Toronto Police Pipe Band
| Toronto Police Pipe Band | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Toronto, Ontario |
| Grade | 1 |
| Pipe major | Sean McKeown |
| Drum sergeant | Vacant |
| Tartan | Red Ross |
| Notable honours | 1st place, North American Pipe Band Championships: 2004 |
The Toronto Police Pipe Band is a Canadian pipe band organization based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The band performs at parades, festivals, ceremonies and funerals on behalf of the Toronto Police Service,[1][2] and participates internationally in piping competitions.[3]
History
The Toronto Police Pipe Band was founded in 1912.[4] The band was originally formed for local parades and events, and later participated in recruiting drives during World Wars I and II.
In the 1970s, the band began competing internationally. It won the grade 1North American Championship at the Glengarry Highland Games in 2004. In 2006, the band won the American, Canadian and North American Championships.
By 2006 the band had lost many of its pipers, but in 2007 and 2008 the band regained some former players and competed with a non-traditional medley titled "Variations on a Theme of Good Intentions". This was a variation from the traditional medley composition as the players performed a suite on a theme rather than separate tunes. The set was composed for pipes by Michael Grey, brought in as band Pipe Sergeant[5], under then-pipe major Ian K. MacDonald.
Grey continued to write medleys for the band[6] until departing in the 2013 season to play with the Glasgow Police Pipe Band.
The band has not competed since the departure of its last drum sergeant Craig Stewart.
Organization
Besides fielding its premier competition band in grade 1, the Toronto Police Pipe Band operates another band in grade 2. The band also instructs 2 juvenile bands in grade 3 and grade 5 through the Ryan Russell Pipe Band.[7]
Prior to the grade 2 band's upgrade in 2019, it placed 6th at the 2018 Worlds in grade 3B and won the best drumming award in that section. [8]
References
- ^ "Fallen Ontario officer remembered at public funeral for her love of the job". Toronto Sun, Kate Schwass-Bueckert, March 21, 2013.
- ^ "Fallen officer on minds of newest police recruits". National Post, Natalie Alcoba | January 13, 2011
- ^ "78th Fraser Highlanders take top trophy in pipe band competition at Kincardine Scottish Festival". Kincardine Record, By: Liz Dadson July 12, 2016
- ^ "Toronto Police band commemorates 100 years". Inside Toronto, Oct 21, 2012 by Andrew Palamarchuk York Guardian
- ^ "The Gender Divide in Highland Drum Corps". Tom Tom Magazine, December, 2012. Teale Failla
- ^ Saul, Mark. "An important achievement in the evolution of pipe band music" (PDF). Piping Today. 62: 48.
- ^ "About Ryan Russell Memorial Pipe Band". Ryan Russell Memorial Pipe Band. 2013-07-23. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
- ^ "Toronto Police Grade 2 make a lead-drummer change". www.pipesdrums.com. Retrieved 2020-07-23.