End of Course Summary

 Last Friday evening, with the last of the evening sunlight falling on a snow covered distant Ben Kilbreck, the Saltire flew proudly over a floodlit Carbisdale Castle to mark the End of Course Concert of the first College at Carbisdale.

The College at Carbisdale, run by The Ross and Cromarty Pipes & Drums School under the auspices of The College of Piping, commenced on one of the coldest Easter Sundays in a while, with all 69 Participants, Tutors and Supervisors arriving at the Castle in the afternoon between frequent snow showers.

The event attracted Participants not just from the Highlands but also from all over the U.K. and abroad. The nearest Course Participant had come from Ardgay, the furthest travelled Participants were two members of the Hong Kong Police Pipe Band, and there were also Participants from Denmark, Belgium and Germany.

After Registration everyone went to find their rooms in the Castle with many people hoping to avoid “The Spook Room” as their bedroom or to not have a bedroom off the haunted corridor!!!!!

Later, in the Upper Gallery, The Principal of the College of Piping, Robert Wallace, welcomed everyone to the first College at Carbisdale and introduced his team of exceptional, world class tutors which reads like a “Who’s Who” of the Piping and Drumming World; Barry Donaldson, a founder member of the Strathclyde Police Pipe Band and, since his retirement from Strathclyde Police, an instructor at the College of Piping and a member of the House of Edgar Shotts and Dykehead Pipe Band, Stuart Cassells, the 2005 BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year who has now found worldwide fame with his band, The Red Hot Chilli Pipers, Stuart Samson, the recently retired Director of Army Bagpipe Music, Neill Stewart, Highland Council’s Piping Tutor for South Skye and Lochalsh and a former piper with the Scottish Power Pipe Band, Niall Matheson, Pipe Major of The Ross and Cromarty Pipes & Drums School and Highland Council's Piping Tutor for Easter Ross, Robert Watt, a former piper with The Field Marshall Montgomery Pipe Band and three times winner of the Highlands and Islands Young Piper of the Year, and Jim Clarke, the Senior Drumming Instructor at the Army School of Bagpipe Music & Highland Drumming and now also with The Clan Gregor Society Pipe Band.

Between all of the tutors there were many individual solo achievements such as Gold and Silver medalists from the Argyllshire Gathering, Gold Medalists from the Northern Meeting and Oban, Clasp winners from Inverness, MacCrimmon Trophy winners and winners from the Lorient Festival and the Braemar Highland Gathering.

All of the Course Participants were assessed by the tutors to determine which tutor groups they would be in for the rest of the week and also to give guidance on which Piping and Drumming Qualifications Board Examinations they would take at the end of the week.

From Monday to Thursday the schedule for the day began with 7 a.m. Reveille played by a volunteer piper and then, after breakfast, there was Assembly followed by morning tuition which began at 9.30. After Lunch, afternoon tuition began at 2 p.m. and, in the evening, there were Lectures and Recitals from the Tutors followed by many impromptu sessions, gatherings and ceilidhs with the Tutors and Participants in various locations around the castle.

On Friday morning the castle fell strangely silent as 38 of the Course Participants were sitting their written examinations for the Piping and Drumming Qualifications Board. On Friday afternoon though, the sound of the Great Highland Bagpipe again rang out in the Castle as all 38 examinees took their practical examinations for the qualifications. Then followed the final rehearsal for the End of Course Concert and preparing the castle for the evening’s entertainment.

By 7:45 p.m. just over 200 people packed the Upper Gallery for what has to be one of the best piping and drumming concerts seen in the Highlands. The concert was attended by Lord and Lady Thurso, Jamie Stone, MSP, Councillor Bill Fernie, Chairman of the Highland Council’s Education, Culture and Sport Committee, Councillor Carolyn Wilson, Chairperson of the Highland Council’s Resources Committee and Councillor George Farlow from the North West and Central Sutherland Ward of the Highland Council. Also attending were Mr. and Mrs. Allen from The North of Scotland Branch of The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association.

The Concert, under the musical directorship of Stuart Sampson, commenced with a set of 2/4 Marches from the Ross and Cromarty Pipes and Drums School. This was followed by all of the Tutors playing a World Class March, Strathspey and Reel, a Slow Air and a Jig. Jim Clark and his drumming students then gave a drum flourish followed by a set from our own Red Hot Chilli Piper, Stuart Cassells, who then brought on his own tutor group to play, “The Crooked Bridge”. Following this, Robert Wallace’s Tutor Group played a March, Slow Air and a Jig.

The presentation of awards followed for Level 1 Certificates, Level 2 Chanter and Bagpipe Certificates followed by Level 3 Bagpipe Certificates. These were presented by Robert Wallace and Niall Matheson. The top award of the evening, a Level 4 Certificate was presented by Lord Thurso to Colin Campbell of Aberlour who plays with the Pitlochry and Blair Atholl Pipe Band. Lord Thurso then presented a set of Bagpipes and 8 Chanters from the sponsors of the College at Carbisdale, Wallace Bagpipes, to the most deserving piping students. Scholarships to next year’s Easter School were also presented to the most promising Drummer and Piper on the Course.

This was then followed by a spectacular Finale. The Ross and Cromarty Pipes and Drums School began by playing a set of 3/4 Marches and were then joined on stage by the rest of the 69 Participants and the Tutors. All 77 musicians then played, “High Road to Gairloch”, “Brown Haired Maiden”, “Amazing Grace”, with the solo played by Stuart Samson, “Scots Wa Hae” and “Scotland The Brave”.

The first College at Carbisdale had finished with an amazing End of Course Concert led by some of the world’s best exponents of musicianship on the bagpipes and drums. Everyone on the course enjoyed working in the fine surroundings of Carbisdale Castle, run by the SYHA, promising that they would be back for the 2009 Easter Course.

Commenting on the course, Niall Matheson said, “The first College at Carbisdale has underlined the importance of The College of Piping to the Highlands by helping our young pipers in the North to gain nationally recognised qualifications along with our adult members of the course. The College is also of importance Internationally and it was good to see students from abroad attending. I can only see the Easter School growing and it is good to see that we are already receiving enquiries for next year’ course.”