Lander Pipe Band's Education Program
The Lander Pipe Band is recruiting new pipers and drummers for 2024 performances.
Contact the band now about starting free beginner bagpipe and drumming lessons.
The Lander Pipe Band is thankful to our sponsors and individual donors to enable us to provide free lessons to all band members. Interested in making a donation? Click the Yellow Button Below.
Youth band members practicing as a group - March 2022
Individual and Group Lessons:
The band currently has 22 members!
The band's 13 youth members, 7 adult members, and 2 beginner youth chanter students receive weekly or biweekly lessons.
The band's novice and beginner pipers learn in-person and online (for Casper band members) from Pipe Major Melissa Bautz.
Intermediate pipers receive lessons from world class piper Zephan Knickel.
The band's intermediate level snare drummers take online lessons from Blair Brown.
The band's tenor and bass drummers take online lessons from Christina Henry.
The band's beginner snare drummers take in-person lessons from in-house youth snare drummers: Henry Bautz and Philomena Olsson!
When the band members come together at practice, they implement new techniques learned from their instructors.
Dress rehearsal to practice marching in uniform before a big performance.
Band Practice
The band practices two times each week, for a grand total of 3 hours of group practice each week.
About 50% of the practices are on practice instruments and 50% are on the big instruments.
Dress rehearsals occur a couple times per year, before a big performance.
Young piper, Cormac, competing in the Grade 4 2/4 March event at Grand Junction, CO. Judge is Seumas Coyne.
Solo Contests
Band members are strongly encouraged to participate in solo contests. All of the band's adult members (5 people) compete in solos.
Eight (8) of the band's 15 youth members have competed in solo contests to date. The other 7 are working their toward their first solo contest.
Playing in solos is a significant part of the band's training program. Solos require the individual to have excellent technique. Solos also help band members obtain critique from people outside the band and/or their individual instructors. This type of feedback helps our musicians grow and learn.
The LVFD Pipe Band marching out of the competition circle at the Las Vegas Celtic Festival - April 2022
Band Contests
The Lander Pipe Band is the first (and only) competition band in Wyoming.
While the band's primary mission is to honor veterans and first responders, it is imperative that band perform at a high standard.
That is why we compete. To learn more about the pipe band competitions the Lander Pipe Band has participated in, Click Here.