Washington Pipers’ Association

Many thanks to all of the judges and the competitors who made time for our events this year!  This month, we had a miscommunication with our drumming judge and unfortunately needed to cancel drumming competitions. Thank you William Nichols for coming down from  Blaine to judge our piping events. Will started piping in Alaska at the age of 6 and travelled down to Washington for the Mastery of Scottish Arts Winter School (Now Celtic Arts Winter School), and to Canada for Piping Hot Summer Drummer regularly.

Will has won prizes at Oban for the past 2 years, including 2nd in the B-grade march.  He won second place in the Kansas City Winter Storm Silver Medal this year.  He won the BCPA Knockout in 2007 at the age of 17, and played with Robert Malcolm Memorial Grade 3 and Grade 2 winning two juvenile World Championships and the 2006 Grade 2 World Championships. Since 2006, Will has been playing in SFU and is currently finishing a Cellular Biology Degree at Western Washington University.

Finally, thanks so much to the Portland Metro Youth Pipe Band who travelled up from Portland / Vancouver to perform a great set of tunes for us, and we learned a little bit about their short history and teaching program led by the Grade 2 Portland Metro Pipe Band musicians, and Pipe Major Mark Tomasetti.

Continue reading ‘Washington Pipers’ Association May 15 Season ending results’ »

Great appreciation to our talented judges today, Curt Watts, lead drummer with Greighlan Crossing Pipe Band made the trip down from British Columbia to judge snare and bass drummers.  Micah Babinski (links to Who’s who in Bagpiping article by Andrew Lenz), a Washington based Professional bagpiper with a very successful history.  Due to our previously scheduled piping judge being needed at a band performance, Kevin Auld scrambled to find a replacement and Micah graciously agreed to help out on very short notice.

We had an improved turnout in Adult piping today with almost double our average number of pipers, and one brand new adult piper from Kenmore & District Pipe Band who started on the chanter within the last year and is practicing on bagpipes every day, a sure way to make quick progress, and an inspiration to those of us who either can’t or claim we ”can’t make the time” to practice as often as we know we should (says the author of this post who admittedly has intended to compete at each event this year, but “not practiced enough” each time).

Finally, thanks to the two competitors who came up from Portland to compete. We’ve really enjoyed having competitors from Portland Metro Youth Pipe Band at most of our events this year, and look forward to their performance around noon (between Adult piping and Grade 4 piping) at next month’s event.  There are only 4 competing youth pipe bands in Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia now, but Portand Metro Youth arrived on the scene last year and have really shown great talent.  We strongly encourage you to visit our event on Saturday, May 15th. Arrive by 10:30 to make sure you won’t miss them. It’s difficult to predict the timing of our events because we allow same day registrations. 

Chanter – Slow Air - 1 competitor

1. Stuart MacDonald – Northwest Junior Pipe Band

Grade 5 Piping – 2/4 March – 5 competitors

1. Karl Stahlfield – Northwest Junior Pipe Band
2. Peter North – Northwest Junior Pipe Band
3. Russell Prewitt

Adult Piping – 2/4 March – 5 competitors

1. Jim Hendryx – Pierce County Firefighters Pipes & Drums
2. Diane Axworthy
3. Bruce Poliak

Adult Piping – Slow Air - 5 competitors

1. Jim Hendryx – Pierce County Firefighters Pipes & Drums
2. Diane Axworthy
3. Cleda Thompson – Kenmore & District Pipe Band

