Toronto Police Pipe Band
Encyclopedia
The Toronto Police Pipe Band is a grade one pipe band
based in Toronto, Ontario
, Canada
. The band was originally formed for local parades and events, and was later used for recruiting drives in World Wars I and II. In the 1970s, the band began competing internationally, and has had considerable success over the years. It won the Grade One North American Championship at the Glengarry Highland Games in 2004. The band had a very successful season in 2006, winning the American, Canadian and North American Championships.
The 2007 and 2008 seasons have proven to be integral in the band's current attention in the piping community; after losing much of the pipe corps and regaining old players in '07 the band competed with an innovative and non-traditional medley titled "Variations on a Theme of Good Intentions" which went against the traditional medley composition as the players performed a suite of a theme rather than separate tunes. The set was composed for pipes by Michael Grey, the band's Pipe Sergeant
. The band competed with a different medley in the 2009 season, titled "Idiomatica", and presented yet another in 2010, titled "Gallus No. 3"; both, again, composed by Mr. Grey.
The band's Pipe Major
is Ian K. Macdonald. The lead drummer is Ken Constable.
Pipe band
A pipe band is a musical ensemble consisting of pipers and drummers. The term used by military pipe bands, pipes and drums, is also common....
based in Toronto, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The band was originally formed for local parades and events, and was later used for recruiting drives in World Wars I and II. In the 1970s, the band began competing internationally, and has had considerable success over the years. It won the Grade One North American Championship at the Glengarry Highland Games in 2004. The band had a very successful season in 2006, winning the American, Canadian and North American Championships.
The 2007 and 2008 seasons have proven to be integral in the band's current attention in the piping community; after losing much of the pipe corps and regaining old players in '07 the band competed with an innovative and non-traditional medley titled "Variations on a Theme of Good Intentions" which went against the traditional medley composition as the players performed a suite of a theme rather than separate tunes. The set was composed for pipes by Michael Grey, the band's Pipe Sergeant
Pipe Sergeant
The Pipe Sergeant, commonly abbreviated as "P/Sgt", is the number two person in charge of the pipers in a Scottish pipe band or pipes and drums. In terms of seniority, the Pipe Sergeant is secondary only to the Pipe Major, who is the director of bagpipe music in a pipe band. A Pipe Sergeant...
. The band competed with a different medley in the 2009 season, titled "Idiomatica", and presented yet another in 2010, titled "Gallus No. 3"; both, again, composed by Mr. Grey.
The band's Pipe Major
Pipe Major
The Pipe Major is the director of bagpipe music in a Scottish or Irish pipe band. Like Drum Major, the position of Pipe Major is derived from British Army traditions. During the early twentieth century, the term Sergeant Piper was used for the role in place of "Pipe Major".Civillian and military...
is Ian K. Macdonald. The lead drummer is Ken Constable.