The excellence of school instrumental music tuition in Scotland shone through at the recent Tartan Day festivities in New York. Tartan Day was established to promote Scotland across the world, and to celebrate links between Scotland and other countries.
New York Tartan Week is one of the largest international celebrations of Scottish culture and heritage, and culminates in the Tartan Day parade down 6th Avenue in the centre of the city.
This year, the talents of young Scottish musicians, and the value of the instrumental music service in Scotland’s schools, were at the fore on Tartan Day with three state school Pipe Bands in attendance and playing a prominent role in the Tartan Week festivities.
Following some intensive fund-raising efforts, Falkirk Schools Pipe Band, Oban High School Pipe Band, and Renfrewshire Schools Pipe Band each made the trip to New York, winning a host of admirers with their piping and drumming skills at a series of events throughout their visits.
From ad-hoc performances at iconic locations such as Madison Square Garden, Times Square and Grand Central Terminal, to concerts at Bryant Park and Carnegie Hall, and on to the Tartan Day Parade itself, the young Scottish pipers and drummers left an indelible mark on New York’s Tartan Week.
First Minister John Swinney, attending the event on behalf of the Scottish Government, lauded the contributions of the school pipe bands, as well as young dancers from Denny High School Dance academy, who also took part in the festivities.
The First Minister highlighted the Scottish Government’s commitment to free instrumental music tuition, emphasising the importance of music and its value to young people, their communities, and Scotland’s culture. This was a very positive statement which, in the light of the current EIS Stand Up for Quality Music Education and the forthcoming Scottish Parliament election, the EIS will be keen to remind the First Minister and all other politicians of in the months ahead.