Grade 4 Piping – 6/8 March – 3 competitors

1. Logan Chavez – Portland Metro Youth Pipe Band
2. Paul Vegors – Northwest Junior Pipe Band

Grade 4 Piping – 2/4 March – 3 competitors

1. Logan Chavez – Portland Metro Youth Pipe Band
2. Paul Vegors – Northwest Junior Pipe Band

Grade 3 Piping – Jig – 2 competitors

1. Matthew Alger -  Northwest Junior Pipe Band

Grade 3 Piping – Strathspey & Reel - 2 competitors

1. Matt Rucker – Portland Metro Youth Pipe Band

Grade 2 Piping – Jig – 1 competitor

1. Aaron Stone - Northwest Junior Pipe Band

Grade 2 Piping – Strathspey & Reel - 1 competitor

1. Aaron Stone - Northwest Junior Pipe Band

Grade 1 Piping – Piobaireachd - 1 competitor

1. Alexander Schiele – Northwest Junior Pipe Band

Grade 4 Side Drumming – 2/4 March – 2 competitors

1. Morgan McCullough – Northwest Junior Pipe Band
2. Robert Graham Jr- Northwest Junior Pipe Band

Grade 2 Side Drumming – March, Strathspey & Reel - 1 competitor

1. Amber Stone -  Northwest Junior Pipe Band

Bass Drumming – Strathspey & Reel - 1 competitor

1. Morgan Schiele – Northwest Junior Pipe Band 

Chanter – 6/8 March

1. Stuart MacDonald – Northwest Junior Pipe Band

Grade 5 Piping – Slow Air

1. Diego Alvarez – Northwest Junior Pipe Band
2. Katrina Jones – Northwest Junior Pipe Band
3. Peter North – Northwest Junior Pipe Band
4. Karl Stahlfeld – Northwest Junior Pipe Band
5. Morgan Schiele – Northwest Junior Pipe Band
6. Russell Prewitt

Adult Piping – Slow Air

1. Diane Axworthy
2. Cleda Thompson – Kenmore and District Pipe Band
3. David Wilkie

Adult Piping – 6/8 March

1. Cleda Thompson – Kenmore and District Pipe Band
2. Diane Axworthy
3. David Wilkie

Grade 4 Piping – Strathspey & Reel

1. Megan McCrea – Northwest Junior Pipe Band
2. Paul Vegors – Northwest Junior Pipe Band

Grade 4 Piping – 2/4 March

1. Paul Vegors – Northwest Junior Pipe Band
2. Megan McCrea – Northwest Junior Pipe Band

Grade 3 Piping – 2/4 March

1. Matt Rucker – Portland Metro Youth Pipe band
2. Matthew Alger – Northwest Junior Pipe Band
3. Devon Mercurio – Northwest Junior Pipe Band

Grade 3 Piping – 6/8 March

1. Matt Rucker – Portland Metro Youth Pipe band
2. Matthew Alger – Northwest Junior Pipe Band
3. Devon Mercurio – Northwest Junior Pipe Band

Grade 2 Piping – Piobaireachd

1. Aaron Stone -  Northwest Junior Pipe Band

Grade 1 Piping – March, Strathspey & Reel

1. Alexander Schiele – Northwest Junior Pipe Band

Grade 1 Piping – Jig

1. Alexander Schiele – Northwest Junior Pipe Band

Grade 4 Snare Drumming – 4/4 March

1. Morgan McCullough – Northwest Junior Pipe Band
2. Jackson DeVight – Northwest Junior Pipe Band

Grade 3 Snare Drumming – March, Strathspey & Reel

1. Steven Wheeler – Robert Malcolm Memorial Pipe Band
2. Bryce Kreger – Northwest Junior Pipe Band

Grade 2 Snare Drumming – 2/4 March

1. Amber Stone – Northwest Junior Pipe Band

Tenor Drumming – 2/4 March

1. Ali North – Robert Malcolm Memorial Pipe Band

Bass Drumming – 2/4 March

1. Morgan Schiele – Northwest Junior Pipe Band

Thanks to David Keachie for judging drumming this month, and Patrick Downing for returning to judge piping.  David is an accomplished drummer and currently lead stroke for the Washington Scottish Pipe Band Grade 3; you may recognize him from WPA in Adult piping competitions over the last couple of years; he’s re-focusing on Snare Drumming.  Patrick recently made the leap to the Professional grade of competition bagpiping after a couple of years of great success in Grade 1 and 2 straight World Pipe Band Championship wins with Simon Fraser University Pipe Band. 

