I began competing in solo piping competitions in spring of 2003 and have continued since then to compete and improve my results. As of this writing I am in grade 2 solos with the Pipers and Pipe Band Society of Ontario - though I have taknen a break the ast couple seasons. I have played with several bands, starting out with the Father of Waters Pipes and Drums of Jackson Mississippi in 2002. In 2004 I co-founded the Hub City Pipes and Drums in Hattiesburg, Mississippi and served as its bandmaster for two years. My main duties were education and instruction of beginning pipers, music arrangement, tuning the band and keeping records and legal paperwork up to date. I moved to Texas in December 2005, and currently I play with the Fort Worth Scottish Pipes and Drums. Since my early days, being strating out with lessons from a good friend who plays the pipes, I have learned from a variety of qualified instructors including Ken Eller, Sandy Jones, Ed Neigh, Jim McGillivray, and my current full-time instructor, John Cairns of Ontario, Canada. John's teaching method has both impressed and inspired me. I study with him long distance and have found my technical and musical abilites increase greatly since he took me on as a student in March 2005. His comprehensive teaching method has also prompted me to further my experience in music and piping education Several summers I traveled to London, Ontario to visit John Cairns and take intensive bagpipe lessons for a week. I also competed in local contests while I was up there, where I found the standard of play and the field of pipers to be quite challenging. I have also entered an instructor agreement with John to use his Bagpipe Solutions bagpipe method in my teaching program. I currenlty have about 30 students who play from the very beginner level to intermediate levels. Education:
Bachelor of Music - University of Southern Mississippi - May 2004 Bands:
Father of Waters Pipes and Drums 2002 - 2003 Webmaster Competition:Pipers' and Pipe Band Society of Ontario - Amateur Grade 2
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