The Band had a blast marching in the parade. We were able to get some pictures and You Tube videos to share with you. We would like to thank the Emergency Service Pipes and Drums Asso. for marching with us. We hope you enjoy and we will see y’all next year for the 2009 Red Poppy parade!
The Georgetown Fire Department Pipes and Drums and Georgetown Fire Department Honor Guard will proudly be marching in the 2008 Red Poppy Festival Parade on April 26th in Downtown Georgetown. This is the first time our band has marched in the parade and it will not be the last! The Band feels strongly about bringing a sense of tradition to the Fire Service in Georgetown and promoting Great Highland Bagpipes and Drums music. We will be joined by members of the Emergency Service Pipes and Drums Association. We hope you enjoy this event as much as we will!
The Georgetown Fire Department Pipes and Drums will host it’s 5th mini drum clinic on Sunday April 13th, 9am, at Fire Station #4 located at 4200 Airport Rd. The clinic will run from 9:00am - 3:00pm. We are very fortunate to have Stephen Cameron from Cameron Highland Drumming return to Georgetown to instruct our local Fire Department drumming students. We have room for around 20 Drummers. We are taking this opportunity to freshen up on our skills before the season kicks off.
Agenda:
09:00 - 09:30 Introductions, Objectives, Coffee, B-fast tacos
09:30 - 10:30 Skills Assessment / Back to the Basics
10:30 - 10:45 Break
10:45 - 12:00 Scores / Exercises Part I
12:00 - 13:00 Working lunch ordered in
13:00 - 14:30 Strike in / Marching / Exercises Part II
14:30 - 14:45 Break
14:45 - Close Corp Drumming:
- Playing and Practicing together
- Instrument tuning and Maintenance
- Review, Q&A
Things to bring…sticks, practice pad, drum, carrier, (If you have this equipment) recording device, books / materials, just whatever you need to be in a comfortable playing position. Bring it all! There will be light breakfast & we will order out for lunch. Please contact David England at 512-748-9721 or let us know if you need anything or for more information on fees and directions. The GFD P&D will have our T-shirts for sale at the clinic
Stephen grew up near the village of Cullybackey in Northern Ireland’s piping and drumming heartland. A student of the legendary Bobby Rea and Andrew Scullion from the age of 7, Stephen had the privilege of learning from and playing with what are now household names in pipe band drumming circles, including Eric Ward and John Scullion.
Over the course of 30 years, Stephen has seen solo success on the ‘All-Ireland’ and North American stage. By the time Stephen moved to Ontario, Canada in 1988, he had won Ulster and All-Ireland solo drumming titles, and quickly established himself firmly at the top of the North American solo drumming list. Under the watchful eye of Drew Duthart (Metro Toronto Police), Stephen remained unbeaten in Professional Solo Drumming events from 1988 to 1991, grabbing a North American and Canadian Professional titles in the process. A lead drummer from a very young age, Stephen was part of the double World Championship winning Cullybackey Junior Pipe Band, a feeder band for the famous Cullybackey Pipe Band of the 1970’s and 1980’s. The velocity of the junior band’s meteoric rise from Novice Juvenile to Grade II in the mid-80’s has only recently been matched by Boghall & Bathgate’s feeder band and Robert Malcolm Memorial from Vancouver, B.C.
During his 3 years in Ontario, Canada, Stephen was ‘wing-man’ to the fearless Drew Duthart, helping to form what was to become one of the most highly accomplished and respected drums corps ever assembled in North America. Many of today’s top drummers on the North American (and now world) scene got their start in that corps. Following his return to Northern Ireland in the early 1990’s, Stephen led the Cullybackey Calendonia’s drum corps, until handing over control to Andrew Scullion in 1993.
After winning the Champion of Champions drumming awards for two of the next three years, Stephen moved to Austin, Texas, where he now lives and works. He has been a popular fixture on the southern and central U.S. teaching circuit, with a number of bands retaining his services in pursuit of drumming excellence. He returned to Ontario in 2003 to compete in Grade I with the Toronto Police Pipe Band for the season, where the band once again qualified for the Grade I finals. Since then Stephen has spent his time teaching students as part of their ‘home school’ curriculum, as well as clinics and workshops hosted by an assortment of bands and societies.
Members of Emergency Service Pipes and Drums and Georgetown FD Pipes and Drums played in the 6th St. area on St. Paddy’s day. The band met at AFD Station 1 to tune up then the band went to 6th. We played at 6th and Trinity, in front of the Driskill, in front of the Frost Tower, in front of Fado’s, and Antone’s.
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