Me

Hi, I’m Kate and I’m a tenor drummer.

My background is in singing (solo, ensemble, and choral), a bit of piano, and brass instruments, like trumpet and trombone, and I discovered the pipe band world when I was in high school. My uncle was the lead drummer for the City of Regina Pipe Band (CRPB, Gr, 2), who were looking to fill out their midsection ranks by adding a tenor drummer to play alongside their bass drummer. This was in the year 2000, just as pipe bands were going through a transition from the 1990s, when tenor drummers were predominantly not used at all (or required). Now, midsections are full of tenor drummers, and some even have more than one bass – wow! What a way to expand what pipe bands are capable of!

I played with CRPB for several years after that, and grew the midsection from 1 tenor to 3 tenors. I was able to put my music theory and wave mechanics knowledge to work and became very knowledgeable about tuning. I even wrote an e-book about how I tune a midsection, which I will publish for purchase on this blog.

After I graduated from the engineering program at the University of Regina, I moved to Waterloo, Ontario, where I had the opportunity to play with the 78th Fraser Highlanders (Gr. 1) in 2006 and 2007, and was a member of the Best Bass Section at the 2007 World Pipe Band Championships. 

After the the 2007 world championships, I decided that I was not able to dedicate the time required to play in such a high caliber band while also focusing on my demanding career as a Professional Engineer. I also needed to train for the International Chinese Martial Arts Championships, which I attended in 2008 and placed in 6 events.

In 2009, I was invited to become an instructor for the Paris Port Dover Pipe Band, which has a development program and a contingent of bands ranging from grade 5-3 as well as a show band. In addition to teaching, I compose their midsection scores, maintain bass and tenor drums, and support them at competitions with drum tuning and coaching.

I also write scores for hire and occasionally do workshops, as time permits and as long as my family obligations can also be met.

This website is my way of supporting the greater community with lessons, ideas, and information about tenor and bass drumming in pipe bands.

Onwards and upwards,

Kate