Testimonials

Thank you so much for your support at Kilmarnock Pipe Band. It has been absolutely invaluable to our project and our young people.

Your funding was used to provide hall hire for the year, to enable us to run ‘the 6 o’clock club’ – an extra two hours per week specifically aimed at developing our young players.

During the course of this year the 6 o’clock club has:

• provided 2 hours extra tuition per week specifically for our young people
• provided a full weekend’s intensive tuition specifically for our young people
• been able to deliver focussed individual tuition to ensure we are developing good players, and not allowing them to ‘shape’ as part of the band and pick up bad habits that would hamper their future ambitions
• delivered workshops on band skills
• delivered many hours of 1:1 blowing skills development
• delivered workshops on tuning
• provided tuition on music theory and music writing
• ran sight reading workshops which have made a huge difference in our young people’s ability level, and impacted their ability to learn on their own
• prepared our young people for SCQF level 5 and provided the opportunity to sit the exam
• in the end, 4 young people decided to sit the SCQF Level 5 exam, and they all passed!
• provided the opportunity for our young people to take leadership roles in our feeder programme ‘Epic East Ayrshire Pipe Band Academy’ summer school
• as a band performed in concert at the Palace theatre, where a member of the 6 o’clock club performed a solo
• performed at Cumnock Highland Games where a member of the 6 o’clock club performed a solo
• we ran a CD club where members were able to broaden their knowledge of the traditional music scene by hearing cd’s by pipe bands, solo pipers, trad groups including pipes, and trad groups not including pipes. Prior to the cd club they didn’t know this existed and never listened to bagpipe music!!! Gordon Duncan’s music was of course the first on the list and have remained a favourite of all players
• encouraged them to dream big: aim to make it to grade 1, aim to play with the NYPB and work towards achieving it now
• we were able to encourage our young people to attend an NYPB weekend at Dumfries House
• we attended a piobaireachd workshop by RCS graduate Chris Lee
• we attended 3 Scottish Power Pipe Band practices in the run up to the competition season and the run up to their fantastic pre-worlds concert
• thanks to the SWSPDA we were able to take the 6 o’clock club to the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow to see the NYPB in concert, and 2 members were able to attend the NYPB weekend in Barcaple
• 9 under 25’s competed with us last season, with our highlights being 3rd place in the European Championships and 4th place in the World Championships

There is no way we could have achieved this without your support, and I think you can agree that it has been incredibly beneficial for our young people who’ve had an amazing year in the band.

From everyone at Kilmarnock Pipe Band – thank you for helping make our young people absolutely EPIC!

Huge thanks to the Gordon Duncan Memorial Trust for enabling EPIC to begin our pipe band drumming programme. Last year you helped us start ‘Chanters for Children’… now with our ‘Drummer’s Launch Pad’ we are on the way to creating EPIC’s first ever pipe band. We are a grass roots charity working in an area of high deprivation – without your help we really wouldn’t be able to offer this, and our young people would be missing out on such a valuable life experience. From all staff and students at EPIC – thank you so much for giving our community this wonderful opportunity!

Through the funding I received, via the Gordon Duncan Memorial Trust, I was able to move down from the Isle of Skye to Glasgow and follow my dreams by studying Traditional Music at Riverside Music college. Out with the college I performed with the local Ceilidh Trail at Skye Live festival – the funding enabled me to travel back and forth to attend this gig- which was a success! With the college I performed on Celtic Music radio with the band we formed in class and also had a successful gig at the “Blue Arrow” on Succhiehall Street. The funding has helped me with my travel to college on a daily basis as it’s located 25 miles away from where I stay in Glasgow.

I am now starting semester 2 at the college and am very grateful of the funding I received! Thank you!

Through sponsorship from the Gordon Duncan Memorial Trust, we have continued to develop our tutoring program and have taken a particular focus on encouraging young people of school age to get involved in traditional pipe band music.

The photo shows some of our young people playing at an informal performance for Veterans in Dundee as part of their Christmas activities. This was the first time some of our youngsters had taken part in a public performance so a big moment for them and a proud moment for the band 🙂

The year 2019 has been a great year in piping. I have had a full year of tuition from my teacher Willie Morrison at Otago Street, Piping Centre, Glasgow. I have played in many events and competitions throughout Scotland and the Isles.

This year I have improved from last years total of first place piping results from 34 to 55. I have also had clean sweeps, such as winning all events at the ‘Atholl Gathering’ and others from February through to December.

My attainment in piping has also been successful. This year I have passed level 6 and the results for level 7 are currently pending.

My aims for 2020 are to gain an award in the final level, which is 8 in piping. Then to complete my study by gaining my teachers qualification in bagpipes in 2020.

There is no doubt ‘The Gordon Duncan Memorial Trust’ has helped me, supported me and contributed towards my success, attainment and experiences in piping in 2019. I am looking forward to another great year of piping in 2020.