Toronto Police Pipe Band

The Toronto Police Pipe Band is a Canadian pipe band organization based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada directly composed of bands in grade 1 and grade 2; and 3 and 5 through its youth affiliate, Ryan Russell Memorial. The band performs at parades, festivals, ceremonies and funerals on behalf of the Toronto Police Service,[1][2] and participates internationally in piping competitions.[3]

Toronto Police Pipe Band
Established1912
LocationToronto, Ontario
Grade1, 2
Pipe majorSean McKeown
Drum sergeantVacant
TartanRed Ross
Notable honours1st place, North American Pipe Band Championships: 1996, 2004, 2006

History

The Toronto Police Pipe Band was founded in 1912.[4] The band was originally formed for local parades and events, and later participated in recruiting drives during World War I. The band was forced to temporarily halt operations soon after the start of World War II, and would not parade until 1960. After the sponsoring force's amalgamation with 12 other municipalities, the band renamed itself to the Metropolitan Toronto Police Pipe Band.

In the 1970s, the band began competing, sanctioned in grade 2. The band managed to win 1st place in their division at the Cowal Gathering. Sometime after, the band was promoted to the premier grade. Following Metropolitan Toronto's amalgamation, the band adopted its current name.

Toronto Police has won the grade 1 North American Championship at the Glengarry Highland Games a total of 3 times in 1996, 2004 and 2006. In 2006, the band won the American, Canadian and North American Championships.

In 2008 the band competed with a non-traditional medley titled "Variations on a Theme of Good Intentions". In contrast from traditional medley compositions commonly fielded, this set was constructed as a suite on a theme rather than separate tunes. The set was composed for pipes by Michael Grey, brought in as pipe sergeant,[5] under then-pipe major Ian K. MacDonald. Grey previously occupied the position of pipe major at the Peel Regional Police Pipe Band, and as pipe sergeant and player with the 78th Fraser Highlanders Pipe Band when they won the World Pipe Band Championships in 1987.

Grey continued to write competition medleys and other music in his position[6] until departing in the 2013 season to play with the Glasgow Police Pipe Band.

The band has not competed since the departure of its last drum sergeant Craig Stewart in 2018 and their subsequent failure to recruit a leading-drummer. Consequently, incumbent Pipe Major Sean McKeown and Pipe Sergeant Ian K. MacDonald, a Detective Constable and Detective respectively within the Toronto Police Service,[7] played with the Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band the following season in 2019.[8] Until 2004, band leadership positions were exclusively filled by commissioned Toronto Police officers, usually of the rank of inspector.

Pipe Majors
  • Thomas Ross (1912-1924)
  • ??? Leask (1924-1939)
  • Alexander "Sandy" Johnson (1960-1965)
  • Robert MacDonald (1966-1973)
  • John MacDonald (1973-1995)
  • James MacHattie (2004-2007)
  • Ian K. MacDonald (1996-2003, 2008-2014)[9][10][11]
  • Sean McKeown (2015–present)[12]

Leading Drummers
  • Alan Savage (1997-2002)
  • Jeremy Keddy (2003)[13]
  • Doug Stronach (2004-2010)[14]
  • Ken Constable (2011-2013)[15]
  • Mark Passmore (2014)[16]
  • Craig Stewart (2004, 2015-2018)[17][18]

Organization

Besides fielding its premier competition band in grade 1, the Toronto Police Pipe Band operates another band in grade 2. The band also instructs 2 juvenile bands in grade 3 and grade 5 through the Ryan Russell Pipe Band.[19]

Prior to the grade 2 band's upgrade in 2019, it placed 6th at the 2018 Worlds in grade 3B and won the best drumming award in that section.[20]

Discography
  • Live at the el Mocambo: Raw and off the Floor (2010)[21]

References
  1. "Fallen Ontario officer remembered at public funeral for her love of the job". Toronto Sun, Kate Schwass-Bueckert, March 21, 2013.
  2. "Fallen officer on minds of newest police recruits". National Post, Natalie Alcoba | January 13, 2011
  3. "78th Fraser Highlanders take top trophy in pipe band competition at Kincardine Scottish Festival". Kincardine Record, By: Liz Dadson July 12, 2016
  4. "Toronto Police band commemorates 100 years". Inside Toronto, Oct 21, 2012 by Andrew Palamarchuk York Guardian
  5. "The Gender Divide in Highland Drum Corps". Tom Tom Magazine, December, 2012. Teale Failla
  6. Saul, Mark. "An important achievement in the evolution of pipe band music" (PDF). Piping Today. 62: 48.
  7. "Toronto Police Pipe Band & Breck School of Highland Dance | Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts". www.queensu.ca. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  8. "MacDonald and McKeown for FMM". Bagpipe News. 2019-04-26. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  9. "Ontario School of Piping & Drumming – Our Instructors". ospd.ca. Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  10. "James MacHattie new Toronto Police Pipe-Major". Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  11. "MacHattie gives way to MacDonald for top spot at Toronto Police". Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  12. "MacDonald bows out as Toronto Police P-M; McKeown in". Retrieved 2020-08-17.
  13. "Keddy Takes LD Spot at Toronto Police". Retrieved 2020-08-17.
  14. "Doug Stronach new leading-drummer for Toronto Police". Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  15. "Not a cop-out: Constable resigns as Toronto Police L-D". Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  16. "Passmore new L-D for Toronto Police; follows Grey resignation". Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  17. "Craig Stewart leaves Toronto Police". Retrieved 2020-08-17.
  18. "Toronto Police begin lead-drummer recruitment as Stewart departs". Retrieved 2020-08-15.
  19. "About Ryan Russell Memorial Pipe Band". Ryan Russell Memorial Pipe Band. 2013-07-23. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
  20. "Toronto Police Grade 2 make a lead-drummer change". www.pipesdrums.com. Retrieved 2020-07-23.
  21. "Live at the el Mocambo: Raw and off the Floor (2010)". Dunaber Music. Retrieved 2020-08-18.
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