Faculty

Faculty – 2026

(Subject to Change) Many thanks to our amazing Volunteer Faculty, Performers, and Adjudicators

Callum Beaumont
Murray Blair
Stephen Creighton
Andrew Douglas
Christina Henry
Margaret Houlihan
Jake Jorgensen
Jack Lee
Terry Lee
Donald MacPhee
Willie McCallum
Kerr McQuillan
Richard Parkes, MBE
Owen Russell
Jim Sim
Gary West
Bob Worrall

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Callum Beaumont – Piping

Callum resides in Guardbridge, Fife, with his wife Eilidh. Callum is a full time member of staff at Dollar Academy where he leads the Novice A pipe band. During his time at the school so far, the band have accumulated over 20 major championship wins. Outside of school, Callum runs his own teaching business and is fortunate to have dedicated and successful students worldwide. 

Callum has had an extremely successful solo career to-date, winning many of the world’s top prizes. Prizes have included; The Glenfiddich, The Clasp, 5 times, The Silver Star at the Northern Meeting and the overall at the Scottish Piping Society of London, 5 times.

 

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Murray Blair- Piping

Murray’s family immigrated from Scotland to Australia in the 1940’s.  Taught by his father, Donald Blair OAM, Murray played with the Victoria Police Pipe Band (Warrnambool, Australia), to include recorded the albums “Uphold the Right,” “Live in Ireland,” “Live in the Rockies (USA)” and “Masterblasters.”

The Victoria Police Pipe Band won the Grade 1 World Pipe Band Championships in 1998, and Murray also released his piping book ‘Philharmonic’. Six of the nine tunes played by the Victoria Police at the 1998 World Championships were written by Murray. On the Australian solo piping boards, he won the Silver Medal Piobaireachd at the RU Brown competition however developed focal dystonia and ceased competitive piping. He maintained involvement in the local piping community and a founding member of the Victorian Pipers Association, an organisation dedicated to teaching and fostering piping.

Murray has also worked extensively in broadcast television recording in remote locations of Africa, Asia, and Australia, and landmark venues such as the Lincoln Centre NYC and the Royal Glasgow Concert Hall in Scotland. As a piper and audio engineer, Murray now resides in Melbourne combining technical and musical knowledge to produce electronic bagpipe tuners, the Bagpiper Case (with Ian Lyons), Bagpipe Tuner App and the Blair Digital Chanter.  Formally trained as an Audio Engineer with BBC accreditation, Murray developed a bespoke technique for recording bagpipes and relocated to Scotland in 2004 to commercially produce piping albums.  His recording/ producing credits include:

Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band Re:charged, Re:wind, Replay, IMPACT
Inverary & District – Ascension
Simon Fraser University – On Home Ground 1 & 2, Live in New York, Affirmation
St Laurence O’Toole Pipe Band – Turas Ceoil @ Resume
Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia- La Boum Ecosse, Rise
Scottish Power – Cathcart
Manawatu Scottish Twelve Thousand Miles, The Calling
Vale of Athol Pipe Band – Live from Frankfurt, Germany
Dysart & Dundonald Pipe Band – Terra Incognito
Roddy S MacDonald Good Drying
Alasdair Gillies LochBroom
Gordon Duncan Just for Gordon
Roddy MacLeod – Piobaireachd
National Piping Centre Masters competition  & Recital series
Lord Todd Piping Recital Challenge – Scotland
The Northern Meeting & SPA Knockout series- Pipeline BBC Radio Scotland

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Stephen Creighton – Snare Drumming

Stephen Creighton is the lead drummer of the current 2024 World Drum Corps Champions, St. Laurence O’Toole Pipe Band
from Dublin, Ireland.

Solo honors include 1989 World Junior Champion, 30 World Solo finals, 7 Senior All Ireland Drumming Championships and 5 Ulster Senior Championships. With his corps Stephen has won 14 Grade 1 All Ireland drumming prizes.

Currently Stephen has won 25 majors, across UK including Scottish, British , European, and World titles.
Stephen is married to Amanda and has four children; Stephen Junior, Keith, Glen and Hannah. And 2 beautiful grand kids Noah and Éabha .

