Young Winnipeggers take passion for pipes to competition against world's best in Scotland

A youth pipe band from Winnipeg will be taking their bagpipes, drums and kilts — and their talent — to Scotland to compete against some of the world's best next weekend.

Dozens of members of the Lord Selkirk Robert Fraser Memorial Pipe Band spent Thursday evening blowing pipes and pounding their drums at Assiniboine Park as the sun set behind the trees, in preparation for the World Pipe Band Championships, to be held Aug. 16 and 17 in Glasgow.

Every year, more than 200 teams involving 8,000 bagpipers and drummers from around the world gather in Scotland for the competitions.

"It's cool to meet other pipe bands from other places," said Logan Blain, 11, one of the youngest members of the Winnipeg pipe band.

Logan, who has been a drummer for four years, said he's excited to head to Scotland.

"[It's] a big championship with a whole bunch of bands, so I think it's going to be a really fun experience."

His 13-year-old brother is a piper in the band, and his other family members — primarily of Irish heritage — have strong ties to the piping community.

John Fulton, one of the band's instructors, joined the group for the Thursday practice in the park — their last before the entourage of about 80 people sets off for Scotland, where they'll compete against about 21 other bands in the Grade 4 category.

Several different grades of pipe bands competing at the worlds, from Grade 1 — the highest standard of players — through Grade 4.

The Winnipeg pipe band is made up of youth ages 11 to 18 who play bagpipes and snare, tenor or bass drums, Fulton said. Many of them learn about the group by word of mouth — through friends of families, schoolmates or people from other communities.

The band was started by Robert Fraser after he emigrated from Scotland to Canada in 1957. Fraser went on to teach music up until his death in 2012.

"He was just a really true Scotsman who just loved the music, loved the whole culture of bagpipes, and he was able to pass on his enthusiasm in an unqualified way," said Fulton, who himself grew up in a Scottish household.

"My grandparents were from Scotland and so I was introduced to the music early.… It just strikes a chord for me," he said.

"I think that there are probably fewer people playing bagpipes now than when I was a kid, but it's still pretty popular," Fulton said, adding that there are other bands in the city, such as the Winnipeg Police Pipe Band.

Practising with his full band is an immersive experience, said 11-year-old Blain.

"It's a really cool loudness and it's fun to play."

'This is rocking'

Leyton Bennet, 16, has been playing the pipes since age nine. 

"Ever since then, it's just been something I've always loved working at," he said. He said he's made lots of friends over the years through the band, many of whom have graduated but continue to lead the younger players.

"It's something we can all come together and enjoy that's sort of a niche interest, but it's something we all love."

Bennet's ancestors also came from Scotland.

"It's a great way to be in touch with you cultural roots.… So to be able to go to Scotland is phenomenal."

This year's competition will be his second time visiting the country as a piper, after the group travelled for a 2015 world competition. This time around he will be going as a senior piper.

The tight-knit group really meshes when they play together, Bennet said.

"When we're all locked in, and we're playing something together, it really feels like a conversation that's happening within the band, like everybody is on the same page and thinking the same thing," Bennet said.

"It's a powerful feeling when you're playing, and you're like, 'yeah, this is rocking. This is awesome.'"