As the weather slowly begins to change, and we have the St. Patrick’s Day weekend behind us, I just wanted to send out a quick update about what the MPS has planned for this year.

First, we have had 25 responses to our Montana Regional Pipe Band Interest Survey that was sent out last fall with the following breakdown:

• 18 Pipers responded with 15 interested or ready to go.
• 4 drummers responded (2 bass, 1 bass/side, and 1 side) with all interested or ready to go.
• And one person responded as not interested but did not indicate their instrument?

So, as expected, we have a decent amount of pipers, but are lacking in the drumming section. The amount of interest from those that did respond indicates that this is something worth pursuing, so we will continue to work towards making it a reality and look at having a planning meeting some time in the near future.

Second, we did not have a fall workshop last year due to some unforeseen circumstances that caused the planned event to fall through. Because of that, we are attempting to put together a spring workshop this year and hope to have further details available soon. At this point, we are looking at weekends in April, but we still have to coordinate with the instructor’s schedule and the building availability. Please keep an eye out for the event announcement coming soon.

And finally, this is the 10th Anniversary of the Bitterroot Celtic Games and Gathering in Hamilton on August 17th and 18th, 2019. The MPS will be coordinating the solo piping and drumming competitions and the registration form is already up online and can be found at this link. This year the BCGG organizers are also attempting to bring in bands in the hopes that they could have a band competition. If your group is interested in attending, please let us know and we can get you in touch with the BCGG folks.