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Andrew Douglas – Piping

Andrew has been active at the highest level of pipe bands, solo competition, teaching, and creative endeavors for the past 25 years. He is a three-time World Champion with Inveraray and District Pipe Band, the 2017 Winner of the USA Silver Medal for Piobaireachd, 2008–2013 Pipe Major of Grade 1 Oran Mor Pipe Band, multi-prize winner of Silver Medals at Oban and Inverness, the 2004 B-Grade Winner Strathspey/Reel at Oban. Andrew published his debut and award-winning book, Finding Bagpipe Freedom, in 2021. He’s also an Accredited Bagpipe Teacher and Examiner (Scottish Qualifications Authority) and holds a Bachelor Degree in Fine Arts from Simon Fraser University.

 

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Christina Henry – Bass Drumming
Christina’s journey in Scottish Arts began at the age of seven as a Highland dancer. She competed extensively across the United States, Canada, and Scotland, earning distinction by twice qualifying for the United States Inter-Regional Highland Dancing Championships. Her involvement in the pipe band world began through performances with pipe bands as a dancer, eventually leading her to pick up tenor drumming with the Manchester Pipe Band. She later transitioned to bass drum and spent eleven seasons with the Oran Mor Pipe Band, playing a key role as the band advanced from Grade 2 to Grade 1. Christina then joined the renowned 78th Fraser Highlanders Pipe Band in Ontario, where she performed for seven seasons—five as a tenor drummer and two as a bass drummer. In the fall of 2019, she became a member of the City of Dunedin Pipe Band, contributing for three seasons. Throughout her career, Christina has remained a dedicated and accomplished competitor. She is also a respected educator and adjudicator, serving as a certified Bass and Tenor judge for the Eastern United States Pipe Band Association (EUSPBA) and as a member of its Music Board. Currently, Christina is taking a step back from active competition to focus on motherhood, while continuing to support the community through instruction and mentorship.

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Margaret Houlihan – Piping
From 10 years of age Margaret has been a part of her local pipe band, the Cullen Pipe Band., where her father Con is Pipe Major. In 2006, Margaret returned as Pipe Major and led the band to a Grade 3B win at the World Pipe Band Championships in 2007. The band progressed to grade 2, where they won the All-Ireland Pipe Band Championships in 2013. Margaret still competes with the Cullen Pipe Band and when possible returns as their
After moving to Scotland in 1998, Margaret joined the Shotts and Dykehead Caledonia Pipe Band, under Pipe Major Robert Mathieson, and with them won the World Pipe Band Championships in Grade 1 in 2000. In 2023, Margaret returned to Shotts and Dykehead Caledonia Pipe Band, under Pipe Major Emmett Conway.
Some of her prizes to date include:
1st MacGregor Memorial Piobaireachd (22 and under) Argyllshire Gathering 1999
1st B Grade March, Argyllshire Gathering 1999
1st Strachan Memorial A Grade March Strathspey & Reel, London 2000
1st Duncan Johnstone Memorial Piobaireachd 2001
1st A Grade Strathspey and Reel, Argyllshire Gathering 2003
Winner of the Silver Medal at the Northern Meetings 2007
1st A Grade March at the Argyllshire Gathering 2007
5th Former Winners MSR London 2007
5th Former Winners 2/4 March London 2007
Islay Inn Knockout Winner 2011
Piping for Pints Knockout, Aberdeen 2013
Scots Guards Club Knockout Winner 2014
Margaret has a passion for teaching across all levels of piping and for the last 20 years has taught at the National Piping Centre. She teaches both in-person and online, providing students with an immense array of knowledge, structured feedback and solid strategies to improve their playing, technique and gain confidence in their abilities.
Margaret is an integral part of the National Piping Centre and additionally has a key role in facilitating the Competition League of Amateur Solo Pipers (The CLASP). In its 20th year, The CLASP has grown as a valuable global competition platform for amateur pipers around the world and in Scotland.
Margaret is also a proud mum to Callum (15) and Rory (13).

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Jake Jorgensen – Snare Drumming

Originally from Denmark, Jake began learning the drums at age eleven with the Copenhagen Caledonia Pipe Band. In the early he years received instruction from Per Nørklit, Sven Harboe, and Jens Hedegaard, and took inspiration from visiting tutors, such as Tom Brown, Reid Maxwell, Eric Ward, and Barry Wilson.

In November 2000, Jake moved to Scotland to join the drum corps of Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia Pipe Band, then led by Jim Kilpatrick MBE. During his time with Shotts& Dykehead, he took part in winning all of the major championships, including the Grade 1 World Pipe Band Championships in 2003 & 2005. The Shotts & Dykehead drum corps also won all five major championship titles over the same time frame, including the World Drum Corps Title in 2002, 2003, 2005, and 2014 (plus seven Champion of Champions Drum Corps titles).

