by Sally Sedgwick
As a fourteen-year-old boy, Josh Whittemore heard this music on a visit to family in Scotland, and the distinct sound
stayed with him. A year later, his family found a way to gift him a set of bagpipes, but it wasn’t until he was a student at
the University of Minnesota, Duluth that he connected with the DSHA: Duluth Scottish Heritage Pipe Band (now the Twin ports Highlanders) and learned to play the instrument. Now he is bringing that opportunity to Bigfork and the surrounding area through a program sponsored by the Bigfork School Parent Teacher Association. “There is a huge interest in the bagpipe program from both kids and adults,” explained PTA President Gabby Root. The PTA is raising money to get the program underway by buying practice chanters (the reed pipe that is fingered and creates
the melody) as well as reeds, books and supplies for a “musical instrument Lend-to-Learn Library.” The program is meant to be free to learners of all ages, including weekly lessons, with the understanding that once proficient, pipers will give back in community service. Pipers are often sought for Veterans events, ceremonies, weddings, funerals, parades and more. Whittemore has taught 8-12 grade social studies at Bigfork High School for ten years, also teaching civics, U.S. and world history, economics and personal finance. Social studies is a good field for him; his family is culturally diverse with many ethnic backgrounds from all over the world including Scottish and Irish from his paternal and maternal grandparents respectively. Growing up in Pine River, Whittemore reflected that his parents blessed him with two prized gifts: education and travel. As a result, he can speak French, Italian, Spanish and some Gaelic and is a faculty member for this summer’s high school student trip to Greece. As part of his Scottish heritage, his paternal grandfather identifies with the clans Grant and MacLean of Duart. (Whittemore noted that “generally, ‘Mac’ is more prevalent in Scotland, while ‘Mc’ is more common in Ireland.”) The bagpipe instrument, that existed from antiquity in some form, originally migrated from Ireland to Scotland through Viking conquests. The bagpipe is made up of a bag that operates like a bellows using the breath of the piper, a nine-note chanter which is played to form the melody, and three drones, reed pipes extending from the bag which play a single note each, two tenor and one bass. The overlay of the melody on the drone background notes gives the music its unique emotional appeal, said Whittemore. The signature chirps and warbles are called musical embellishments and are created through fingering
techniques. In pipe and drum bands, all the pipers play the same melody; but there are different types of songs. The most recognizable, Whittemore said, are probably the marches heard during parades, but there are also hornpipes (rabble rousing music!), jigs and reels, and laments. Why is Whittemore volunteering his time to create this opportunity? “I love this community,” he said. “They invested in me; I want to give back.”
Whittemore expects to start a new bagpipe class with free lessons this fall. To date, the program has four quality chanters, which can cost up to $200 each, thanks to generous donations. Two came from Whittemore’s former mentors from the DHSA, Chuck Bergquist, pipe major and Al Mackenzie, pipe sergeant. Instrument quality bagpipes themselves are expensive: they can cost from 800-$1,300 used or up to $5,000 new.
To help with these purchases, a GIVEMN account has been set up by the PTA, a non-profit, at GIVEMN.org, search for
Bigfork Community Bagpipe. Donations are also accepted at First State Bank of Bigfork, be sure to note “Bagpipe
Program” on the memo line. All instruments will stay with the program in the community, said Root.
For more information, email PTAPipesAndDrums@gmail.com. For examples of bagpipe music, visit the Twin Port
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