Note, the Washington Pipers website got a “trojan horse” virus recently.  We believe it has been corrected, but please ensure you scan and repair your systems if you have visited the site in February.  Here’s a free Virus software program: AVG Free we’ve used with success.

Chanter – Slow Air – 2 Competitors

1. Stuart MacDonald – Northwest Junior Pipe Band
2. Morgan Schiele – Northwest Junior Pipe Band

Grade 5 Piping – 6/8 March – 3 Competitors

1. Katrina Jones – Northwest Junior Pipe Band
2. Russell Prewitt
3. Karl Stahlfeld – Northwest Junior Pipe Band

Adult Piping – 2/4 March – 3 Competitors

1. Diane Axworthy
2. Cleda Thompson Kenmore and District Pipe Band

Adult Piping – Slow Air – 3 Competitors

1. Cleda Thompson – Kenmore and District Pipe Band
2. Diane Axworthy
3. David Wilkie

Grade 4 Piping – Piobaireachd – 1 Competitor

1. Malcolm Roux – Elliott Bay Pipe Band

Grade 4 Piping – 6/8 March – 2 Competitors

1. Malcolm Roux – Elliott Bay Pipe Band
2. Marcus DeVight – Northwest Junior Pipe Band

Grade 3 Piping – Jig – 3 Competitors

1. Matthew Alger Northwest Junior Pipe Band
2. Saul Goodwin Northwest Junior Pipe Band
3. Eric Roux Elliott Bay Pipe Band

Grade 3 Piping – Strathspey & Reel – 3 Competitors

1. Saul Goodwin Northwest Junior Pipe Band
2. Matthew Alger Northwest Junior Pipe Band
3. Eric Roux Elliott Bay Pipe Band

Grade 1 Piping – 6/8 March – 1 Competitor

1. Alexander Schiele Northwest Junior Pipe Band

Grade 1 Piping – 2/4 March – 1 Competitor

1. Alexander Schiele Northwest Junior Pipe Band

Grade 4 Side Drumming – 6/8 March – 3 Competitors

1. Morgan McCullough Northwest Junior Pipe Band
2. Robert Graham Jr.  Northwest Junior Pipe Band
3. Grayson Parr  Northwest Junior Pipe Band

The BC Pipers’ Association added an update about the amazing results from our region at the biggest solo competition event for piping and drumming in the United States.

Washington State was well represented, with 3 top placings

United States Silver Medal for Piobaireachd

1. Brian McKenzie – Seattle
2. Will Nichols – Blaine

North American Amateur Drumming Championships – Grade 3

1. Steven Wheeler – Auburn

All of these competitors have competed or adjudicated at Washington Pipers’ Association events.  Congratulations on this major accomplishment!

In all, there were 12 players in the results from the Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia region, and including players who play with BCPA region bands, our region had the largest number of players in the top results of any North American organization.   Congratulations!

 The first event of the competition season had a modest turn-out, but good music, great adjudicators, and a bonus drumming workshop made for a great day overall.   Thanks to Scott Robertson making the trip down from BC, and John Dally for making the trip from Vashon Island. 

A couple announcements about the season; note that tune requirements are on the last page of the membership and registration form and are the same requirments used by the BC Pipers’ Association, which will help competiors preparing for events at the BC Mini Gatherings, or during the summer competition season.  Next, please note that ALL events are the third Saturday of the month, a change from the original schedule. 

