The Foundation Youth Pipe band New Zealand begins its very first tour on Friday 30 March with the first concert being held in Paraparaumu, and Manawatu Scottish is proud to be supporting this event. We will be putting on a mini-band in support of the concert to play before the main event.

Tickets are selling fast, so make sure you get in quick!

Full details are:
Foundation Youth Pipe Band New Zealand Concert
Friday 30 March 2012
Southwards Theatre
7.30pm Start
Tickets available from Southwards Museum Shop
Waged: $15
Unwaged: $10

A huge congratulations to the Canterbury Caledonian Pipe Band for their win and outstanding performances over the weekend. Manawatu definitely knows the buzz and excitement of winning Nationals, and their hard work has paid off, and been rewarded. Great stuff guys!

Manawatu Scottish No1 placed 3rd overall in the Grade 1 Championships, The only band not to have received a 4th placing and maintaining consistent results in a very tough and seemingly close competition. We were also placed 2nd overall in the Street March, winning the Piping.

Manawatu Scottish No2 placed 4th in Grade 2, and Manawatu Scottish No3 placed 6th in Grade 4B and 3rd in Juvenile.

Video’s of our MSR and Medley performances can be found on our Tu-Tube page, and pictures will be up in the image gallery later this week.

Full results for the New Zealand Pipe Band Championships are available on the RNZPBA website.

Its Nationals week so show us your support! Change your Facebook profile picture to the Manawatu Scottish logo for Nationals week and post your messages of support on our Facebook page.

Click here to get your copy of the Manawatu Scottish logo.

The Tu Store also has some exciting new products, including new Tee’s in Royal Blue, Red, or Black, and our very own underwear! Show who you support when it really counts, or flash it under your kilt! :p

Manawatu Scottish is holding a Pre-Nationals Clearance Sale! It’s ‘Tu’ Good to be True!

Head to our online store for great Bargains… “Twelve Thousand Miles” – Manawatu Scottish Pipe Bands second studio recorded album is going for just $20. There is also a range of Shirts available below cost price!

You can also get a CD & Shirt combo for only $25.

Look out soon for our exciting brand new Manawatu Scottish apparel being launched Nationals weekend!

Manawatu Scottish No1 was placed 1st overall and took out the Champion Band title for the tenth-plus consecutive time, being placed 1st by all musical judges in both the Street March and Medley, while the MSR saw them split even with NZ Police, each gaining two 1′s, and two 2′s.

Manawatu Scottish No2 gained momentum taking out Grade Two, and Manawatu Scottish Juvenile also won the Juvenile section.

With three weeks till Nationals there is still plenty of work to be done and the hardest challenge is yet to come!

We’ll see you in Tauranga!

Manawatu Scottish No1 got 1st place in both the MSR and Medley, in addition to winning the Ensemble, 1st in Drumming on MSR preference, and gaining the Champion Bass Section trophy for the second year running.

Manawatu No2 took out Grade Two, and Manawatu No3 also came out on top.

All three bands had great success on the day, with Manawatu Scottish No1 taking the Champion Band spot and achieving an incredible seven 1st’s, and one 5th in the overall placing’s. In addition to being placed 1st in Piping by all judges in both performances, they also took out Ensemble in both, and Drumming in the MSR.

Manawatu Scottish No2 took out Grade Two, and Manawatu Scottish No3 won the Juvenile event and placed 4th in Grade 4.

A number of Manawatu Scottish players also competed in solos in the morning. Fraser McKenzie took out 2nd place in the Open Drumming Solos, Marianne Kirby placed 1st in B Grade Drumming Solos, and Neil Marriot also came 1st in B Grade Piping Solos. A Huge congratulations to them and all the others who competed!

Full results can be found on the Manawatu Scottish Society website.

You can see recordings of the band competing on the day by visiting our Tu-Tube page, and look out in the Image Gallery for snaps of the day coming soon!

The Grade One band has some exciting developments since the Worlds, and bursting at the seams to get out on the park again. All three bands have been putting in the hard yards in the lead up and there’s a real sense of buzz in the air about getting the season underway with a bang!

With Manawatu Scottish bands holding a cross section of the grades, and also a number of Manawatu players also competing in Solo’s, and Highland Dancing in the morning, there is plenty of us around that need your support throughout the day, so head down to the park early and catch it all.

And don’t forget, we’ll see you all at the Celtic for the After Party!

A reminder to any Bands that have yet to register for Jenny Mair Square Day that the day is organised by the Manawatu Scottish Society, and that they can do so by visiting their website here.

Following many months of detailed planning Manawatu Scottish assembled in Belfast on August 1st in readiness for an exciting and challenging couple of weeks, culminating in Manawatu’s seventh appearance at the World Pipe Band Championships. On reflection I feel there are two key questions to ask yourself following a Worlds trip 1) did you enjoy it? and 2) are you happy with how you played? If you can answer yes to both questions then it has probably been a worthwhile exercise, as it proved to be again for Manawatu Scottish.

