About Us
come join the fun!
The Edmonton Youth Pipe Band is the only pipe band in Northern Alberta that is made up entirely of youth members and run entirely by volunteers, including the instructors. With the most affordable rates in the city, membership is open to all youth (aged 8 to 18) and no musical experience is required to join.
The band as a whole competes at all of the highland games in Alberta and many of our pipers and drummers also compete at solo events at these games. On occasion, the band also travels to highland games outside of Alberta, including California and overseas to Scotland for the World Pipe Band Championships.
In 2002, out of a field of 22 pipe bands from North America and the United Kingdom, the Edmonton Boys' Pipe Band were crowned champions in the Novice Juvenile grade at the World Pipe Band Championships. That standard of hard work and dedication remains the cornerstone of the Edmonton Youth Pipe Band today.
The tartan that the band wears is the Red Erskine.
Erskine is an area on the south of the River Clyde, ten miles west of Glasgow. The name is believed to mean “green rising ground”. In the early 13th century, during the reign of Alexander II, the first man to take the name as his own was Henry of Erskine, owner of the Barony of Erskine.
Our Mission
"To foster and create interest in the music, lore and tradition of the Great Highland Bagpipe as a contribution to the perpetuation of Scottish folkways in Western Canada and to co-operate wherever possible with societies existing for similar purposes, and in particular to maintain a band of pipers and drummers drawn from youths of Scottish ancestry and interest."
Learn an Instrument
The Edmonton Youth Pipe Band offers lessons in the Great Highland Bagpipe, snare drumming as well as tenor and bass drumming.
An emphasis is made on learning the fundamental rudiments of the instrument correctly before graduating into playing in the competitive pipe band.
the great highland bagpipe
A wind instrument consisting of a bag, chanter and three drones. Sound is produced by blowing air into the bag via a blowstick and squeezing the bag to force air through the chanter (melody) and to the drones (harmony).
Tenor drum
Played with soft mallets with a combination of rhythm and flourishing. Tenors can be sized and pitched differently, produced a melodic or harmonic accompaniment to the bagpipes and snares.
Snare drum
High tension snare drum (similar to marching band drums) which uses snares under the top and bottom heads, producing a snappy and articulated sound.
bass drum
Considered the heartbeat of the pipe band, the bass provides a steady pulse on a larger drum in a lower pitch than the tenor drums.
