Piper helping cadets to revive bagpipe tradition
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/02/2013 (4751 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Youth from Brandon’s 2520 Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps joined some 150 cadets from northwestern Ontario and southern Manitoba for the annual Music Concentration event held at the Gimli Training Centre in November.
Instructor, Officer Cadet Brent Lowrie escorted the cadets and found himself instructing piping classes as well.
“Through a series of workshops and master classes, cadets learn to play as a band unit, something many corps bands miss out on due to a lack of band members,” Lowrie said. “At MusicCon, cadet musicians of all levels learn new tunes, skills and drills to strengthen bands at the corps level.”
Lowrie has been piping for 38 years, having learned the Highland bagpipe when he was 10 years old.
As a lad, he played with the Edmonton Boys’ Pipe Band under the direction of Iain MacCrimmon. Over the years Lowrie has played with many pipe bands including The Regimental Pipes and Drums of the Calgary Highlanders, The Calgary Police Pipe Band, Clan McBain Pipe Band (Calgary), Triumph Street Pipe Band (Vancouver), and Rocky Mountain Pipe Band (Calgary).
As a successful Grade One Solo Competitor, he has earned prizes in March/Strathspeys/Reel, Jig/Hornpipe and Senior Piobaireachd in both Alberta and B.C. He has also played for Highland dancers in both exhibition and competition throughout his piping career.
Lowrie has played in three Royal Canadian Legion-Sponsored pipe bands and has never missed piping at a Remembrance Day Ceremony since he first began. Currently, he is the Pipe Sergeant of the 26th Field Regiment Pipe Band of Brandon and can be seen playing the pipes either with the pipe band or solo at community events such as the Lt. Governor’s Winter Festival Scottish Pavilion.
In 2011, Lowrie became concerned about the health of the long-standing tradition of piping and pipe bands in the Westman area and so started teaching the Highland bagpipe to cadets of 2520 RCACC.
Instructing is no daunting task to this piper, as he teaches the advertising art course at Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School and has been involved in the Brandon Army Cadet corps for more than three years, being recently sworn in as a member of the Canadian Forces Army Reserves Cadet Instructor Cadre.
Lowrie is hoping to increase the number of musicians at 2520 cadet corps and take more cadets to next year’s annual event.
“Attending MusicCon is a great way to meet other cadet musicians, learn new skills, challenge yourself and have a great time to boot!”
Officer Cadet Lowrie and the Army Cadet Corps welcome new pipers and drummers to come down to the Brandon Armoury (2nd floor) on Wednesday evenings from 5:30-6:30 pm and check us out. Instruction and loaner instruments are free to cadets.
For more information call 204-571-9159 or come on down to the Armoury at 1116 Victoria Ave, Brandon.
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