About
Palm Springs Air Museum Pipes & Drums Band
MISSION STATEMENT
The Palm Springs Air Museum Pipe Band's (PSAMPB) mission is to teach and further the art of the Great Highland Bagpipes and the Celtic/Scottish culture in the Coachella Valley. In addition, the Band additional mission intents are:
to foster, with good instruction and discipline, all that is required to play bagpipes and drums in a pipe band – from beginning students learning to read music all the way to professional competency certificates and competition preparations.
to create and maintain a pipe and drum band with good esprit and individual pride of accomplishment – promoting discipline, responsibility, teamwork and creativity.
to build a performance‐grade pipe and drum band that will represent the Coachella Valley and communities with pride.
to create and conduct a special event each January in the Coachella Valley, with community participation,
to create awareness of Scottish culture and to influence and promote the growth and progress of the Palm Springs Air Museum Pipe Band. To maintain a strategic alliance with, and to promote the objectives of Palm Springs Air Museum and the Iron Horse Marines of the Coachella Valley.
PIPE BANDS
A pipe band is a musical ensemble consisting of pipers and drummers. The term used by military pipe bands, pipes and drums, is also common. The most common form of pipe band, the Scottish/Irish Pipe Bands, consists of a section of pipers playing the great highland bagpipe, a section of snare drummers (often referred to as 'side drummers'), several tenor drummers and usually one, though occasionally two, bass drummers.
The entire drum section is known collectively as the drum corps. The tenor drummers and bass drummer are referred to collectively as the 'bass section' (or in North America as the 'midsection'). The band follows the direction of the pipe major; when on parade the band may be led by a drum major, who directs the band with a mace. Standard instrumentation for a pipe band involves 6 to 25 pipers, 3 to 10 side drummers, 1 to 6 tenor drummers and 1 bass drummer. Occasionally this instrumentation is augmented to include additional instruments (such as additional percussion instruments or keyboard instruments), but this is typically done only in concert settings.
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Founders
Co‐founded by Robert Heggie, Jim McPhail and Rod Cribbes in 2007, the Palm Springs Pipe Band is a unique group of Pipers and Drummers and the only Bagpipe Band in the Coachella valley. With a recent partnership with the Palm Springs Air Museum, the Palm Springs Air Museum Pipe Band has only increased in prestige reflecting the hard work of the original founding members.
MEMBERSHIP
Members range in skill from beginners to world champions, and our membership is comprised of surgeons, business professionals, armed forces veterans, law enforcement officers, retired people, students and others. There are no restrictions according to age, gender, race, creed, sexual preference or identity and there are no professional or experience barriers to band membership. All are welcomed, if interested in joining or just visiting, a band practice session and band lessons are free. Through band membership you can also earn a certificate of proficiency from the College of the Desert Partnership and Community Education
Meet one of Our Members
OUR TARTAN
The PSAMPB proudly wear the tartan of the Stewart Clan commonly associated with the Black Stewart Tartan.The Black Stewart tartan is a predominantly black and red tartan with blue, green, yellow and white. This West Highland family descends from Sir James Stewart of Pierson who was descended from the 4th High Steward of Scotland. For a time they were Lords of Lorne and were of importance in their Western territory. They were Royalists and fought valiantly for the Royal Stewarts. Duncan Stewart, 2nd of Appin, was Chamberlain of the Isles to King James IV. They fought under Montrose at the Battle of Inverlochy, and in the Jacobite army at Sheriffmuir in 1715. During the 1745 Rising the clan served in Prince Charlie’s army. The 9th chief sold the estate in 1765.
