Bagpiping in Dunedin

[Grouse Claw]

Ladies and Gentlemen, here is the text of a news item today on one of New Zealand's television channels, TVONE, that might interest kilt wearers and makers because it may be a strong stimulus to the Scottish heritage in our southern city, Dunedin. The video news item showed marching pipe bands and the interviews. Thanks to TVONE for their alertness.

Bagpiping in Dunedin


One of the deep south's most well-known and well-heard traditions is set to get an academic boost.


Otago University is making it easier for students to study bagpiping, in a bid to attract more would-be pipers to Dunedin.


Love them or loathe them, it seems bagpipes are as Kiwi as bangers on the barbie.


British High Commissioner Vicki Treadell said she thinks New Zealand has more pipe bands than any country in the world, including Scotland, per head of population.


"Some of your pipe bands are world class, winning international competitions," she said.


And Otago University wants to keep it that way, offering a new course option from this year that allows more would-be pipers to take up the craft.


"Well the first pathway into piping is really for music students. And the other option can be for students maybe taking law or medicine or commerce or something like that," said Professor Henry Johnson, Otago University music lecturer.


Dunedin City pipe band co-leader Liam Kernaghan was the first student to complete the university's existing piping performance paper and has gone on to perform around the world.


He's excited about the new opportunity for part-time pipers.
"They'll really hone their craft at a higher level and be able to compete potentially at an international level which they may not have been able to do before," Mr Kernaghan said.


"Heaps of kids are really starting to get involved now. And it's a really interesting thing because it's probably not the coolest thing you can imagine kids doing, but there are heaps of kids coming through and coming to summer schools."


It's not just piping that's on the university's program. If joining an indonesian Gamelan ensemble is more your thing, you can do that too.
But the university hopes piping remains the signature sound of the city for generations to come.

[WillowEstate]

Well there you go, another area where New Zealand leads the world - must be something to do with the days starting earlier there!

Thanks for the post.

[EagleJCS]

Actually Willow, at least one university here in the States (Carnegie-Mellon in Pennsylvania) has offered degrees with the Great Highland Bagpipe as the focus for a few years now. The first graduate was in 2009. Lyon College in Arkansas also offers studies with a focus on bagpiping, but I don't know if there's a degree associated with it.

[guardsman]

Well done the kiwis , how long before the all blacks perform the haka to the pipes ? Ho ho

[OC Richard]

Well done the kiwis , how long before the all blacks perform the haka to the pipes ? Ho ho

No joke! When The New Zealand Police Pipe Band performed here in California a few years ago, they marched playing into the hall, assembled in formation at the front, and when their march-in tune was finished the pipers all set their pipes on the ground, the drummers began playing a Polynesian rhythm, and all the pipers did the Haka.

Few Americans of course have ever seen a rugby match, know who the All Blacks are, or know what the Haka is. The audience was somewhat dumbfounded, not knowing what on earth was happening. (It's considered very rude here to stick out your tongue at people... at least they didn't do the throat-cutting part.) I had to explain it to the people beside me. It was fantastic to see, but much of the effect is lost seeing a row of little thin white guys doing it, rather than huge muscular Maoris.

Now here in the USA we also have a city in the deep south named Dunedin which also has, as one might expect, a strong Scottish background. The local High School is called The Highlanders and the entire band is kilted and has pipers, and Dunedin has a Games

http://dunedinhighlandgames.com/

[Dixiecat]

Now here in the USA we also have a city in the deep south named Dunedin which also has, as one might expect, a strong Scottish background. The local High School is called The Highlanders and the entire band is kilted and has pipers, and Dunedin has a Games

http://dunedinhighlandgames.com/

Small world. My marching band actually did a band exchange with the Scottish Highlander Band from Dunedin High School back in the '80s. I had a couple of their highland dancers billeted at my home, but when our band went to Florida we outnumbered them and more than half had to sleep in their gym. Gosh, thanks for the memories!

[Grouse Claw]

I'll be careful to speak of Dunedin, New Zealand, in future, for the Americans. I wonder which Dunedin the song writer of Ho Ro My Nut Brown Maiden was thinking of. A verse as sung by Kenneth McKellar goes,

"In Glasgow or Dunedin, where maidens fair to seeBut never a lowland maiden could lure mine eyes from thee."

But this verse is recent, as far as I can tell.

[OC Richard]

Interesting, I just looked it up, there are three Dunedins in the USA, and Dunedins in Canada, South Africa, Australia, and Zimbabwe.

The USA is a big country and one often sees the same place names used over and over. Makes for confusion on a fairly regular basis.

[Grouse Claw]

Few Americans of course have ever seen a rugby match, know who the All Blacks are, or know what the Haka is. The audience was somewhat dumbfounded, not knowing what on earth was happening. (It's considered very rude here to stick out your tongue at people... at least they didn't do the throat-cutting part.) I had to explain it to the people beside me. It was fantastic to see, but much of the effect is lost seeing a row of little thin white guys doing it, rather than huge muscular Maoris.

OC Richard, you painted a vivid picture of what goes on here all the time, from little thin schoolchildren upwards. Then I got to thinking about borrowed culture, which seems to be going on here, on this board, somewhat, and that led me by a circuitous route to Idi Amin, the despot of Uganda who proclaimed himself the uncrowned King of Scotland, and had, if my memory serves me, a kilted military band! What the tartan was, I don't know, but I'm sure someone will. And so back to the New Zealand police Pipe Band. Anyone know their tartan?

[OC Richard]

Appears to be the King George VI tartan

http://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/tar....aspx?ref=1985

Here they are!



A fanastic band, you have reason to be proud of the extremely high level of piping and drumming going on in your country.

Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vD4EH5VeYKg

Cool that Otago University is offering bagpiping.

We have a local University, University Of California Riverside, which began offering degree programmes in bagpiping, and Highland drumming, in 2007.