On a spring evening in April 1998, the Montana Highlanders Association was born.  It had been over 20 years since a bagpipe band existed in the Flathead Valley of Montana.  Here was a chance to preserve Celtic traditions, both Irish and Scottish, particularly in an area filled with both Scots and Irish.  One might be surprised to find such an elite group residing in the Flathead Valley.  Another surprise is that this amazing Piper group is made up largely of women.  The four women interviewed this month all have a wee bit of Scotland in their hearts.  Join us as we learn of their interesting journey that resulted in these four Montana Women joining the Montana Highlanders.

Laurie O’Rourke, Piper, shares a story of a young man from the wild and barren Isle of Barra in the Western Hebrides of Scotland, who one day set sail for America.  He arrived at Ellis Island, carrying with him his most precious possession, his bagpipes.  For Barra was a haven for pipers and Murdoch Bechanan was one of the best.  He settled in New York City and made a name for himself among the Scottish community.  This talented and determined young man was Laurie’s grandfather.  Laurie never had the honor of hearing him play.  Her dream is to someday be able to play on Barra.

When asked if playing the pipes is easy, Jill Ripley, Pipe Major, firmly says no.  She goes on to explain that not by any stretch of the imagination would she call it easy.  It requires coordination, discipline, tolerant family members (her husband says that the practice chanter started out sounding like a goose getting an enema!), neighbors and muscles.  Pipers are not wimps, Jill readily explains!

When asked if musical talent is inherited, Laurie O’Rourke says that in her case she would have to say it was not.  Laurie has always enjoyed listening to music, some of it being bagpipe music.  While raising her children she did not have the time or energy to pursue playing a musical instrument.  Then one day, the children were grown, the house was a little quiet and the opportunity to play the pipes presented itself.  Laurie began taking lessons.  She found it very hard because she had to learn to read music as well as master an instrument.  There seemed to be no natural talent involved; however, she soon fell in love with the instrument.  After many hours of practice, Laurie began to play the old Scottish tunes.  She was thrilled to be able to make the music of her ancestors.

Carol Thompkins, Band Manager, smiles as she shares a tale from her childhood.  She explains that as a child she wanted to play the bagpipes.  Her dreams were put on hold when her Scottish grandmother sternly told her that girls don’t play the bagpipes.  Her grandmother explained that only men played the bagpipes.  This immediately planted the seed of wanting to pursue this instrument in Carol’s young mind.  Upon reaching her mid-40’s and enjoying a career as a classical pianist and teacher, she realized that if she didn’t learn the pipes now, it would be too late.  She immediately started taking lessons.  Carol’s first thought was...how hard could it be?

Carol laughs as she explains that her teacher declared that it was the worst first lesson he had ever taught.  This did not sway her desire to play the bagpipes.  With determination bordering on obsessive/compulsive, Carol proved her teacher wrong.  She was up on pipes and playing with marginal accuracy in nine months.  Over the years, and with an astonishing amount of practice, the pipes have become an extension of Carol’s soul and a vital part of her musical identity.  This allows her Scottish ancestry and her love for music unite.

Tana Simpson, Bass Drummer, gained an early appreciation for Scottish tradition and culture from her dad.  He was a history teacher with an emphasis on the European culture.  The British Isles was a particular favorite of his.  Tana’s interest in Scottish and Irish music grew over a number of years while playing traditional “Old Time” American and Celtic dance tunes with a band in Wyoming.  She became a member of the Montana Highlanders after reading an ad in the newspaper.  The Highlanders were looking for a few good drummers.  Tana had never actually played the drums, but just had to try...  She soon learned that you have to have a unique combination of musical ability, guts and strength to play the bass drum.

Tana shared a story from her colorful background.  It seems her stepmother was a war bride from Edinburgh (Scotland) who married a pilot in the USAF.  Although her marriage to the pilot did not work out, she eventually met Tana’s father at a Robert Burns (poet laureate of Scotland) night.  Tana is sure he would be excited if he knew she was playing in a pipe band.  Tana first learned to play acoustic bass, then the flute, then the bass drum and now she is learning how to play the fiddle.  Tana not only has the Scottish background, but she is in love with Celtic and Scottish music.