The band enjoyed a change of scenery this year staying in Belfast for the first time at the very pleasant Elms Student Village, part of the Queens University Campus situated in a leafy part of the City. A significant part of the week was spent on individual corps work with a workshop style focus laying the foundation for the more performance oriented week to come in Glasgow.

Following five days of intensive work the band was ready to compete at the Ulster Championships, held this year just down the road at Banbridge in the familiar surroundings (for a Kiwi band) of a rugby ground. It was a great opportunity to compete against Northern Ireland’s finest, with both Field Marshall Montgomery and Cullybackey also competing in Grade 1. Although the morning was clear, by the time it came to Grade 1 heavy rain had set in resulting in challenging tuning conditions and causing a few hiccups in our preparation. Despite this the band kept its composure and put on a professional MSR performance without any major glitches. Unfortunately given the weather conditions the medley event was cancelled – an understandable decision by the organisers with bands wanting to minimise the impact of the rain on their instruments just out from the Worlds. FMM were clear winners on the day although it was very pleasing to claim the runner-up spot on ensemble preference, with inspection of the trophy revealing this was the first time a band outside of the Emerald Isle had claimed the runner-up prize, so a small bit of history there.

Special mention needs to be made of the terrific reception Manawatu Scottish received at the Ulster Championships and during our stay in Belfast. The organising committee at Banbridge went out of their way to make us feel welcome, and during the massed bands a special presentation was made to the band. In general, the friendliness and helpfulness of pipers and drummers in Northern Ireland left a real mark on the Tu with some even going to the lengths of dropping off free cases of beer to our accommodation, an extremely kind gesture! The pipe band spirit is certainly strong in this part of the World. All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable week, and the band crossed the Irish Sea by ferry to Stranraer in good spirits and ready for the hectic week ahead.

Glasgow’s PipingLive! Festival continues to go from strength to strength, with various events providing an opportunity for bands to perform and build profile prior to the Worlds, along with providing welcome relief from heavy practice schedules. Manawatu had a busy programme this year including the R T Shepherd International Quartet Challenge, the PipesDrums Invitational Recital and a full band performance at George Square. All performances were well received and generated positive feedback, and it was pleasing to finish 4th in the Quartet Contest out of 8 bands, including 3rd place in the MSR section. The highlight of the week however was playing to a packed audience crammed inside a steamy marquee in George Square as the rain pelted down outside. Speaking of rain, normally you can expect a bit in Glasgow during Worlds week and we are certainly no strangers to it, but this year it literally did not stop raining for days. The purchase of marquees for practice purposes proved invaluable, and meant we could get quality practice time in outside our accommodation at Murano Student Village whilst the downpour continued unabated.

To everyone’s relief there was a break in the weather allowing us to rehearse on Glasgow Green on the Friday afternoon before the Worlds, and it confirmed that we were ready for the big day. Despite the best laid plans however, the morning of the Worlds always throws up a few tricky moments with the changeable weather a contributing factor. We were pleased overall with our performance in the Qualifier although even more pleased to make it through to the final for the fifth time, and the opportunity to compete against 13 of the World’s best pipe bands.

There has been an overall improvement in the professionalism of bands since Manawatu’s last appearance in ’09, and a noticeable improvement in standard. The grade is tighter and more competitive than ever, and it came as no surprise that the placings in the final were spread around below 1st place – it’s a fair indication with more bands than ever in the mix. In piping terms, the collective piping talent within FMM, SFU, Scottish Power and Inveraray and District in particular is phenomenal – to my mind, four of the most talented pipe corps ever assembled with FMM heading the bunch. They’re huge too, and there is something very imposing about a pipe corps of 25+ playing superbly – how do you beat that? One of the lasting memories in my mind from the Worlds, as I’m sure those who watched live and via the web stream would attest, was watching the FMM behemoth head down the chute and into the circle – 26 pipers, 10 side drummers and 8 in the mid-section. It was like following an army (a finely tuned one at that) and proved a tough act to follow. Notwithstanding their record win at the Worlds in terms of ranking points, FMM have been outstanding all season and are the benchmark all bands should aspire to.

As for Manawatu’s performances in the final, we were pleased with how we played. The MSR was probably our best performance of the day with a good clean run from all sections and it was gratifying to be placed 9th, the best result we have achieved at the Worlds in the MSR competition. I felt the pipes had just passed their peak in the medley, and although still full and resonant the pitch wasn’t quite as bright as the previous two performances. Combined with a couple of minor ‘articulation issues’ (as Bob Worrall calls them) it was enough to take the gloss off an otherwise very enjoyable performance. Although 11th placing overall is a notch down on where we have placed in the past I believe it was our strongest ever showing at the Worlds, and it was satisfying to remain in the mix given the ever improving standard.

