Girl pipers are talk of the tune

Forget Girls Aloud, it seems Girls Are Loud, after taking over one of the country’s most promising pipe bands.

Pupils at Preston Lodge High School, in Prestonpans, have been signing up in their hundreds to learn the bagpipes and drums, with the majority being female.

And it’s turned tradition on its head, with girls now making up a whopping 80% of the school’s typically male-dominated pipe band.

The current coveted troupe boasts 24 girls, compared to just seven boys.

And it’s a trend that’s sweeping the country, with a soaring popularity of piping among the fairer sex.

Lee Moore, bagpipe instructor at Preston Lodge, said: “It really surprises people when they learn 80% of our band members are girls.

“But in my experience, this is simply down to the fact they are more determined to master an instrument at an earlier age, compared to boys. They’re earning their places on merit.

“Piping is often seen as a male dominated pursuit but that’s certainly no longer the case. The girls here have seized the opportunity and shown great dedication to representing the school.”

The band has already competed in the European Piping Championships, scooping a bronze in the novice juvenile category.

“Hopefully this growing trend will influence other females to start playing in pipe bands and keep the tradition going across Scotland,” Mr Moore said.

“It would be fantastic to see this repeated at more and more state schools.”

Organisers of the country’s Scottish Schools Pipe Band Championships, due to be held in March, say piping has become so popular with girls that they’re planning to carry out the first detailed audit of the numbers this year.

Robert Wallace, principal at the College of Piping, said women have always been involved in

piping.

“Even before the war, women were forming their own pipe bands, but they were hindered by regulations which made it difficult for them to compete, as well as the weight of the equipment and the uniforms,” he said.

“However, a few changes in recent years have resulted in many more women taking up the pipes.”