Jill Ripley was raised in a very musical family.  Her parents sang in the St. Paul Municipal Opera.  She started taking music lessons at age 6, when she could barely reach the keyboard on the piano.  She continued to play piano throughout her school years.  She discovered the guitar and drums while in high school.  Jill also spent a couple of years playing the violin.  After seeing the movie Braveheart Jill was hooked.  She had to go to Scotland to check out the country that could birth men so incredibly brave.

Scotland was like going home for Jill.  She discovered a part of herself that she didn’t dream existed.  On the return trip home, Jill searched for a way to retain the connection she made in Scotland.  Upon her arrival back home to Kalispell, she read an article in the paper about a man who came up from Missoula to teach people the bagpipes.  She was hooked from the minute she read the article.  That was in 1997.  Since then she has studied in Kalispell, Missoula and Washington.

The Montana Highlanders perform at the Fourth of July Parade in Bigfork, Depot Park in Kalispell, Riverbend in Bigfork, Marantette Park in Columbia Falls, and many more locations.  Of course the pipers also have private performances for weddings, parties and funerals.

The Montana Highlanders have collected recipes from pipers and drummers from all over the world.  They have printed this collection in a 125-page cookbook.  Many folks have also contributed amusing stories to go along with the recipes.  Sales from this cookbook will be used to help support the band.  The Montana Highlanders Pipe Band is a 501-3C non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible.  For more information on how to obtain a copy of this great cookbook (wonderful Christmas gift) visit www.montanahighlanders.com.

When asked what one of the band’s most memorable experiences, Jill explained that the band is now part of a world record because of their participation in the Millennium March down Princess Street in Edinburgh, Scotland on Sunday, August 5, 2000.  It was an unbelievable experience with the Largest Pipe Band Ever Assembled on Earth – 10,000 pipers and drummers!

The Highlanders continue learning through attending international piping camps.  The camps teach new techniques, new tunes and focus on “fine tuning” their piping abilities.  The group also imports instructors that help them to train extensively on their piping skills.  They welcome new members.  The piping community is fairly small and they rely on word of mouth for recruiting new members.

Carol explained that it has only been in the last fifty years that women have been accepted as professional or semi-professional pipers.  This outdated viewpoint probably originated due to the tie between bagpipes and war.  The bagpipes were a military instrument of war.  The military took over the piping from the Scots as a way of getting them into the Army.  At that time, women were not in the Army.  There are still bands today that will not allow female pipers.  All four women share the viewpoint that music and self-expression are genderless.

There’s a wee bit of Scotland in every note a piper plays.  There is even more Scottish culture in the way a pipe band behaves..work hard, play hard and then have a great time!

Pipe Dreams

By CAMDEN EASTERLING
The Daily Inter Lake
Photos by Karen Nichols

As her fellow musicians start practicing, Carol Thompkins hands out ear plugs – bagpipes and drums can get a bit loud when played inside, she says.

Members of the Montana Highlanders meet weekly to practice for the parades and concerts they play throughout the year.

The band, made up of several bagpipers and drummers, got started in 1997. Though members have come and gone throughout the years, one thing remains constant: the musicians’ love for the bagpipe’s unique sound.

“These things can be really obnoxious,” said Andrew Harvey, a charter member of the band.

But the Highlanders agree that, when played correctly, the pipes have a beautiful, evocative sound.

Learning to play the pipes, though, can be a lesson in patience and determination.

“I know people who have played for months and didn’t even get it going,” said Jill Ripley.

The instrument is unlike any other, and the mystery of the pipes is part of their appeal, band members said.

The bagpipe’s sound is produced when a musician blows into the mouthpiece, called the blowstick. Air then enters the bag and is trapped inside by a one-way valve.