After twelve combined years with Shotts & Dykehead, which were followed by two years leading the Lothian & Borders Police drum corps, Jake took on the Leading Drummer position with ScottishPower Pipe Band (2014). In his first season, he led the drum corps to second place in drumming at the Scottish Championships, and an overall fourth in drumming at the World Pipe Band Championships. The drum corps has finished in the top six at all Major Championships. He is a regular finalist at the World Solo Drumming Championships, with his best results to date being third place at the 2015 and 2016 championships.

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Jack Lee – Piping

For over 40 years, Jack Lee has been regarded as one of the world’s leading pipers. His accomplishments as a solo piper, pipe band leader and teacher cause him to be in great demand as a performer and teacher throughout the world. Jack is the only overseas piper to ever win the Glenfiddich Championship.

As a Solo Piper, winner of:

In the Pipe Band world:

Jack is the Pipe Sergeant and co-founder of the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band. The band has won six World Championships. It has also been an extremely consistent prizewinner at the World Championships during the past 30 years, having won either 1st or 2nd on fifteen occasions. The band has recorded 11 CDs and two videos, including CDs at New York’s Carnegie Hall and the magnificent Sydney Opera House. Their youth band (Robert Malcolm Memorial) has won the World Juvenile Championships on four occasions..

As a Teacher:

Jack’s dedicates many hours per week to private instruction at home and online around the world via Skype. Several of Jack’s students have gone on to win major solo prizes in Scotland. Jack teaches at many workshops and piping schools throughout North America and beyond each year.

On a personal level:

Jack, and his brother Terry, were both awarded the Meritorious Service Medal by the Governor General of Canada in 1999 for outstanding service to the country. Jack and Terry were both awarded honorary doctorate degrees from Simon Fraser University in recognition of their contributions to the piping world. Jack and his sons (Andrew, Colin, and John) operate their family business making bagpipes, pipe bags and chanter reeds. In addition, Jack has made over 7,000 tunes from his own recording archives available on their website – Bagpipemusic.com.

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Dr. Terry Lee – Piping

Pipe-Major Dr. Terry Lee is one of the most prominent and successful pipe band leaders in the world. Under his direction, the SFU Pipe Band captured the World Pipe Band Championship six times (1995, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2008 and 2009), and is one of only two bands in history to win both the Medley and MSR events at the World Championships more than once (MSR five times, Medley five times). Terry is also one of only seven Pipe Majors to win the World Championship more than twice.

His ability to produce superb band performances in both the contemporary and traditional style, and to significantly enhance the musicality and technique of his players is respected worldwide. Terry serves as manager of the well-known Scottish imports store, Tartantown. On September 10, 1999 P/M Terry Lee and P/S Jack Lee were each presented with Canada’s Meritorious Service Medal by Governor General Romeo LeBlanc in Quebec City, Quebec.

He has been the leader and musical director at the band’s concerts in many of the world’s most well-known venues including Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Centre in New York City, the Sydney Opera House, the Royal Glasgow Concert Hall, the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, and many others.   In 2013, Terry and his brother Jack were presented with Honorary Doctorate Degrees from Simon Fraser University for their exemplary work with the pipe band.

Terry has retired as Pipe-Major of the SFUPB and has become a member the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association Adjudicator’s Panel.

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Donald MacPhee – Piping

Donald MacPhee is an American that moved to Scotland in 1997. A reed maker for over 20 years. Donald has achieved the pinnacle of success at both the solo and pipe band scene. A Gold Medalist at the Northern Meetings in 2005 and an accumulation of pipe band championships over the course of the past 16 years numbering in 33 major pipe band championship wins including 6 World Pipe Band Championships, 8 Champion of Champion titles and 2 Grand Slams.

Donald holds a Graduate and Senior Teacher’s Certificate with the Institute of Piping. He has his Advanced and Teacher’s Certificate with the RSPBA. A fully qualified RSPBA Adjudicator and a solo adjudicator on the CPA list of Active Competitive Adjudicators. Donald is also a PDQB Assessor for the RSPBA.

