History, & Behind The Scenes
History
Established in 1989 as an organization to address the unique needs of young musicians and dancers, the Colorado Youth Pipe Band has become the most dynamic educational system for children wanting to learn the Great Highland Bagpipes, Highland Drumming, and Highland Dance.
Learning, Performing & Competing with the Colorado Youth Pipe Band
The band (a term which includes all dancers and musicians) meets & rehearses year round. Most performances and contests are during the warmer months, from March through October. It is not uncommon to have four or more performances a month in the summer.
The CYPB Dance System is a group-learning environment of many levels led by several instructors from Professionals to peer dancers who help our youth develop skills in the traditional dances of the Highlands for performance and competition as well as choreograph original dances for exhibitions and public performances.
At the next level is Piping IV also called the Performance Band for pipers and drummers who have auditioned on actual instruments and have been deemed ready to play out publicly.
The Performance Band plays at public venues ranging from schools, corporate events, pubs, parades, etc. The goal of this band is to entertain and educate the public about Highland culture as well as to teach band members the finer points of musicianship, public performance, and audience interaction.
Finally, members of the Performance Band who have proven exceptional skill and motivation may audition for the Competition Band.
The Competition Band is the most experienced group within the Colorado Youth Pipe Band. Many of its members have over five years of experience. This group has traveled to competitions in Scotland (see below), California (the Pleasanton Highland Games), New Mexico, Texas, Kansas, North Carolina (Grandfather Mountain Highland Games), and Utah. In 2001, the band was ranked 10th of all Grade IV Bands (regardless of age) in the Western United States.
In 2000, the band traveled to Scotland and competed in the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow where they placed 11th out of 23 bands in the Novice Juvenile Grade. Additionally, they performed in the Millennium March (part of the Edinburgh MusicFestival) and placed 5th at the Marie Curie Benefit Competition at Prince’s Street Gardens.
Now in its 22nd year, the Colorado Youth Pipe Band has trained over a hundred pipers, drummers and dancers and has nearly a thousand performances to its credit.