The Pipers’ Trail are offering free piping and drumming workshops to the following groups:

1. Primary schools
2. Secondary schools
3. Youth groups
4. Beginners/ novice pipers and drummers (limited dates and workshops)

The Pipers’ Trail has already visited 85 schools throughout Scotland, delivering workshops to over 2500 students ranging from 5 to 18 years old. We’ve had a fantastic welcome from the schools we’ve visited and are looking forward to visiting many more.

The workshops content has something to offer everyone - from total beginners to novice players. We want to encourage kids to take up their heritage instruments through piping and drumming and also consider joining a local pipe band or Army Cadet Pipes and Drums.

The workshop allows kids from the age of 9 to 18 the chance to try the pipes or the drums in a relaxed environment. The course content has been carefully selected which enables everybody to have a go, even the teachers, mums and dads.

Any school or youth group interested in getting the Pipers’ Trail along for a fun and educational day please contact us and we will get in touch as soon as we can.

Workshop Programme

The workshop timings are flexible but in order for the students to get any benefit from the workshop, we recommend that the sessions should be no less than 45 minutes. The piping classes should be no more than 12 per session (ideally 9 per session) and the drummers should be no more than 35 per session. We have no objection for the kids to have a go at both subjects.

Workshops are supplemented with a powerpoint presentation and interactive documents (such as this one on roll development), where you can click on the embedded links and listen/watch a tutorial.

 The Piper’s Trail has the resources to cater for the following:

• 30 x side drummers (practice pads and sticks)
• 6x tenor and bass drummers
• 12x pipe practice chanters

Please note that any child that his or her own practice chanter or pad and sticks should bring them to the workshop.

Drumming Workshop Content

• Introduction
• Learn to hold sticks
• Stick control technique
• Single stroke exercises
• Roll introduction
• Roll development exercises
• Introduction to the triplet
• Introduction to counting exercises
• Paradiddle exercises
• Introduction to the flam movement
• Introduction to the drag movement
• 2 bar phrases 6/8 and 24 march rhythms (novice players only)

The content may vary and it will be dependant on class ability or individuals ability.

Piping Workshop Content

• Introduction
• Learn to hold the practice chanter
• The scale
• The scale with G gracenote
• The scale with D gracenote
• The scale with E gracenote
• G, D, E exercises
• Cross finger exercises
• Basic theory (novice players only)
• Bagpipe maintenance (novice players only)

The content may vary and it will be dependant on class ability or individuals ability.