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In 1990, Scott published
Volume One and
Volume Two of "New Bagpipe Music From Nova Scotia" with
volumes three and four
following by the middle of the decade.
In 1998, he published his first children's novel,
"Sandy
Chisholm's Chanter Lessons" and later followed it up with a
Teachers' Guide. In 2001 Scott wrote a Teachers' Guide to
Donald B. Willis' exciting new children’s novel,
"The Mystery of
the Waterloo Bagpipes"
which was inspired by his own young fictional character,
Sandy, who visits his American cousin in Willis’ latest novel,
"The Secret
of Lightning Ridge".
Scott has been teaching young children to play the bagpipes
for almost 40 years, and with considerable success. His
students have won many individual awards and two of his pipe
bands have won North American Championships (Clan Thompson,
Grade 3, in 1989; Antigonish Highland Society, Grade 4, in
1995). The Nova Scotia Pipers and Pipe Band Association named
him Pipe Major of the Year four times in five years. A
long-time member of the judges' panels of the NSPPBA and its
successor, the Atlantic Canada Pipe Band Association, he was
also named to the judges' panel of the Pipers and Pipe Band
Society of Ontario in 1999.
In 1996 Scott founded the Piobaireachd Society of
Antigonish. The Society has made a significant impact on the
development of piobaireachd playing in the Atlantic Provinces
of Canada. In November 1998, he travelled to Niagara
Falls to present a talk and demonstration of his teaching
methods at the first PPBSO Teachers' Symposium. His strategies
were well received by teachers and pipe majors from Ontario
and four neighbouring American states. This resulted in the
publication of
"A Bagpipe Tutor"
in 2004, revised and reprinted in 2005. In it, he demonstrates
the teaching system he developed over many years and uses to
great effect today, not only with his students at home but
also at summer schools and workshops, which have taken him
across Nova Scotia, to Aurora, Ontario, and to Shreveport,
Louisiana.
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In 1989 Scott
began writing for The Clansman Magazine (later renamed Celtic
Heritage) and since that time has seldom missed an issue. Most
of his articles are about pipers and piping activities, and
some of them may be read on this website. In June 2000, he
published what is perhaps his most significant work, " Pipers
of Nova Scotia: Biographical Sketches 1773- 2000". This large
format 257-page book lists more than 1600 pipers, many with
detailed biographies, and contains over 200 photographs. A
companion volume, " Pipe Band of Nova Scotia 1898-2000" was
released in January 2001. Also in large format, this 168-page
book lists 185 bands, many with detailed histories, and
containing 200 photographs.
Now a retired
schoolteacher, Scott continues to play, teach piping, compose
music, adjudicate at competitions, and continues to write
articles for the Nova Scotia based magazine, Celtic Heritage.
He is also working on a sequel to his children’s novel.
Recently, the Clan Thompson Pipe Band was revived and Scott
has once again taken over as the band’s pipe major. His wife,
Maureen is also enjoying retirement after many years as the
Curator of the Rev. Charles Brewer Celtic Collection at the
Angus L. Macdonald Library, St. Francis Xavier University.
Their son, Zeph is a graduate from the Technical Production
Program at the National Theatre School of Canada, based in
Montreal, Quebec. He has been employed in Stage Management in
Canada and on the high seas. |
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