Grade 5 piping – 2/4 March - 5 competitors

1. Diego Alvarez
2. Karl Stahlfeld
3. Peter North
4. Russell Prewitt
5. Kennan Mighell

Adult piping – Slow Air - 3 competitors

1. Diane Axworthy
2. Cleda Thompson
3. David Wilkie

Adult piping – 6/8 March – 3 competitors

1. Diane Axworthy
2. Cleda Thompson
3. David Wilkie

Grade 4 piping – 2/4 March - 5 competitors

1. Paul Vegors
2. Marcus DeVight
3. Sean Sele

Grade 4 Piping – Strathspey & Reel – 5 competitors

1. Marcus DeVight
2. Sean Sele
3. Paul Vegors

Grade 3 Piping – Piobaireachd – 2 competitors

1. Matthew Alger

Grade 2 Piping – 6/8 March – 1 competitor

1. Aaron Stone

Grade 2 Piping – Hornpipe & Jig - 1 competitor

1. Aaron Stone

Grade 4 Side Drumming – 2/4 March – 4 competitors

1. Robert Graham
2. Morgan McCullough
3. Jackson DeVight
4. Grayson Parr

Grade 3 Side Drumming – 2/4 March - 1 competitor

1. Bryce Kreger

Grade 2 Side Drumming – March, Strathspey & Reel – 1 competitor

1. Amber Stone

 Welcome John Dally and Scott Robertson back to WPA events this Saturday. 

John Dally - master of many bagpipes

John Dally is one of the founding members of Washington Pipers’ Association, if not the reason we began at all.  A master of bagpipes from many regions with a wealth of historical and musical knowledge, John has performed regularly around Western Washington and beyond since the age of 14.  Contact information for John is available here>>

Scott Robertson at WPA 2009

The last event of the season is upon us.  Thanks to our award winning and “BCPA certified” adjudicators for coming down from British Columbia this weekend!   I will post more about these adjudicators with the results, but David Bowman was the runner up in the 2009 BCPA Drumming Knockout events, an award winning solo drummer who plays with the 2008 World Pipe Band Champion and World Drum Corps champions, Simon Fraser University Pipe Band.   Hal Senyk will be judging piping.  Hal is also a certified adjudicator, award winning soloist, Pipe Major and volunteer Director with BC Pipers’ Association.

Please review the Aggregate scores so far and make sure we’re not missing any events and double check we’ve got the events correct.  6 points were awarded to first, 5 to 2nd and so on down to 1 point for 6th place finishes. Link:  2009 WPA Aggregate Standings, April 2009.  A reminder for aggregate awards; attendance at 4 of 5 WPA events is a requirement to be eligible for the award.   Aggregate plaques are similar to last years’ awards.

The WPA Board met Wednesday and clarified the Scholarship process, as well as took steps to ensure that alternates will be more likely to get the benefit of a scholarship award by adding a deadline on acceptance of the award for the first – drawn recipient.

Scholarship drawings are available to:

• Competitors who checked the “Scholarship box” on the registration form
• Competitors who pre-registered (or registered this year by the first event of the season)
• Competitors who competed at 4 of 5 monthly events.
• Competitors who did NOT receive a scholarship award from WPA during the 2008 season.

Scholarship drawings will be drawn first for the primary, then for the alternate for that award.  FOUR $250.00 Scholarships will be drawn.   Scholarship recipients must notify WPA at info@washingtonpipers.org of their intended use of the scholarship by the end of June, 2009.  Scholarship awards must be used within one year (ie, payment to the Scottish piping or drumming school must be requested to be sent by May 3, 2010).  Scholarship payment is sent directly to the Scottish Piping or Drumming school at the request of the recipient, once they have registered or informed the school of intent to register. 

See you Saturday!

update 2/1/2009:  missing tenor drum results added

Great turnout for the 2nd mini-gathering of the season, and a lot of talent was on display.  Micah Babinski judged piping events, and John Scullion from Northern Ireland (in town for the Mastery of Scottish Arts events beginning the 6th of February) judged drumming.  Washington is continuing to see great growth in talent and continued growth of interest in bagpiping and drumming.  Our season of monthly competitions give the community an opportunity to keep in touch, and for pipers and drummers to keep their focus on improvement and building skills and preparing for the summer competition season. 

