from membership dues. The band relies on the generous support of the community to support the large yearly cost of fielding a successful and growing youth bagpipe band. Uniforms alone run nearly $1,000 per member, but the band also provides drums and bagpipe reeds and chanters to its members. Community support is essential to provide youth with the necessary tools for their success.
Alumni students of Northwest Junior Pipe Band have gone on to perform and compete with some of the top bagpipe bands in the world including Simon Fraser University Pipe Band, Dowco Triumph Street Pipe Band, Robert Malcolm Memorial Pipe Band, Boghall and Bathgate Caledonia Pipe Band, and more. The band finished the 2008 and 2009 seasons in the British Columbia Pipers Association ranked 2nd of 11 pipe bands in Grade 4. The band won the Washington State Grade 3 Pipe Band and the Washington State Grade 4 Pipe Band Championships in 2010, and finished its 15th anniversary season winning its first British Columbia Pipers' Association Grade 4 Pipe Band Grand Aggregate Championship.
The band announced a unique joint project with White Spot Pipe Band from Vancouver, BC, Canada for the 2010/2011 season. The two bands combined their top pipers and drummers and competed in Grade 3 for the 2011 season, traveling together to Glasgow, Scotland for the World Pipe Band Championships
The Northwest/White Spot United Pipe Band placed 1st in piping and 2nd overall in Grade 3 at the Bridge of Allan Highland Games, placing ahead of the 2011 European, British, and Scottish Juvenile champions.
They competed at the North Berwick Highland games, receiving two 2nds in piping, tying for 2nd and placing 3rd in Juvenile on Ensemble results
The unique one year juvenile project finished the season and the band's one year history placing 5th overall (tie for 4th broken on ensemble preference) at the World Pipe Band Championships in Juvenile.

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