PRIMARY school children in the Girvan area could become the next generation of bagpiping and drumming sensations.

A £90,000 fund from the Scottish Schools Pipes and Drums Trust (SSPDT) and the William Grant Foundation aims to provide expert weekly tuition for the young musicians until March 2019 with interested children benefiting from weekly lessons.

The schools involved in the project will be Girvan Primary School, Ballantrae Primary School, Barr Primary School, Barrhill Primary School, Colmonell Primary School, Dailly Primary School and Sacred Heart Primary School.

As well as teaching the primary school children how to play the instruments, the instructors will also guide them through the business of cleaning and maintaining themir instruments too.

Instructor Alasdair Turner is a professional piper who is already part of the South Ayrshire Music Service team.

He will be joined by Graham Fullerton, an experienced pipe band drummer who has been heavily involved in pipe bands for many years. 

They are both looking forward to passing on their skills to the fledgling players and will be forming a pipe band for those involved in the project too.
Lessons will take place in schools during the day and the group will get together to use Girvan Academy for their pipe band practice sessions.

The council is providing instruments and resources to help the aspiring musicians.

Councillor Margaret Toner, lifelong learning portfolio holder at South Ayrshire Council said: “This is a great project and I would like to thank SSPDT and the William Grant Foundation for all their support.

“Sadly, Girvan and District Pipe Band disbanded some years ago but our enthusiastic youngsters could help revive the playing of traditional Scottish music in the area. Not only will the project bring children from different communities together, it could also inspire other pipe bands to form across South Ayrshire.”