Join NYPBS
Are you ready to take your playing to the next level with Scotland’s most inspiring young pipers & drummers?
NYPBS Ensembles offers pipers & drummers aged 10-25 a fun, exciting project where you’ll build your piping or drumming skills, meet new people, and make unique music together, culminating in a performance on one of the country’s biggest stages.
Apply by 24th August to be part of something bigger this year!
About our Ensembles Programme
Our three-tiered ensembles programme brings young pipers & drummers together from across the country to help each other develop their skills and confidence through music-making.
Following annual auditions staff from the National Piping Centre work alongside experienced visiting tutors to deliver a unique series of sessions where these young musicians push their limits and create a brand new concert programme.
Each year the NYPBS plays iconic Pipe Band classics, new music from diverse voices and ‘things we didn’t know Pipe Bands could do!’
What’s involved?
NYPBS Sessions begin in October and take place at the National Piping Centre. Each session creates a space for musicians to connect with people their own age from across the country and workshop brand new, unique repertoire together, as well as skills masterclasses and a chance to learn by doing by getting actively involved in ‘setting a sound’ and developing music together. Sessions include working with accompanists as part of a cohesive ensemble, a rare- and fun - opportunity in Pipe Band.
Sessions run on weekends to avoid clashing with other commitments like school or weekly band practices. We do our best to avoid announced pipe band competitions which is why our programme runs from October-April.
During the six-month programme we get all three ensembles together for two ‘BIG Sessions’ where we bring it all together and work on shared pieces and connect with each other.
We work with a series of excellent tutors from the Pipe Band world and beyond and with special Artists in Residence to give our musicians the chance to collaborate professionally with industry artists. Over the years we have found other ways of creating unique music for NYPBS, including our Emerging Composers programme.
We normally arrange some fantastic additional opportunities for our musicians, we call these ‘extracurriculars’. These can be things like appearing on Blue Peter, performing at the Hydro with Ballet dancers, playing at the Opening Concert of Celtic Connections. We always facilitate these activities as fairly as possible, inviting all eligible musicians in the programme to take part but it’s important to remember these are additional, bonus activities and there’s both no pressure or guarantee of participating.
A number of Ensembles participants will be invited to get involved in our NYPBS Pathways events as mentors. This is a great chance to connect with even more young people around the country and to develop your skills and share your knowledge.
In April we deliver our End of Year Concert at one of the country’s most prestigious venues. Each of our ensembles has a dedicated slot to showcase their work and a chance to bring it all together in an epic finale. We go all out on production, and work with some of the industry’s leading production experts to deliver a world class show and a unique opportunity for our musicians.
Who can play in NYPBS?
If you're a piper or drummer aged 10–25 who’s ready to develop your skills, collaborate creatively and are living in Scotland or with Scottish links the NYPBS is for you.
Whether you’re part of a school band, a major pipe band system, or playing on your own in a rural area, you’ll find a place here. Our three-tiered programme offers tailored ensembles to find the right fit for our musicians each year.
Our three ensembles cover a vast age and performing level from young people playing across the pipe band system, from Novice A right up to top 6 bands in Grade 1.In terms of entry level, our ensembles programme is for young pipers and drummers who are:
confident with their instruments, for pipers this means having transitioned fully onto the pipes and producing a steady tone;
familiar with a variety of different tune styles and are expanding their repertoire including Marches, Strathspeys, Reels, Hornpipes and Jigs.
You do not need to be registered or have played with a certain grade of band to take part; we base our assessment of your level on your video and in-person auditions.
If you’re at an earlier stage of your pipe band journey check out our other engagement opportunities. We want there to be a place for everyone at NYPBS.
How to Apply
It’s free for everyone to apply and audition for NYPBS.
We start from scratch each year so everyone’s got a fair shot and we can build the most motivated, well-matched ensembles each year. Our goal is to find the right fit in our programme for each person and the right mix for each ensemble every year. It is a competitive process, but you’ll be supported along the way, receive feedback and we hopefully have a great experience at our Audition Workshop events.
Everyone must complete their online application form by 24th August. We’ll ask you to include an audition video as an unlisted youtube link in your form featuring a 10min varied programme showcasing your playing. If you played in NYPBS last year you are not required to include an audition video and your application will be assessed on your answers and tutor reports from the previous year.
Following this first round successful applicants will be invited to attend an NYPBS Audition Workshop. This includes learning a new piece of music, meeting tutors, chatting with the audition panel, and playing a few tunes in person.
Audition Workshops are free to attend and will be held from across September in Glasgow,
Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and Inverness. You can find dates and venue details on our events page.
The whole process is wrapped up in time for your first NYPBS Session in October.
Cost & Support
Whilst we’re able to provide smaller engagement events free-to-all we do ask musicians in our Ensembles programme to contribute toward the cost of their place. But we understand that for some musicians, any contribution may be out of reach. That’s why we run a generous bursary scheme aiming to support where support is needed.
Applications & Auditions are free and you won’t need to apply for support or select your payment option until after auditions when you are offered a place.
This year’s fees
| NYPBS Senior | £575 |
|---|---|
| NYPBS Development | £575 |
| NYPBS Junior | £480 |
It’s important to us that no one is limited from taking part in NYPBS activity due to financial means. There is a cost attached to our Ensembles programme, however are able to heavily subsidise this thanks to support from funders including Creative Scotland.
As well as a tiered bursary system we want to be as flexible as we can with payments and offer the instalment options spread across five payments.
Access
It’s important to us that everyone has equitable access to NYPBS, including our applications and auditions. There is an opportunity to disclose this on the application form but if there are any access needs or barriers you’d like to discuss please get in touch with us at nypb@thepipingcentre.co.uk We’ll be happy to provide alternative formats for applications and make any reasonable adjustments we can to ensure you have fair access.