College of Piping facts for kids

The College of Piping was a famous school in Glasgow, Scotland. It was started in 1944 by Seumas MacNeill and Thomas Pearston. Their main goal was to teach people how to play the Great Highland Bagpipe. This is Scotland's national instrument.

Learning the Bagpipes

The College of Piping wanted to help everyone learn the bagpipes. They also aimed to protect the history of this amazing instrument. They collected old bagpipe items, music notes, and souvenirs. It was a place where pipers from all over the world could connect.

The College had a shop that sold instruments, music, and Highland clothes. The money from the shop helped pay for lessons. This meant many students could learn for free, especially if they didn't have much money. The College was a charity.

Famous Tutor Book

In 1952, the College released a very important book. It was called College of Piping Tutor Book 1. Seumas MacNeill and Thomas Pearston wrote it. This book became the most popular bagpipe teaching book ever!

By 2011, it had sold 400,000 copies. You could also find it in Scottish Gaelic, French, German, and Italian. Later, it became available as a digital book and on iPad and iPhone.

The Piping Times Magazine

Since 1948, the College of Piping published a monthly magazine called Piping Times. Captain John MacLellan, a former director of the Army School of Piping, once said it was the biggest collection of bagpipe knowledge in the world.

In 2011, about 10,000 people around the world read the magazine. It also became available on iPhone and iPad. The magazine, often called "The PT," was known for its high-quality writing. It often spoke out strongly about things it felt were important for pipers and pipe bands.

For example, in 2005, it helped get the World Pipe Band Championships shown on the BBC. A few years later, it fought to save the Strathclyde Police Pipe Band from budget cuts.

Teaching Around the World

The College was a pioneer in teaching bagpipes far away from Glasgow. In the early 1950s, Seumas MacNeill started bagpipe schools in North America. This really helped more people in Canada and the United States get interested in Scottish bagpiping. It also helped them become very good at it.

In 2007, the College started its first teaching school in Europe. This was a Winter School in Germany. It later moved to Homburg. The College also held two yearly schools in the US, in California and New England.

What Happened to the College?

In March 2018, The National Piping Centre took over The College of Piping. The College of Piping then stopped existing as a separate organization. The building on Otago Street is now used by The National Piping Centre for teaching, competitions, and concerts. It is known as 'The National Piping Centre Otago Street, Formerly known as The College of Piping.'