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Teaching System
An important factor in the band‘s ability to maintain its presence in the top grade has been the continuity of players in the band with some of the Grade 1 members having played with Boghall for over 25 years. New players joining the Grade 1 band, either from the Juvenile band or from outwith the organisation are able to draw on the vast experience of these players and quickly appreciate what it takes to perform the ‘Boghall way’. It is also significant that the majority of people who join the band seem to stay, only leaving through work or family commitments. This helps a great deal in maintaining continuity and achieving consistent performances from year to year.
Combined with this continuity we are extremely proud of the band's continued involvement in teaching piping and drumming to the youngsters of the local area and beyond. The organisation is renowned throughout the pipe band world for the amount of time and effort it dedicates to tuition and the value of this is clear to see through the success of our Juvenile and Novice Juvenile A & B bands.
This focus can be traced back to the development of the Novice Juvenile band in 1976 and with all three bands still competing today, we have around 50 young people from Bathgate and the surrounding area playing pipes and drums within our organisation. These junior bands have been every bit as successful as the adult band, winning 5 World Championships between them and over 11 World Drum Corps titles. It is also interesting to note that P/M Ross Walker and Leading Drummer, Gordon Brown are products of this Pipe Band ‘academy’ having earned their spurs in the Juvenile band in the late 70‘s.
All three under 18 bands, and our learner classes, continue to receive tuition from members of the Grade 1 band in both piping and drumming and this ensures both the highest quality tuition and preserves the consistency in playing and style that will ensure the Boghall legacy continues well into the future.
We would encourage anyone interested in joining our Juvenile bands or learner classes to contact us.