Marching to a new beat

Norwich University is marching to a new drum, as the Bagpipe and Drum Corps embark on a prosperous year with a new instructor and numerous new and eager members, according to the group's pipe major.

"We are a relatively new organization at NU, compared to most at the school," said Andrew O'Sullivan, a 19-year-old civil engineer, sophomore and pipe major from Freehold, N.J.

Members of the Norwich community may wonder where the ensemble came from when, as a group that is nearly five times the size it was last year, it marches around the greens of the campus singing out Scottish tunes. "This year is the first year that the group has truly established themselves and lived up to their club status on campus," O'Sullivan said.

Although the Bagpipe and Drum Corps was created about five years ago, it was no more than "a few cadets playing the pipes every once and a while," O'Sullivan said.

"The group has exploded this year," said Richard Neal, 19, sophomore civil engineering major from Eagle River, Ala.

In 2009, there were a couple of student pipers who enjoyed playing, but they lacked the correct guidance to create a musical group. "Last year, we were asked to play for a few events, but it was never more than a single piper," O'Sullivan said.

The performances in the past were solely for the military balls held on campus, according to O'Sullivan.

As a child, O'Sullivan was surrounded by piping music, so when he received his first practice chanter in high school, he was more than enthusiastic. "I started teaching myself a bit, and then began piping lessons in 2005," O'Sullivan said.

O'Sullivan sought out involvement with piping at NU last year, and has since been an active member, taking on the position of pipe major this year.

"We have nearly 15 students in our ranks," O'Sullivan said. "This year was when it really picked up."

The increased number of students opens up many more opportunities for the group.

Beginning over the summer, the advisor of the NU Bagpipe and Drum Corps looked through all of the incoming freshman's applications, seeing if any of the students had prior experience with a pipe and drum corps, according to O'Sullivan.

"We found two freshmen that we contacted this summer and have joined us this year, who are really the backbone of the ensemble," O'Sullivan said.

Word of mouth has played a key role in the growth of the band, according to O'Sullivan. "We practice outside on the green and are extremely loud, which makes it sort of impossible for students to not notice us," O'Sullivan said.

"O'Sullivan recruited me about a month ago to play the tenor drums for the group, and I figured it would be interesting to try something new," said Neal, who had little musical experience prior to joining.

The group will be present at university open houses from now on, to notify incoming students and families of its existence and be available for further information, according to O'Sullivan.

Even though some of the members have previous musical experience, the group also welcomes those who know nothing about a pipe and drum corps, O'Sullivan said.

"We have 10 people that are playing with us now, and who are ready to take part in our performance, but we also have about five students who are learning one of the instruments," O'Sullivan said.

"Right now we have four pipers, four to five snare drummers, two tenor drummers and a bass drum," said Caleb Beasley, 19, a civil engineering major from Shreveport, La. Beasley helped out with some performances in 2009, but has become much more active because the group "has grown quite a bit so far."

Most of the improvements to the group are because of the new instructor, Ian McHarg, an active piper in the Catamount Pipers, who holds a grade one piper status, according to O'Sullivan.

Pipers are graded in competitions, five being the lowest, and one being the highest; therefore Norwich is fortunate to have such an experienced instructor, according to O'Sullivan.

McHarg teaches two classes per week at NU; one a piping class, focusing on technique and history, and the other an instruction as the entire ensemble comes together to play. In addition, the group meets one other time during the week to work together, which is run by the pipe major.

Because it is a relatively new group, "We are just at a club status and separate from the Corps of

Cadets," O'Sullivan said, explaining why it has "little funding so far."

"Right now, we perform in our Corps of Cadets uniform, but we hope to eventually have our own uniform," O'Sullivan said, describing how he wishes to purchase more authentic uniforms, from the kilt all the way to a Scottish cover, known as a glengarry.

The Norwich Bagpipe and Drum Corps has a close relationship with the Catamount Pipers from Montpelier. "They let us borrow some of their equipment and even uniform items," O'Sullivan said.

With such sudden growth, it is likely that the ensemble will break out of the club status and become a more prominent part of the university life, according to Beasley.

The ensemble is open to civilian students as well. There are two current civilian members who have previous experience with pipe and drum corps, who "haven't performed in many events with us yet, but act more as instructors," Neal said.

"We are performing at many more events this year, such as all of the military balls and sporting events," Beasley said.

The response from alumni, faculty and the rest of the student body has been extremely supportive, according to both Neal and Beasley. In addition, the new band director at NU, Colonel Todd Edwards, is enthusiastic about keeping the ensemble alive and flourishing, according to O'Sullivan.

Recently, there has been communication with the West Point Pipe band to hold an event where the two ensembles could meet, according to O'Sullivan.

The members of the band are enthusiastic and looking forward to what opportunities will evolve now that they are larger and receiving proper training, O'Sullivan said.

"Anyone who plays pipes or drums is more than welcome. Even new people who just want to learn can join as well," O'Sullivan said, hoping to continue the positive development of ensemble.