Testimonials

On behalf of Uddingston Strathclyde Pipe Band (USPB), I would like to thank the Trust for their recent contribution to our progress this year (2019).

With the help of the fund, we have seen the playing level of the band progress remarkably and we have exceeded our goal of a mid-table position. While it may not sound much, this is a vast improvement on where the band has been over the last 20 years or so.

This funding has allowed the continuation of our tuition for beginner pipers and drummers. The attached pictures show the pleasure generated in such a wide range of ages and experiences. It has generated a degree of financial flexibility, allowing the drums to have a long overdue upgrade and that has permitted the organsiation to attend contests at the likes of Northern Ireland and Inverness feasible.

The highlight of the year was qualifying for the Worlds final, something that the band had not achieved in its history. This success has attracted many new players. We have added around 12 under 18’s to our ranks and their enthusiasm is proving infectious. A couple of them volunteered to play at this years band dance in front of around 250 playing members and guests.

We saw two of our young drummers appear in the prizes at the World Solo Drumming, earning a creditable 2nd for tenor and 3rd for the side drum.

As well as the drum upgrades, the fund has allowed us to also purchase pipe chanters and some uniform items in order to equip this influx of new talent.

Dundee City Pipe Band & Youth Music Initiative (DCPB) SCIO

DCPB are a fully inclusive Pipe Band; our membership comprises mixed ages and abilities from the board of Trustees through to the playing members of the band. We are a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation, established in 2017 by a young Piper with lived experience of facing barriers in accessing Pipe Bands due to his learning disability and Autism.

Our mission is to provide accessible music tuition that allows all participants to experience learning success and engagement with Scottish culture and heritage through the playing of Pipes and Drums. We nurture a community of shared interest which creates opportunities for community engagement, social connectedness, enhanced health and wellbeing and volunteering / work related activities… “Together we can achieve so much”.

Through funding from the Gordon Duncan Memorial Trust, we have been able to employ sessional tutors who have delivered over 2,500 individual music sessions to-date. Our membership comprises 40% who have a self declared disability and 20% who are under 16 years of age. We have undertake public performances ranging from local community festivals to international conferences and we have worked collaboratively with the RSPBA, to influence change in the administration of music examinations improving accessibility and opportunity for all learners.

The Kilmarnock Pipe Band would like to say a MASSIVE thanks to the Gordon Duncan Memorial Trust for funding our 6 o’clock club for a whole year, where our younger members get extra training and work towards SCQF piping and drumming exams.

We are incredibly grateful to GDMT, this makes a huge difference to our young people and a huge difference to our band.

Thank you!!!

We were delighted to have received funding towards expenses for Archie & Flora whilst attending the summer school organised by D2 Percussion.

Archie aged 12 is a piper competing within grade 3 of the Vale of Atholl Pipe Band and Flora, 11, plays tenor drum. She has just moved up from the grade 4 band to the grade 3 band having made significant improvement.

Both children thoroughly enjoyed their experience at the summer school, Flora was recognised for her progress and was awarded a scholarship from D2 percussion for the 2019 summer school.

Overall we are extremely grateful to have benefited from the support of the Gordon Duncan Memorial Trust, and with your support Archie and Flora have improved their techniques, their confidence has grown and they made lots of new friends from within the Pipe band circuit!

The support we have received from the Gordon Duncan Memorial Trust has been invaluable. Not only have they provided the funding to enable us to buy tutor books for our project, but they are always so supportive and encouraging, and offer help and advice in many more ways.

The young people in our project come from highly deprived backgrounds and it is down to organisations such as the Gordon Duncan Memorial Trust that they have the chance to learn at all without facing exclusion due to financial barriers.

Thank you GDMT – you are literally changing lives and giving us all something to look forward to in life.