Band fees for members of the Pipe Band are $360 per year. Band members will also pay a $50 "materials fee' to cover reeds, drum heads, and other band costs.

Beginner pipers and drummers will pay the yearly membership fee, plus the cost of instruments, and sometimes pay a subsidy for travel to competitions or other events.

Instruments for beginners are a chanter ($70) and book ($65) for pipers. The Pipe Band uses the Tutor developed by Scotland's National Piping Centre.

Sticks and drum pad for drummers are about $60.

All chanters, tutor books, drum sticks and pads are available through the band at a reduced rate.


OUR INSTRUCTORS

The CPA instructors are the most successful and experienced instuctor team in Saskatchewan, and this shows in years of success working with bands and developing players. At the same time, all these people have continued to perform, compete, and develop skills and programs. Here's a short summary:

Band Director Iain MacDonald has been working with pipers and bands in Saskatchewan for over 30 years, and has also been a member of Scottish and Canadian grade 1 bands. Many of his pupils have gone on to be successful with top-level pipe bands. Iain also organizes the Sound Advice summer school in Regina, which has had a positive impact on so many players. Barbara MacDonald has been teaching beginner pipers at the Conservatory since 2003, and her ability to inspire and entertain children has been key to the band's success. Barbara is also the pipe sergeant of the City of Regina Pipe Band, where she plays a key role in the band's ongoing success. Kenna Whelan has been one of Canada's elite tenor and bass drummers for many years, and has been responsible for the development of excellent players and mid-sections across the prairies. Her passion for good music makes her an inspiring teacher. Brett Stinson has been teaching drumming for many years, and has developed many excellent players. He was also the lead drummer for the City of Regina Pipe Band, and can also manage a good tune on the pipes! Bryde Whelan played with the Conservatory Pipe Band, then the City of Regina Pipe Band, and she is currently drumming with a British Columbia pipe band in the summers. Bryde has been working successfully with the band snare corps for a few years now.
The Conservatory of Performing Arts Pipe Band starts children ages 8 and up on the bagpipes, snare, tenor, or bass drum. Beginner bagpipers learn on a "practice chanter," and they use the National Piping Centre's Tutor Book and CD-ROM, which is the finest resource currently available. The chanter and book are purchased through the band.

Beginning drummers learn on a program developed by our long-time drumming tutor Brett Stinson, and this is further developed using a book by J. Reid Maxwell of the SFU Pipe Band, called "Take No Shortcuts."

Want to register for lessons, or simply get more information? Call the Conservatory at 585-5830, visit the Conservatory web site, or e-mail the band director.

Practice Chanter

It all starts here, with a disciplined but fun-loving approach to the music. First-year chanter students learn basic fingering, note reading, gracenote groups, some music theory, and a number of basic exercises and tunes.

All students are taught using the guidelines set down by Scotland's Piping and Drumming Qualifications Board.

Practice Chanter/pipes - year 2

In year 2, pipers work to perfect all those gracenotes, doublings, and exercises.

They learn basic band tunes, and start to move toward getting bagpipes! When players have about six tunes, it's time to get a set of pipes, and that can be like starting over....so much to learn! Fortunately, the Conservatory Pipe Band has Saskatchewan's most experienced pipe band musicians as instructors! In recent years, new pipers from this band have started to take prizes at regular competitions across the prairies, and a number have recently gained PDQB certificates as part of the "Sound Advice" summer school.
The Snare Drummers

Snare drummers spend time learning basic snare rudiments, and then putting them together into beatings to accompany the band music. Head instructor Brett Stinson teaches the snare drummers using J. Reid Maxwell's (lead drummer of four-time World Champion SFU Pipe Band) "NO SHORTCUTS" program.
The Tenor Drummers

Tenor drummers learn to read music, flourish (fancy swinging of the sticks), and play rhythms to complement the pipes and the snare drums. For more information about what tenor drummers do, see the web site Tenor Drummer. Com for more information about this unique musical form.

Pipe Section

The pipers learn basic marching and performance tunes appropriate for the Grade 4 level, and they also prepare competition medleys each year. They play a 3-minute "march medley" and a four-minute medley of various kinds of tunes. Pipers are instructed in proper techniques for tuning and maintenance of bagpipes, reed manipulation, and skills such as blowing steady tone.
Pipers in the band are also encouraged to coomplete in solo contests, and to take private lessons.
Drum Corps

The drum corps gets plenty of practice on the floor with the pipers. Drummers learn to march with their instruments, and to play them well on the march. They also learn to contribute to a solid ensemble sound for the band, using appropriate accents and dynamics. Members of this drum corps have progressed to the Grade 2 City of Regina Pipe Band, which is an indication of the quality of the instruction they are receiving.