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Willie McCallum – Piping
A native of Campbeltown, Kintyre, Willie received his main tuition from his uncles Ronald and Hugh. The McCallum family can trace their piping directly back to John McAlister who won the prize pipe in 1782 at the Falkirk Tryst.
He has won almost every prize available including both Gold Medals, Former Winners MSR at Oban five times and Inverness four times, the Senior Piobaireachd at Oban three times, Silver
Chanter three times, Bratach Gorm four times and the Glenfiddich Championship eight times.
In 2018 he qualified for the Glenfiddich for the 25thtime in succession. Willie has won the Bratach Gorm and Overall at London, the Piping Live Masters and the Former Winners March, Strathspey and Reel at the Northern Meeting. He was also the overall winner of the P/M Donald MacLeod Memorial in Stornoway and the Springbank Invitational, both for the eighth time.
In 2019, Willie was appointed by the National Piping Centre as Lead Bagpipe Tutor on the prestigious Bachelor of Music Education Degree which is run by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
Willie runs a piping business (Willie McCallum Piping) launched in 2007 selling mainly his own McCallum Solo Pipe Chanter (McC² Solo Chanter) , and is also an agent and product consultant for McCallum Bagpipes Ltd. In addition to this, he is also a consultant to the worlds largest pipe bag makers Bannatyne Ltd, adding his expertise to pipe bag design and moisture control.
Willie is known as a meticulous piper in terms of his preparation, technique, interpretation, and his instrument. It is evident that he has taken this approach into his teaching. He is a fierce and unflappable competitor at the same time known as an extremely level-headed and sporting competitor amongst his fellow competitors.
He has played for HM Queen Elizabeth at Balmoral Castle, as well as regularly for HRH Prince Charles.
Willie lives in Bearsden with his wife Christine and children Hailey and Scott.

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Kerr McQuillan – Snare Drumming

Kerr McQuillan is the Leading Drummer for the Peoples Ford Boghall and Bathgate Caledonia Pipe Band. Kerr took over in 2022, and in his few seasons, led the drum corps to win the UK Pipe Band Championships in 2023, the World Pipe Band Championships in 2023, the British Pipe Band Championships in 2024 and also winning the drum corps’ first drumming title in over 10 years – taking 1st place as a drum corps at the European Pipe Band Championships in 2024. Having grown up within the Boghall system, Kerr was taught by Tom Brown MBE, Gordon Brown and Stephen McQuillan.

In 2023, in his first attempt, Kerr became the youngest on record to win the adult World Solo Drumming Championships, having previously won eight juvenile world titles in both tenor and snare drum from 2012 until 2022. Kerr holds the current record for World Solo tenor successes, even winning both the tenor and snare competition in the same day in 2016. Since his appointment as leading drummer, Kerr has accumulated the titles of 2023 and 2024 Scottish Champion, 2024 European Champion, 2024 Intercontinental Champion and 2024 British Champion, to name a few. These successes, alongside his World Solo win, led to Kerr being named Pipes|Drums Drummer of the Year in 2023.

Kerr spends his weekdays teaching at The High School of Glasgow, having recently guided them to their first-place success at the Scottish Schools Pipes and Drums Trust’s Scottish Schools Competition.

Kerr is also a graduate of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with a Bachelor of Music degree, in traditional music.

In addition to his pipe band accomplishments, Kerr is a member of Drums n’ Roses, which has taken him all over the world to perform in some of the most renowned venues, such as Sony Music Hall and Times Square. When not performing, Kerr has toured the world, teaching in places such as Brittany, the US, Switzerland, Spain and Germany.

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Dr. Richard Parkes, MBE – Piping

Richard has been Pipe Major of 13 time World Champion Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band since 1981, making history by leading FMM to become the most successful pipe band ever to come from Northern Ireland. Richard was honored with an MBE from Her Majesty The Queen in 2004 for recognition of his services to pipe band music in Northern Ireland. In 2019 he was awarded honorary doctorates by Queens University and the University of Ulster in recognition of his contribution to pipe bands, both in Northern Ireland and worldwide.

Richard has always put the band first, but he also managed to win seven All Ireland Senior Solo Championships, eight Northern Ireland Piper of the Year titles, nine Ulster Senior Championships, as well as winning the Strachan in London, the Jig in Inverness and a number of other prizes at major solo competitions.

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Owen Russell – Tenor Drumming

Owen Russell began tenor drumming at the age of seven under the tuition of Joe Hickey in Minneapolis, MN.

Owen has been a member of the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band for over a decade, and during that time has been fortunate to win the World Drumming prize, back to back, in 2022 and 2023. In 2015, Owen won the Gold Medal Event at Winter Storm.

Owen has a particular love for teaching and has instructed several students to win in all tenor events at Winter Storm and at the RSPBA World Tenor Drumming Solos. Many of Owen’s students have now progressed to play in grade one.

