Forres and District Pipe Band investing in continual improvement

LOCAL musicians have added a three-figure award from a supermarket community scheme to their savings for new instruments.

Forres and District Pipe Band (FDPB) are grateful for the £326 from the Co-op Local Community Fund raised by Co-op members and through the sale of carrier bags.

FDPB chairman John Channon confirmed the plan is to invest in a set of high quality drums for the competition band once enough money has been saved.

He said: "We were pleased to have been selected as one of the Co-op sponsored projects back in October. Unfortunately, the impact of coronavirus severely affected our ability to promote both the project and the Co-op so we are just delighted to receive anything at all!"

At the outset of the lockdown, FDPB realised the importance of keeping the band together by meeting regularly online. Their practice venue, Forres Town Hall, is closed and the band's engagements cancelled. Social isolation also means the band cannot play together outside.

Mr Channon said: "We quickly implemented an online practice session on a Sunday evenings at 7pm for all band members using Zoom. We then set up a practice for the youngsters between 6 and 7pm under the direction of the band leaders and invited them to join the adults at 7pm if they wished. To support the practice and to maintain individual skills, our band leaders established a series of tuition periods during the evenings throughout the week for pipers, side drummers and tenor drummers."

The tuition is conducted in groups of three or four musicians with similar ability so that maximum benefit can be derived.

"It is also important that we had some social interactions and a bit of fun," added Mr Channon, "so every Saturday evening we hold a band quiz night which is very popular and often goes on well beyond the end of the quiz!"

During lockdown every Thursday, the pipers and drummers also played at 8pm in their homes and gardens in support of the NHS.

Mr Channon said: "We did the same to commemorate VE Day but, on the advice of the authorities, we did not break the lockdown protocols to play at the war memorial, but we would have loved to have done so."

FDPB are also using their time in lockdown to update their music list, standardise manuscripts and write new scores for the drummers to improve their sound and performance.

"All of us are looking forward to the time that we will be able to meet up and play down the High Street when the social conditions allow," said Mr Channon.

"We hope that we will be able to resume normal activity towards the end of the year. I would suspect the Remembrance Day parade in November might be a realistic target."