NWJPB History

The Northwest Junior Pipe Band has seen remarkable change since its founding in 1995

Early Years

Northwest Junior Pipe Band was founded in 1995 by a small group of local piping and drumming instructors including Charlie McNeill, a Scottish emigrant with a deep love for the bagpipes and for teaching kids. Starting a youth pipe band was a lifelong dream for Charlie and before he passed away he saw that dream realized. Charlie, along with Ian MacDonald, Colin MacRae, Lawrie MacKenzie, Kevin Auld , Marcie MacRae and Davie Moore brought their students together to form the foundation of Northwest Junior Pipe Band.

After a few years of hard work the band was ready to perform and compete. NWJPB completed a very successful 1999 year, competing at several area events - with the Tacoma Highland Games being their first contest as a new band.

The band wears the MacKenzie tartan. The original MacKenzie kilts for the band were authentic military-weight kilts, purchased from the British military as they were decommissioning and amalgamating the Scottish regiments, including the Seaforth Highlanders who wore the MacKenzie. By chance, this happens to be the same tartan as the Highland Light Infantry where Charlie McNeill spent time as a piper, and also the Seattle Pipe Band of which Charlie was the Pipe Major many years ago. The heavyweight military kilts were altered to fit our youth band (no small feat) and the band wore them for at least 10 years.

In the late 1990s NWJPB partnered with the Washington Scottish Pipe Band for additional instruction, as Charlie McNeill’s health was in decline. Pipe Major Colin MacRae, Bernie Rudsit, Kevin Auld and other WSPB members helped with piping instruction and direction of NWJPB.

After the 1999 season, the Northwest Junior Pipe Band experienced a ‘slump’. Many of the pipers and drummers had graduated from high school, effectively ageing out of the band, with several going away to college. Still others carried their piping and drumming to other area bands. For the next two years NWJPB had a few beginners on chanter and drums, but not enough to field a band.

In April of 2001 Charlie McNeill, NWJPB’s founder, passed away after a battle with cancer. His memorial service was a remarkable event which featured a massed band of nearly 40 pipers and drummers.

In September of 2001 Kevin Auld left his position as Pipe Major of the Washington Scottish Pipe Band to take on the position of Band Director with NWJPB. Parents, instructors and kids got to work building the band back up.

“It takes three years to build a band”

There is an old adage in the pipe band world that it takes three years to build a band. Between 2001-2004 NWJPB worked hard to recruit pipers, drummers and parent volunteers. Partnering with Shorecrest High School Pipe Band, NWJPB was able to field a small band for parades, performances and highland games. Steve Roy, Sarena Hyman, Terry Raymond, and Nicci Stewardson, among other instructors, helped out during this building period.

The summer of 2004 saw NWJPB back on the competition field for a very successful season in Grade 5. The band took home prizes every time they competed, sometimes against bands much older and more experienced.

Over the 2005 contest season the kids really hit their stride, taking first place in nearly every contest they entered. As a result of this success, the band was moved up to the Grade 4 division. This year NWJPB also boosted their organizational skills with some extra hard work and some very outgoing parent volunteers. This led to growth in both the board of directors and the band membership.

Over 2006, the band’s first season in Grade 4, the band continued to improve, climbing the rankings to finish the summer with a solid standing. This year the band also retired their original military kilts in favor of brand-new MacKenzie kilts, which are much lighter weight! 2006 was the first year the band put forward a full-scale concert event – held in Shoreline Center Theater.

In 2007 the band finished 4th overall out of 18 bands in their grade, and after a year of successful recruiting had enough players to introduce a new Grade 5 band who went on to win every event they entered that year. Between 2007 and 2009 the band averaged 50 members, including beginners, Grade 5 and Grade 4. This year the band expanded their concert event by moving to the Shorecrest High School theater and adding a silent auction to the event – raising the highest amount of any fundraising effort to-date.

2008 was the most successful year of competition to date for NWJPB Grade 4, with a 2nd place overall in Grade 4, and winning the Washington State Grade 4 Pipe Band Championships before heading to Scotland.

In 2008 NWJPB made an historic trip to the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. As the second youth band from Washington to make the journey to Scotland (the first being the Seattle Scottish Boys Pipe Band in 1969) and the only youth pipe band from Washington to ever compete in the Worlds, our band carried the honor of being the only US entry in the Juvenile Divisions in 2008. However, it was the 1st place finish at the Perth Highland Games that established the Northwest Junior Pipe Band as a world class band when NWJPB beat the 2008 Scottish and European Champions of the Grade 4B division. Following the Perth games, NWJPB participated in the Piping Live festival, performing a concert in Glasgow’s George Square, attending workshops and recitals at the Piping Centre and marching in an international pipe band parade through downtown Glasgow ending with a luncheon with the Mayor. The next weekend at the World Pipe Band Championships, NWJPB placed 3rd in their qualifier and 5th place overall in the Novice Juvenile division – the highest-ranked youth band from North America. Still exhausted from the World’s, the day after NWJPB competed at the Crieff Highland Games, where they placed 1st in Grade 4.

