Overview

The Chicago Academy of Piping and Drumming mission is to teach and develop pipers, drummers, and drum majors between the ages of 8 to 80 to become comprehensive musicians achieving a balance of practical excellence and theoretical understanding. With one foot firmly in past traditions, and the other pointed into the future, we are using modern tools and old methods to ensure our students get the best experience possible. Using documented curricula and an academic classroom approach we set ourselves apart from most typical less effective pipe band training systems. Our faculty are among Chicago's most successful competitors, accomplished leaders, and respected instructors, who are committed to proper stewardship of the next generation. We believe in lifetime learning, so as we guide our students to their own success we also challenge ourselves to continually improve as musicians and educators. The goal of the Chicago Academy of Piping and Drumming is to marry ideas and influences from multiple sources to create an achievement path and to provide a positive experience for every student. The most obvious of these influences is our extensive experience in the global community of competition pipe bands as players, leaders, and instructors. We have fused this with a methodology that resembles an academic schoolhouse approach to teaching and learning with a diversified course curriculum that educates students beyond just playing the instruments. Students between 8 and 17 participate in the Junior Track, while students 18 and over participate in the Senior Track.