Competitions were held in every grade level in piping, with two competitors in both Grade 2 and Grade 1; a first in the last several years.

It’s fun to see everyone in the community turn out, there were at least eight of top bagpipe instructors in Washington present, in addition to several of the top drumming instructors (not to mention our judge from Ireland), and a whole host of volunteers, supporters and parents, visiting, catching up on some of the stories of the past summer and listening to the wide variety of music of the Great Highland Bagpipe.

Chanter:  Slow Air  1 competitor

1. Peter North, Northwest Junior Pipe Band

Grade 5 Piping:  Slow Air    5 competitors

1. Megan McCrea Northwest Junior Pipe Band
2. Russell Prewitt
3. Marcus Devight  Northwest Junior Pipe Band
4. Karl Stahlfield

Adult Piping:  Piobaireachd Ground  2 Competitors

1. Cleda Thompson,  Kenmore & District Pipe Band
2. Kenneth Robinson, Alumni, Clan Gordon Pipe Band

Adult Piping:  Any March  2 competitors

1. Cleda Thompson,  Kenmore & District Pipe Band
2. Kenneth Robinson, Alumni: Clan Gordon Pipe Band

Grade 4 Piping:  2/4 March    7 competitors

1. Elliot Thomson, Northwest Junior Pipe Band
2. Paul Vegors, Northwest Junior Pipe Band
3. Malcolm Roux, Elliott Bay Pipe Band

Grade 4 Piping:  Piobareachd Ground  3 competitors

1. Malcolm Roux, Elliott Bay Pipe Band
2. Sean Sele, Portland Metro Pipe Band
3. Saul Goodwin, Northwest Junior Pipe Band

Grade 3 Piping:  Piobareachd   5 Competitors

1. Aaron Stone, Northwest Junior Pipe Band
2. Eric Roux, Elliott Bay Pipe Band
3. Chris Cahoon, Keith Highlanders Pipe Band

Grade 2 Piping:  March, Strathspey & Reel  2 Competitors

1. Alexander Schiele, Northwest Junior Pipe Band
2. Alex MacLeod, Washington Scottish Pipe Band

Grade 2 Piping:  Hornpipe & Jig  2 Competitors

1. Alex MacLeod, Washington Scottish Pipe Band
2. Alexander Schiele, Northwest Junior Pipe Band

Grade 1 Piping:  March, Strathspey & Reel  2 Competitors

1. Theodore Krogh

Grade 1 Piping:  6/8 March  2 Competitors

1. Theodore Krogh
2. Christohper Donald, Keith Highlanders Pipe Band

Grade 5 Drumming:  Any March  2 competitors

1. Robert Graham, Northwest Junior Pipe Band
2. Jackson DeVight, Northwest Junior Pipe Band

Grade 4 Drumming:  Any March  4 competitors

1. Bryce Kreger, Northwest Junior Pipe Band
2. Steven Wheeler, Northwest Junior Pipe Band
3. Joseph Young, Northwest Junior Pipe Band
4. Morgan Schiele, Northwest Junior Pipe Band

Grade 3 Drumming, 6/8 March  1 competitor

1. Amber Stone, Northwest Junior Pipe Band

Tenor Drumming, 6/8 March 2 competitors

1. MacKenzie Webster, White Spot Pipe Band
2. Alexander Schiele, Northwest Junior Pipe Band

Eight pipers and drummers from Washington State–all recent members of WPA–received promotions in their competition grade from the British Columbia Pipers’ Association, announced on September 27th, 2008.

The Promotions announcements are available here>>

Congratulations to these members for the recognition of their hard work last season.

Grade 2 to Grade 1 piping:

Christopher Donald

Grade 3 to Grade 2 Piping:

Alex MacLeod
James Makinson
Alexander Schiele

Grade 4 to Grade 3 Piping:

Daniel Stewart
Joseph Stewart
Aaron Stone

Grade 4 to Grade 3 Drumming:

Amber Stone