Owen is excited to be “home” teaching and thankful to be able to share his passion and knowledge alongside other world-class instructors at one of the largest events in North America.

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Jim Sim – Snare Drumming

Jim Sim started drumming lessons with his Father at the age of 8. His first band was the Stock Yard Kilty Band from Chicago. He worked his way up the solo ranks and eventually was placed in the Open. His early influences in drumming were from his father and John Kirkwood Sr. from St. Catharines, Ontario. In 1975 along with Pipe Major Ian Swinton the new Midlothian Scottish Pipe Band was formed. The band started in Grade 4. The band with Jim as the Leading Drummer went on to win many titles. In 1985 the band was promoted to Grade 1 which finished one of the band’s early goals which was to go from Grade 4 to Grade 1 in ten years using mostly players taught by Ian and Jim. Midlothian won many titles several times including the U.S. Open Championship, and the North American Championship and several placings in the top 6 at the World Championships.

Jim retired from active playing after the 2009 season to devote more time to teaching and judging. Jim has taught many young players who have gone on to win many contests of their own as well as many of the bands in North America. Jim has also had the honor of playing with The Chieftains, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He is currently a Full Adjudicator, President of the MidWest Pipe Band Association, and Past President of ANAPBA (Alliance of North American Pipe Band Associations). He enjoys spending time with his wife Barb and their 3 children and one Grandchild and following the White Sox and Black Hawks.

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Dr. Gary West – Piping

Dr. Gary West is a musician, academic and broadcaster based in Edinburgh, Scotland, who has spent his professional life researching, teaching, performing and promoting the cultural and musical traditions of Scotland. He spent almost three decades as a faculty member of the University of Edinburgh where he was the Head of Celtic and Scottish Studies and where he held a personal Chair in Scottish Ethnology. He is known also as ‘the voice of piping’ having presented ‘Pipeline’ on BBC Radio Scotland for two decades before developing his own podcast, ‘Enjoy Your Piping’ which promotes piping on a weekly basis to over 100 nations worldwide. He is a highly esteemed piper and piping teacher in his own right, having won both the Scottish and European Championships with the Vale of Atholl Pipe Band, and is now Pipe Major of the famous Atholl Highlanders Regiment, the private army of the Duke of Atholl. Recognized as one of the world’s leading players on Scottish Smallpipes, he has performed, recorded and taught widely across Europe and North America. Gary currently serves as External Examiner for the piping degree at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and was delighted to have been inducted into the Scottish Traditional Music Hall of Fame in 2020.

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Bob Worrall – Piping

Bob Worrall is one of North America’s leading teachers, adjudicators and performers. Bob is a respected composer, having published three successful collections of bagpipe music. He is featured on three solo piping recordings and was a member of the folk group “Scantily Plaid”.

After a piping career with a number of Ontario’s leading pipe bands, including the City of Toronto Pipe Band and the General Motors Pipe Band, Bob retired from competitive piping in 1983. His solo accomplishments were extensive, both in North America and Scotland. He won the North American Professional Championship an unprecedented 7 times and the Ontario Professional Championship Supreme title for 12 of his 13 years in the professional class. He was also the 1977 winner of the March and Strathspey/Reel events in Inverness. He was a pupil of Bill Millar, Willie Connell and the late John Wilson.

A member of North American and the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association’s judging panels, Bob has been selected to judge the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow on sixteen occasions. For the last fifteen years he has been the colour commentator for the BBC’s broadcast of the World Pipe Band Championships. He is a member of the Piobaireachd Society’s Senior Judges list and has adjudicated major competitions throughout the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Brittany and South Africa. Bob’s recent overseas piping ventures have included teaching and performing engagements in Zimbabwe, Australia and Italy. His M.C. skills have been called upon by the Field Marshal Montgomery, Scottish Power, Inveraray and District, and Toronto Police Pipe Bands.

Bob was the senior instructor at the Gaelic College in Cape Breton for 15 years. He is the Director of Summer Blast, the PPBSO’s virtual summer school.. Other recent piping camps have included Kingston (Ontario), the Ohio Scottish Arts School, Lake Diefenbaker (Saskatchewan), Washington State and Oregon, Vancouver Island, Uruguay, Australia and South Africa. Weekend workshops, adjudicating and recitals provide him with a schedule that has taken him to virtually all of the Canadian provinces and 36 U.S. States.