Members of the Dartmouth and District Pipe Band lead the Sidney Crosby Stanley Cup parade in Cole Harbour.

By Jon Tattrie – The Weekly News
Unleashing your child on a bagpipe or snare drum might not seem like the best prospect for domestic harmony, but joining a pipe and drum band can boost confidence and open doors, says Dartmouth and District Pipe Band member Arlene White.
“It’s a bit noisy,” she admits. “It’s like any instrument, really: until they learn to play a tune, it’s a little bit disconcerting.”
White should know, all three of her sons are in the band and the oldest, Neil, spent the summer piping on Parliament Hill.
“It was a pretty cool job for a 16-year-old kid,” White says.
“No. 1, it’s good for their self-esteem to be involved in a group activity. They feel good about themselves and have a chance to compete against other pipers and drummers,” she says. “There’s lots of (work) opportunities because of the tourism, especially in Nova Scotia.”
Budding bagpipers start with a chanter, the flute-like instrument that forms the core of the bagpipes, and starting snare drummers practice on drum pads, so the learning curve doesn’t deafen the rest of the family.
Just to be on the safe side, the band practices at Sullivan’s Pond in the summer and moves to St. James United Church in Dartmouth in the winter.
When Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby led a parade of 30,000 into Cole Harbour Place to show off the Stanley Cup earlier this month, he was piped in by the Dartmouth and District Pipe Band.
“They had a great time. We put out the e-mail that we were invited to play and within an hour, we had a full band,” White laughs, noting members got to meet the superstar afterward. “That’s the kind of opportunity you get when you’re in a pipe band.”
Her boys were initially apprehensive about wearing their kilts in front of their “hockey friends,” she says, but the reception is always positive. “I think it’s seen as a cool instrument, the bagpipe. It’s the same with the snare drum.”
It can be hard times to be a pipe and drum band, as numbers are declining across the province. “We’ve had a number of bands that have taken a bit of a hiatus and it’s directly related to numbers,” White says.
The band’s website, Dartmouthpipesanddrums.ca, says many band members have left recently due to life changes like university, new careers and family commitments.
But White says the pipes are not dying. “We (just) need to … give parents an opportunity to realize that there’s another instrument out there that is cultural, has close ties with the province and gives kids a great opportunity to meet new friends across North America.”
There are about 25 members at present, ranging in age from 10 to adult, though most of the members are youth. The band came second at the North American Highland Games in Maxville, Ont., on Aug. 1, and second again at Montreal’s Eastern Canadians Highland Games the next day.
Scott White, 14, agrees with his mom that it’s a pretty great gig.
“It’s lots of fun, travelling and stuff. My friends think it’s cool,” he says.
jon@jontattrie.ca
To learn more, call 452-7473 or go
Dartmouthpipesanddrums.ca