It’s an easy excuse for overseas bands or any band having to go through the morning Qualifier to make, but playing three times as opposed to pre- qualified bands only playing twice is unfair, and makes for a very long day for bands coming through the qualifier. Here’s hoping talk of a two day event with qualifying rounds for all grades on one day and finals the next day results in concrete change. I can’t see the qualifier/final format per se changing any time soon, but the RSPBA need to continue their good work in developing the Worlds by moving to a fairer format for the Grade 1 Contest.

Results and personal enjoyment aside, the broader benefits that come with competing at the Worlds cannot be understated – you always learn a heck of a lot from the experience. Also, knowing you will potentially be competing against the best in the world provides a major incentive to individuals to raise their personal playing standard and collectively that of their band. For this and other reasons I believe it is to the large benefit of the New Zealand pipe band scene that bands in all grades continue to set their sights on competing at the Worlds.

Finally, thank you to everyone in the New Zealand pipe band community who supported the band from afar, your support was very much appreciated and really did make a difference. Also, best of luck to all bands for the upcoming season, it should be a cracker!

Cheers and see you at Square Day,

Stewart McKenzie

Pipe Major

To watch Manawatu Scottish perform Live at the World Pipe Band Championships 2011, please visit our Tu-Tube Gallery, or to see the other Grade One Bands, visit the BBC Worlds Coverage Website.

We also have a lot of images being posted up, so keep an eye out on the Image Gallery over the next week or so

In addition to the Worlds, there will be plenty of action in the lead up also, including Quartets, Pipes|Drums Recital, George Square Performance and more!!

Of course, keep a close eye on here for full updates throughout the tour, and make sure you send all your messages of support to the band.

A couple of links to keep an eye on for info, and live streaming on the day are:

World Pipe Band Championships 2011

World Pipe Band Championships, Live on BBC

Thanks you for all your continued support!

• Finlay Macgee (Wellington)
• Ross Horsburgh (Wellington)
• Douglas McGregor (Wanganui)
• Chris Croton (Palmerston North)
• William Rowe (Hunterville)
• Revel McIntyre (Wanganui)

For those that don’t know, the Wellington Pipers’ Club will be held at the City of Wellington band hall in Hansen Street Newtown commencing at 7.30. The night will finish at 9.30pm , so it’s an all ages event!

Read more about it at Piobaireachd NZ

P-M Chris Armstrong and L-D Barry Wilson of the ScottishPower Pipe Band; P-M John Cairns and L-D Graham Brown, Peel Regional Police Pipe Band; P-M Stuart Liddell and L-D Steven McWhirter, Inveraray & District Pipe Band; and P-M Stewart McKenzie and L-D Graeme Parker, Manawatu Scottish Pipe Band will each perform in duets over the hour, bringing the audience a taste of quality that normally could only be found at the likes of the Glenfiddich and World Solo Drumming championships.

“These are eight of the world’s premier pipers and drummers, and the Pipes+Drums theme was a natural for pipes|drums Magazine to bring to listeners in this one-time free event,” said Andrew Berthoff of pipes|drums Magazine. “Among the group are no fewer than five Highland Society of London Gold Medals, four World Solo Drumming Championships, two Clasps and just about every major solo prize in each player’s home country.”

You can read more about it on the Pipes|Drums page by clicking here

The band performed to an almost full house in the Prince Edward Auditorium at Wanganui Collegiate School on Saturday night, 25th June. Building momentum for the worlds nicely with some fine band sets accompanied by our very own champion highland dancers and Brass Wanganui.

The night started off with a moving introduction of “The Battle of the Strome” piped by William Rowe followed by the full band with a mixture of competition sets, medley tunes and concert arrangements accompanied by kit drum and highland dancers. Then followed tag team solo piping, drum solo and small pipes before Brass Wanganui and the crowd favourite, “Mission Impossible”. This ended with a side drumming duel, brass against pipe (you know who won!)

Thanks to all that supported the concert. Funds raised from the event will be going towards travel to the worlds for the band and also a significant donation will be made to the Chapel Restoration Project at Collegiate School. Special thanks to Brass Wanganui for their involvement in the concert. The brass and pipes together was a highlight of the night for many and something to repeat in the future.

The band is also very grateful for the assistance of John Martin for his outstanding role as compere on the night, stitching together the pipe, brass and soloists into a seamless event that was extremely well received.

You can see pictures of the concert here. Keep an eye out for more to come, and a recording will be up in Tu-Tube in the next few days.

Manwatu Scottish Pipe Band play live before they head to the world pipe band championships in Glasgow Scotland on the 13th August.

Performances will also include national champions in solo piping and highland dancing along with the world class pipe band

Come and sample a range of fine whisky before the concert from 6.oo pm and watch the haggis as it is piped in, concert starting at 7.00 pm.

The band will be supported by champion band, brass Wanganui.

tickets available online at Royal Opera House (http://www.royaloperahouse.co.nz)