Bagpipe band preserves proud heritage

Keith Petrie fell in love with the distinctive sound of the bagpipe when he was ll.

Having no previous experience, the young Petrie decided he was going to learn the Scottish instrument.

He joined the Transcona and District Pipe Band and by 13 he was playing regularly.

“It usually takes a few years for new students to learn,” said Petrie who is now 27 and is the band’s pipe major.

Petrie, whose father was born in Scotland, joined the band to be involved with his Scottish heritage.

“I was supposed to play drums, but I was attracted to the pipes,” said Petrie.

The Transcona and District Pipe Band is a youth band made up of kids ranging in age from eight to 19.

Most students join the band with no knowledge of the bagpipes or the drums but they are groomed in one or the other.

After Petrie graduated from the band, bagpiping was such a big part of his life, it led him to pipe major duties.

“I just had to do it,” said Petrie. “I wanted to stay involved and I wouldn’t be doing this anywhere else.”

Although many of the young people in the band come from Scottish backgrounds, it is not mandatory. The band is open to kids from anywhere in Winnipeg.

Cassandra Hill, 15, lives in Wolseley and she makes her way to Transcona to participate in the band three times a week.

She was drawn to the mournful sound of the bagpipe as a small child and has been playing with the band for the past three years.

“When I was really young, I heard the pipes in a parade and I really, really liked it,” she said adding she is one of the few members who has no Scottish blood in her. “So I went on to do it.”

Students interested in joining can learn bag pipes, snare, tenor or bass drum.

Anita Bihun, vice-president of the band is not a bag piper or drummer herself, but the passion runs in her family.

Bihun’s son was the bass drummer in the band and eventually her daughter took over the position.

Bihun’s husband has been a drummer in a different pipe band for the past 40 years.

Bihun said parents work closely to fundraise for the band so they can enter competitions and take yearly out-of-town trips.

They came back from competitions in Alberta this year with all sorts of medals.

“You’re not just dropping your kid off,” she said “It becomes a real social thing.”

She said the strong parent involvement is a major factor in the band’s success.

“It’s something we’ve always been very proud of,” she said. “It’s what’s kept the band together for so long.”

In the past few years, the numbers of youngsters interested in the bagpipe has started to dwindle. Petrie said new students are needed to keep the 22-year tradition of the band alive.

“We have to have more people or we are in deep trouble,” he said.

If you are interested in joining the band visit the website at www.transconapipeband.com.