Boghall & Bathgate Caledonia Pipe Band

News

February 2008 - Novice Juvenile Band Camp

A group of 10 -16 year old Novice Juvenile Pipers and Drummers from Boghall and Bathgate Caledonia Pipe Band headed off to Scottish Scout Headquarters at Fordell Firs in Fife on 23rd February to spend a weekend of music and fun.

This was the first time the Band had ever undertaken such a venture and the 29 young band members were given the opportunity to improve their piping and drumming skills under the expert of tuition of pipe major Alvis Kerr and drumming instructor Tom Brown.

They undertook 5 tutorials which included one to one, mini bands and full band classes with the assistance of the head tutors and additional pipers Malcolm Swan and Alex McAllister and Grade 1 drummers Craig Brown and Alan Irvine.

All the musicians had the chance to bring along other instruments and much fun was had entertaining the group with various performances on pipes, drums, guitars and trombones resulting in a different take on traditional music being created.

The band also played at the “Beating the Flag“ ceremony for a group of Scouts also visiting the centre. This was well received by the Scouts who were impressed by the accomplished playing from such a young band.

During the weekend they also hand the chance to take part in outdoor activities such as archery, caving and rock climbing under the guidance of the Scout Instructors who encouraged them to develop their teambuilding skills and to use their initiative and determination in some personally challenging tasks.

This event was a huge success due to the co-operation and assistance of West Lothian Area Scout Commissioner Douglas Horn, Sharon Boyle, Beth Macdonald and Glenn Miller (whose children all play in the band). The Band would like to thank all those involved in this unique event.

It is hoped that this extra tuition and team building will help bring the Novice Band continued success in the forthcoming Pipe Band Competition Season and that the music weekend will be repeated in the near future.

January 2008 - Celtic Connections

The Grade 1 band appeared at the 2008 Celtic Connections Piping Concert, sharing the bill with the National Youth Pipe Band of Scotland. The event was attended by probably the largest audience for this event in the Glasgow Royal Concert hall providing a fantastic atmosphere.

Together, both bands provided a great afternoon's entertainment with some top quality piping and drumming on display, particularly for so early in the season. Boghall's repertoire included a quartette performance from P/S Donald Macleod, Ross Harvey, Andrew Ray and Johnathon Simpson and the, now traditional, Donald & Robert Gray smallpipe set that is always well received by audiences. The event was also notable as Craig Sturrock's and Paul Brown's first appearance in the Grade 1 band since their promotion from the ranks of the Juvenile band.

Both Boghall's and the NYPB's performances were captured by the BBC Scotland and were broadcast in the following weeks. Some images of the band on stage at the concert can be found at the following link.