In 2008 NWJPB hosted their first “ceilidh” gala fundraiser, with a dinner, concert and auction – setting the stage for many more years of successful fundraising events.

In 2009 and 2010 NWJPB had very exciting, successful competition seasons, finishing in the top of Grade 4 and even challenging up to Grade 3 at times. At the Skagit Valley Highland Games NWJPB competed in both Grade 4 and Grade 3, winning the Washington State Championship in both grades at the same time and in the same year. Scott Parker joined the band as side drum instructor, giving a much-needed boost to the drum corps after the departure of previous drum instructor, Steve Roy.

In 2011 NWJPB joined forces with another area youth band, the White Spot Pipe Band of Vancouver BC for a one-year joint project. After fundraising all winter and competing successfully all summer long in the Grade 3 division, the combined band traveled to Scotland to take on the World Pipe Band Championships. The Northwest White Spot United Pipe Band spent two weeks competing and performing in and around Glasgow. The band performed as part of the Piping Live international piping festival, met the Red Hot Chili Pipers, and attended several concerts and workshops. Success in competition brought home a 3rd place award from the North Berwick Highland Games, 2nd place from the Bridge of Allan Highland Games (with a first in piping) and 5th place (out of 10 bands) in the Juvenile grade at the World Pipe Band Championships.

Following the trip to Scotland, with several of the band members graduating out, the band was back to minimum numbers and it was time to bring along a new generation of pipers and drummers. Bringing up several new players from the Pipe Band School program, the band decided to stay in Grade 4 rather than drop back to Grade 5. And so began another three-year project to build the next great NWJPB band.

Between 2012 and 2014 they practiced, competed, performed and prepared for another shot at the World Pipe Band Championships – a trip originally planned for August of 2014. After a bit of reassessment, the band decided it would be best to wait an additional year and make the trip in 2015. An additional year of fundraising, planning and practice meant the band was truly ready.

In 2015 NWJPB completed a monumental year of fundraising and competition, breaking all previous fundraising records at their annual gala auction, then dominating Grade 4 all summer long to regain the BCPA Grand Aggregate trophy.

Leaving for Scotland, the band felt strong and ready. Leading up the Worlds, NWJPB competed at the North Berwick and Perth Games and placed 2nd in both. They also marched in the Piping Live Parade of international bands through Glasgow, performed at George Square and attended lunch with the Mayor. At the Worlds, the band placed 1st in their qualifying heat out of 16 bands (a total of 32 bands competed in Novice Juvenile), qualifying them to play on the Main Arena in the Finals for the Novice Juvenile competition. In the finals, NWJPB placed 6th in the World and was awarded the Balmoral Shield.

In both 2015 and 2016 NWJPB had the pleasure of being Grade 4 BCPA Grand Aggregate winner, Washington State Champions and the US West Coast Drum Corps Champions.

Over 2016 and 2017 the band lost many members to graduation. Several of these pipers and drummers went on to play with local bands - fulfilling one of the main goals of our organization, to bolster the numbers of players in the Pacific Northwest. The band was at minimum numbers for the 2018 and 2019 seasons, but with a large group of players coming through our Pipe Band School program, we expect to be back to full membership very soon.

In 2017 and 2018 the band brought on new piping and drumming instructors. Bryce Kreger took over our competition band instruction for side drum, Robbie Graham headed up our beginning side drum classes in our Pipe Band School program and Tyler Coleman and Cameron MacDonald came on board as piping instructors with Pipe Band School and assistants to the competition band.

The 2019 competition season saw the band finding its feet as a competitive unit and getting valuable experience on the field. There was major improvement from the beginning of the season to the end, including a handful of top-3 placings in Grade 4 and the Washington State Championship trophy from the Skagit Valley Highland Games.

2020 was a year of big change for NWJPB, and for the piping community as a whole. When the Covid-19 pandemic struck in March all of our in-person rehearsals, lessons, performances and competitions were canceled. We quickly moved our lessons to an online format but sadly our annual concert and entire competition season, including our 25th anniversary trip to Scotland, were called off. As restrictions eased a bit, our pipers and drummers ventured out into the community to hold socially-distanced performances for birthdays, anniversaries and other occasions. In more positive news, NWJPB alum Griffin Roberts came on board as our PBS side drum instructor. Beginning in the fall of 2020, all of our instruction programs and rehearsals were held online via Zoom.

In the summer of 2021 the band, following state and federal guidelines, was able to practice outdoors for the first time in over a year. In-person practice, as well as a few small, community performances gave a big boost the morale of the group. In the Fall of 2022 we went back to online practices via Zoom.

In the winter of 2021 the band’s drummers were able to resume indoor practice including masks and other Covid precautions and in the spring of 2022 Covid restrictions lifted enough that the pipers were able to resume indoor practice as well. We were thrilled to get back to the work of teaching and playing pipes and drums.

The NWJPB organization itself has grown and prospered, with around 6 playing members to nearly 50 at our peak. We have seen a very wide range of ages of kids becoming active in the band. This gives us a wonderfully diverse membership. Brothers and sisters are jumping in, involving entire families in the NWJPB.

We are very excited about the direction the NWJPB is headed and very proud of the band’s performance and placings on the international stage.

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