Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming

Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming
Active	1910-Present
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	British Army
Type	Training
Role	Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming
Garrison/HQ	Inchdrewer House, Edinburgh

The Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming is a British Army training establishment that provides instructions of Scottish bagpipe music to military pipers, drummers and pipe bands.

History

Founded in 1910 as the Army School of Piping (later renamed the Army School of Bagpipe Music), the School is located at Inchdrewer House near Redford Barracks in Edinburgh, Scotland and is administered by the Infantry Training Centre, it is also affiliated with the Corps of Army Music. Generally regarded as the smallest unit in the British Army, the School is now commanded by a Director who is a qualified army Pipe Major and who usually holds the rank of Captain or Major (usually being commissioned from Warrant Officer rank on appointment). The Director is assisted by a Chief Instructor, who is the Senior Pipe Major of the British Army.

The School provides courses at different levels to pipers and drummers of the British Armed Forces throughout the year, and qualified instructors are drawn from the pipes and drums of various units in the British Army. The School accepts students from Commonwealth armed forces, but not civilians. It has in the past provided instruction to various police band members, but this has not taken place for a number of years.

The School forms part of the Piping and Drumming Qualifications Board, which is a collaboration among the Piobaireachd Society, the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association, the College of Piping, and the Piping Centre. Together, the Institute sets a standardised piping certificate programme for students from around the world.

British Armed Forces Pipe Bands

• Pipes and Drums of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
• Pipes and Drums of the Royal Dragoon Guards
• Pipes and Drums of the 1st Royal Tank Regiment
• Pipes and Drums of the Queen's Royal Hussars
• Pipes and Drums of the 1st Battalion, Scots Guards
• Drums and Pipes of the 1st Battalion, Irish Guards
• Pipes and Drums of the Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland
• Pipes and Drums of the Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland
• Pipes and Drums of the Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland
• Pipes and Drums of the Highlanders, 4th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland
• Pipes and Drums of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland
• Pipes and Drums of the 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment (27th (Inniskilling), 83rd and 87th and Ulster Defence Regiment)
• Pipes and Drums of the 1st Battalion, Royal Gurkha Rifles
• Pipes and Drums of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Gurkha Rifles
• Pipes and Drums of 19th Regiment, Royal Artillery
• Pipes and Drums of 40th Regiment, Royal Artillery
• Pipes and Drums of the Lancashire Artillery Volunteers
• Pipes and Drums of the 52nd Lowland, 6th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland
• Pipes and Drums of the 51st Highland, 7th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland
• Pipes and Drums of the London Scottish
• Pipes and Drums of the London Irish Rifles
• Pipes and Drums of the Royal Corps of Signals
• Pipes and Drums of the Royal Air Force
• Pipes and Drums of City of Edinburgh UOTC
• Drums and Pipes of Aberdeen UOTC
• Pipes and Drums of Glasgow UOTC
• Pipes and Drums of Tayforth UOTC
• Pipes and Drums of 102 Battalion REME

Directors

• Captain John MacLellan (Queen's Own Highlanders), 1961–1976
• Captain Andrew Pitkeathly (Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders), 1976-1981
• Major John Allan (Queen's Own Highlanders), 1981–1990
• Major Gavin Stoddart (Royal Highland Fusiliers), 1990–2003
• Captain Stuart Samson (The Highlanders), 2003–2007
• Major Steven Small (Black Watch), 2007–

See also

Music schools in Scotland

External links

• The Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming - on British Army official website