<< Previous   of   Next >> For the Enterprise/JEFF FADDIS  (click to enlarge) Devon Mercurio (left) gets his pipes checked by Ben Little during a recent practice of the Northwest Junior pipe band, Tuesday, July 29, 2008 in the woods Shorecrest High School. For the Enterprise/ Jeff Faddis For the Enterprise/JEFF FADDIS  (click to enlarge) Members of the Northwest Junior pipe band practice, Tuesday, July 29, 2008 in the woods near Shorecrest High School. They are practicing for their next event at the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. For the Enterprise/JEFF FADDIS  (click to enlarge) Members of the Northwest Junior pipe band practice, Tuesday, July 29, 2008 in the parking lot at Shorecrest High School in Shoreline. They are practicing for their next event at the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. Contributed photo  (click to enlarge) The Northwest Junior Pipe Band’s Grade 4, or top, group, marches out onto the competition field during the Pacific Northwest Highland Games on July 25-27 in Enumclaw. Contributed photo  (click to enlarge) The Northwest Junior Pipe Band’s Grade 4, or top, group, marches out onto the competition field during the Pacific Northwest Highland Games on July 25-27 in Enumclaw.

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CONTACT THE ENTERPRISE Jocelyn Robinson, News editor jrobinson@heraldnet.com

Local pipe band Scotland-bound

Northwest junior group is nation's only juvenile representative

By Frank Stanley
Enterprise reporter

On Aug. 16, an estimated 200 pipe bands from 16 nations across the globe will converge in Glasgow, Scotland, to perform at the 2008 World Pipe Band Championships.

And for the first time in nearly 40 years, a Washington youth band will represent the state, not to mention the only junior group in the nation.

The Northwest Junior Pipe Band's (NWJPB) Grade 4 group has been practicing diligently for weeks, preparing for their Aug. 5 departure. Along with the world championship, the band is scheduled to make appearances in highland game events in Perth, North Berwick and Crieff.

Many members of the Shoreline-based band, operated under president Todd Schiele, are still taking in the honor of being the nation's lone junior group.

"There's only a small handful of juvenile groups in the U.S.," said band director Kevin Auld. "Usually a couple get selected to play in Scotland. When we heard that we were the only one this year, it was a huge kick for the kids."

The group practices at Shorecrest High School, a place known for its piping program. From there, students aged 9 to 18 have picked up with the group and competed in highland games events around the Pacific Northwest. Their most recent competition took place in Enumclaw this past weekend, July 25-27.

Piper and Grade 5 director Ben Little was a product of the Shorecrest group and moved into the NWJPB group his senior year of high school.

"I joined in, fell in love and now I probably won't leave," Little said. "I have a lot of respect for Kevin; he really built this group from the ground up. It's a home away from home."

The group started in 1995, after Scottish immigrant Charlie McNeill taught local kids the joy of playing the bagpipes. He built a successful pipe band, consisting of pipes and different types of drums, before passing away a few years later.

Auld stepped in as director of the bands in 2001, being a piper for several years and teaching both the NWJPB and Shorecrest groups, and rebuilt the group to continued success.

"All of the kids in grade schools in this area know that there's bagpipes at Shorecrest and it's tradition around here," Auld said. "So some of them, while very young, say 'I want to be a Shorecrest piper.'"

Despite the local appeal, the band draws members from across Western Washington, including Monroe, Des Moines, Enumclaw and others.

"We become a real tight-knit family," Grade 4 piper and junior pipe major/director Matthew Lee Maier said. "We play and travel together and become good friends; it's a second family."

The group welcomes visitors to their practices, held from 6:30 to 8:30 Tuesdays and Thursdays at Shorecrest High School. For more information, see www.nwjpb.org.