Scotia-Glenville Pipe Band

The Scotia-Glenville Pipe Band is a grade three Pipe Band from Scotia, New York, which competes in the regional and international pipe band circuit and participates in community events. As a junior band, the members are between the ages of eight and eighteen. Scotia-Glenville is the only competing junior band in the Northeast. In 2007, Scotia-Glenville took third place in the Novice Juvenile section of the World Pipe Band Championships. The band's competitive success, regionally and internationally, has resulted in its recent upgrade to grade three, a recognition of its high level of playing ability. (Only three bands are ranked higher—grade two or one—in the Eastern United States Pipe Band Association, a remarkable feat for a band composed of under-18 players.)
Band history
The band was founded in 1989 as a part of the Scotia-Glenville School District. Initially, the band members were drawn from the school district and given elementary piping and drumming lessons as part of the school's Scottish Heritage program; members gained experience by performing at community events. Since its inception, the band has broadened its pool of players and become a competitive pipe band within the Eastern United States Pipe Band Association. Some of Scotia's members have gone on to join successful adult pipe bands, including a significant number of the players in the grade one Oran Mor Pipe Band, and the band has also attracted internationally recognized musicians like Jack Lee, John Wilson and Reid Maxwell to the Capital District to hold band workshops. The band's musical directors are Maureen Connor, a professional piper and member of the Oran Mor Pipe Band, and Eric MacNeill, the Drum Sergeant of Oran Mor.
2006 through present
Over time, the size and skill level of the band has increased, and in 1999 it began to attend regional Pipe Band Competitions. The band has attracted players from New York, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Maine, and as a result of its size the band began to field two competition bands. In 2006, Scotia-Glenville's successes achieved the 2nd place overall championship in Grade Four of the Eastern United States Pipe Band Association. In 2007, the Grade Four band traveled to Scotland to compete in the World Pipe Band Championships for the first time. They competed in the Novice Juvenile category, winning 3rd place overall. As a result of this achievement, the band was upgraded to grade three by the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association and the Eastern United States Pipe Band Association. The band competed in grade three during the 2008 EUSPBA season, and will return to Scotland to compete in the juvenile (under-18 grade three) division of the World Pipe Band Championships in August 2009.

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu