Welcome to the home of the Vale of Atholl Pipers Association SCIO. The Vale of Atholl Pipe Band consists of 2 RSPBA competitive bands in Grade 2 and Grade 4A respectively, a social band that plays at Pitlochry Highland Nights on Monday evenings all summer, as well as a renowned tuition programme for members of the local area. Check out our socials for the most up to date happenings and news.
About the Vale of Atholl Pipe Band Association
The Vale of Atholl Pipers’ Association SCIO is a charity registered in Scotland and consists of two pipe bands playing at Grade 2 and Grade 4A levels in Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association (RSPBA) competitions and Highland Games throughout the summer months.
The bands draws its >100 strong membership from around Scotland but mostly from within Perthshire. The Vale has always had a strong tradition of ‘growing its own’ top quality players whilst also attracting a wide range of pipers and drummers from other areas, drawn by the exciting music of the band and the ambition of the leadership teams.
The competition bands practise in Perth throughout the year on Tuesday (G4A) and Wednesday (G2) evenings. From May through to September a band made up of G2, G4A, social players and learners performs every Monday evening in Pitlochry at our Highland Nights. This is a great way for young players to get experience performing as part of a band on a regular basis and helps us all to get to know each other.
The structure of the bands playing at different levels enables players to develop, with commitment and hard work, from beginner through to Grade 2 standard. The talent of the players in the bands is in ready supply with many of today’s young Vale players regularly featuring in the prize lists of many solo piping competitions.
Join the Band
We’re always looking to recruit new members for the Vale family and would love to hear from you.
- If you want to learn the chanter (and then the pipes) or the snare drum please get in touch - we teach on Tuesday afternoons/evenings in Perth. Most of our learners are between the ages of 10-18 but we teach some adults too. We charge £10/month, which is equivalent to about £2.50 a lesson.
- If you want to compete with the Grade 2 or the Grade 4A band please let us know - like most bands we tend to recruit between September and January.
- If you don’t want to compete but want to play with us at Highland Nights or other engagements that would be great too - we have at least 25 engagements a year including the famous Pitlochry New Year street party and other great outings like the Game Fair at Scone Palace.
We'll keep this section updated with our current competing band vacancies and if you want to join please drop us a line on Facebook or Insta and we’ll get back in touch quickly. We’re always on the look-out for new learners and you and your parents (if you’re under 18) will be made to feel very welcome.