Pipers apply between five and 10 pounds of pressure to the bag while covering the holes on the changer, the piece that extends from the front end of the bag and produces the melody. The chanter contains a double reed similar to that of an oboe. The pressure forces the air out of the bag and into the three pipes that stick out of it.

Because the pipes are so unusual, even experienced musicians often have trouble when starting out.

Thompkins, who began playing in 1997, found that even her training in classical piano didn’t guarantee her success with the pipes.

“I was just literally mortified,” she said of her early attempts.

But she practiced daily until she could play well enough to join the Highlanders.

“It takes more stubbornness than musicality,” Thompkins said.

Many bandmates said they also had a tough time conquering the pipes.

Drummer Scott Roskam of Bigfork tried to learn the instrument when his son was taking lessons, but he quickly decided percussion might be more realistic. He can now play the pipes to a degree, but admits the sound is something akin to “a goose caught in a garbage disposal.”

But playing the pipes came naturally to his son Chris, at age 15 the band’s youngest member. Despite his knack for the instrument, he found it to be challenging.

“I didn’t really plan that I would be too dedicated to it,” he said.

But he persevered and now plays along with the other Highlanders, whose ages range from 17 to 55.

Young musicians seem to learn the difficult instrument more quickly.

“It’s easier to teach them than an adult,” Harvey said.

But there is one disadvantage to having teenagers in the band. They become accomplished musicians – then leave for college, Ripley said. Harvey joked that adult members have tried to “sabotage” the kids’ college careers.

Drummer Jack Spencer, 17, of Kalispell, appreciates that a pipe band is so unique.

“Not many people can say, ‘I’m in a bagpipe band.’ That’s kind of cool,” he said.

Charter member Emmette Atkins, 18, of Columbia Falls, enjoys the kinds of questions people ask when they see him playing the bagpipe, such as, “How do they work?”

Ripley decided to try the pipes to keep fresh her memories of a trip to Scotland. The day she returned from her vacation, she saw an ad for pipe lessons.

She also appreciates how the pipes connect her to her Scottish roots, which most of the other Highlanders also have.

But even with the group’s unique qualities, it’s difficult to find dedicated members. One band member estimated that 95 percent of people who join the Highlanders drop out in six months. (ed. Note: the statement was “95 percent of people who begin bagpipe lessons drop out in six months.)

Barring illness or major conflicts, the ones who stick with it show up each week to practice for about two hours.

Although the band practices throughout the year, most of their gigs are in the summer.

“Pipes are usually enjoyed out of doors,” Thompkins said.

The musicians play at several parades and events, but also will perform for private celebrations such as weddings.

In 2000, some of the Highlanders went to Edinburgh, Scotland, for the Millennium March, a gathering of pipe bands from across the world. The group hopes to return to Edinburgh in 2005 for a similar event and is planning fund-raisers for the expenses.

The musicians don traditional Scottish garb when performing. The outfits can cost up to $1,000 for the combination of items such as jackets, hats and shirts.

The uniforms include kilts, which the male Highlanders emphasized “are not skirts.” Bagpipers historically were men who marched on the battlefields. The strange noise the pipes made was used to scare off enemies.

“They are considered an instrument of war by some people,” Harvey said.

And though the Highlanders prefer to make music, not war, with their pipes, some of their family members are not thrilled with their choice of instrument. Most spouses and siblings eventually grow used to the noise, though, Harvey said.

Thompkins said that the bagpipe’s loud, “bawdy” sound is precisely what attracted her to the instrument. She was looking for an alternative to playing classical piano and describes her decision to pick up the pipes as a sort of musical midlife crisis.

“It was a piercing, a tattoo or bagpipes,” Thompkins said.

The band members acknowledge that a pipe band’s sound might not be everyone’s musical ideal. But for the Highlanders, no other type of music has quite the same appeal.

“I think we’re all just united by the love of what we do,” Thompkins said.

Please enjoy our march toward more of the Celtic heritage we want to learn about and practice. We hope you'll stop by again!

Note: Editorial notes deleted.