Fredericton piper ready to take requests for songs … or silence
Ryan Strong's mother warns the neighbours bagpipe rehearsal will be intense as band prepares to compete
It's become a springtime rite for Ryan Strong to start outdoor practice on his bagpipes in Fredericton's Skyline Acres.
"I love the music. It's really fun to listen to. It's even more fun to play," said the 17-year-old, who has been playing since he was nine years old.
His mother, Tracy Wilson, has developed a springtime ritual of her own.
"As always," she posted in their neighbourhood group on Facebook, "if you have a sleeping baby or just need some peace and quiet, shoot me a message and he will stop."
"It's not a quiet instrument," Wilson said with a smile.
Depending on wind and tree cover, the sound of pipes can carry about 1.5 kilometres, Strong said.
"It's loud. … You definitely want to be outdoors for it."
When Strong first got his pipes, his playing was less music than noise.
"It sounded like he was strangling a cat," his mom said.
But over the years, she and others in the neighbourhood have been very supportive, and Strong's playing has come a long way.
"We haven't had anyone request that we stop ever," he said. "It's usually support and encouragement."
Strong often gets notes from people who enjoy hearing him or want to request a song. And small crowds of fans sometimes gather in the driveway, including friends who bring lawn chairs, and people out walking dogs or riding bicycles who stop a while to watch and listen.
At the park down the street, curious children will flock to him from the nearby school and child-care centre.
"If I start marching and walking around to practice that, I'll have a little group of them marching behind me like you would have a colour guard."
"I hope that I'm able to introduce some of them to an instrument that maybe they'll play in the future."
Springtime tradition ending
"A lot of the neighbours are going to miss having their spring piped in next year," Wilson said.
Strong is about to graduate and head to university in Halifax, where his mother hopes he'll find an equally welcoming piping community.
He was just four years old when he fell in love with the pipes, she said.
They were at the Highland Games watching the massed bands — when all the pipe and drum bands that have taken part in the competition play together and march down the field.
Wilson looked down and noticed little Ryan was "sobbing," but when she asked if it was too loud and he wanted to leave, he said, "No, Mommy. I can feel them in my heart."
"That was the beginning of a long career, I think," she said.
Shortly afterward, Strong's parents got him a practice chanter, which looks a bit like a recorder used in elementary school music classes.
He started taking lessons as soon as he was old enough, and the bagpipes have been his passion ever since.
"I love it a lot," Strong said. "It's a really big part of my life."
City band heading to Scotland for world championships
Even after years of playing, the sound of the pipes still gets to him.
"Whether that's in an emotional sense or the actual feeling of the drum beat … you feel like
you're a part of that heartbeat."
It also makes him feel connected to his ancestors.
Wilson's family is from New Glasgow, N.S., and they have Scottish roots.
Her uncle Bob Walton was a drummer in the Black Watch Band that played on the Ed Sullivan show in 1967, she said.
Strong and his bandmates, who have become some of his best friends, are preparing for their own big moment on the world stage this summer.
They're due to leave Aug. 6 to compete at the European and World Championships in Scotland, part of a week-long festival in the city of Glasgow.
It means he'll be practising even more than the usual three hours a week near his home and three hours on Saturdays at Nashwaaksis Middle School with the Society of St. Andrews band.
There are about 25 members of the band, and they'll be practising hard all over the city, said Strong.
Some use parks in their neighbourhoods, or the Green near Government House, or have agreements with churches or community centres.
Strong has high hopes for a medal and for what might come next.
"Some of the best solo players have had their start from winning these championships or placing in these championships," he said.
"I want to continue playing as long as I can."
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