Callum Beaumont - Piping

Callum currently resides in Linlithgow, Scotland and commutes to Clackmannanshire where he tutors students at the prestigious private Dollar Academy.

In a professional capacity he is a much sought after and highly rated instructor prominent around the world, recently having been invited to teach in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA.

He was introduced to bagpipes by Bert Smith at the age of 7 whereupon he took up the chanter and progressed through the junior ranks, winning all of the major junior prizes. These included multiple gold medals at Cowal Highland Gathering, Scottish Junior Championship titles and a debut win of the MacGregor Memorial, 14 years of age.

Progressing to the senior grades, aged just 15 he finished second in the Piobaireachd section of the Duncan Johnstone Competition, his inaugural senior event. Additionally throughout his senior years has been tutored by Tom Speirs and currently Willie MacCalllum.

With regard to band history, at 12 years of age Callum joined the Grade 1 Lothian & Borders Police, moving on to Shotts & Dykehead, Simon Fraser University and Inveraray & District. Winning four World Championship titles, he took a prominent role in each of these bands. In 2017, Callum won the World's again, this time with Inveraray and District Pipe Band.

Callum has now progressed on to winning many of the most prestigious titles in world piping including being the youngest winner of The Clasp, two Gold Medals, The Silver Chanter and much more besides.

To see a full awards list click here.

J. Reid Maxwell - Snare Drumming

Reid has an amazing record of accomplishments at the top in the pipe band world. Apart from his six World and four World Drum Corps titles with SFU, Reid has won the titles with two other Grade 1 bands, one of them as lead drummer! Reid is perhaps the only person is history to lead two separate drum corps to the World title!

Apart from his years of pipe band and solo success, Reid has also been an amazing teacher of drumming, inspiring students across the world at workshops, schools and via the internet. You can hear his influence on drum corps around the World, and his incredible feel for pipe band ensemble has been a key part of his teaching.

Reid has been at Sound Advice several times in the past, and we are very excited to have him return this year!

Iain MacDonald - School Director/Piping

Iain began piping in 1965.  He played in local bands in Regina, and attended the Fort San summer school, where he was able to take lessons from P-M Donald MacLeod, M.B.E. In 1978 and '81, Iain lived in Scotland, where he took weekly lessons from Donald MacLeod. Later, Iain was a student of James McMillan of Burnaby, British Columbia for a number of years.

Iain’s band experience includes seasons with the Babcock-Renfrew Pipe Band under P-M Iain McLeod, six years with the with the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band, one season with ScottishPower, and he is currently a member of the 78th Highlanders (Halifax Citadel).

Iain founded the Grade 2 City of Regina Pipe Band in 1992. He also founded the Grade 4 Conservatory of Performing Arts Pipe Band. Iain currently teaches piping at the Conservatory of Performing Arts, University of Regina, and does freelance communications work. He holds the Graduate Certificate and the Senior Teacher’s Certificate, and is on the Board of Examiners for the Piping and Drumming Qualifications Board.

Iain started on bellows pipes in 1983 when he was given a practice set of uilleann pipes, and since then he has played uilleann pipes, Scottish smallpipes and reelpipes. He has been a North American distributor of Fred Morrison Reelpipes since 2005 and his business Reelpipes.com supplies pipers and pipe bands across North America, and as far away as Australia. Over the years, Iain has recorded CDs with pipe bands, folk groups, and for Highland dancing, and has contributed many articles to piping magazines. In August 2008, he published a collection of pipe music entitled “Along the Road.”

Danielle Millar

Dani began her piping career in Saskatchewan, playing with the 96th Highlanders, Strathfleet, and City of Regina pipe bands. After completing high school, she attended university in Vancouver, and joined the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band, winning the World Pipe Band Chammpionships in her first season! Since 1995, Dani is one of a few members of SFU to have played in all six World's wins.

Over her years in SFU, Dani has been a successful soloist, an outstanding instructor to junior bands and at summer camps, has played an impoortant role in band music and especially harmonies, and has been a key perfomer for the band in competition and concert halls, from Carnegie Hall to Lincoln Theatre, from the Sydney Opera House to the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.

Through all of this, she has managed to build a successful career as a school teacher, and she devotes a lot of time to raising her daughters.

Ruaridh MacDonald - Tenor/Bass

Ruaridh MacDonald started tenor drumming at age five, but he’s been hanging out with pipe bands from the day he was born.  He started tenor drumming with the Conservatory Pipe Band. Then, at age 12, Ruaridh started competing with the Grade 2 City of Regina Pipe Band, including contests in Scotland in 2005, 2006, and 2010. He also spent 2 seasons as the band’s bass drummer in 2011 & 2015.

Ruaridh was a member of the Inveraray and District Pipe Band for four seasons (2012-2014 & 2019), and won the 2019 World Pipe Band Championships, the 2019 European and Scottish Championships, as well as the overall Champion of Champions pipe band and drum corps. Previously he was part of the wins in the 2014 European Pipe Band Championships and 2nd overall in the 2014 World Pipe Band Championships. He also recorded Ascension: Live at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall with the band in 2013.

 In 2017/18, he led the midsection of the 78th Highlanders Halifax Citadel Pipe Band (Grade 1).
 

Ruaridh has a Bachelor of Music Theatre Performance degree from Sheridan College, Ontario. He works as a professional actor and is based in Toronto.

Elizabeth Shaw – Snare Drumming

Elizabeth Shaw started snare drumming in 2001 when she joined the Ogden Legion Pipe Band, a local youth band in Calgary. Since then, she has gained experience from numerous world-class instructors through solo lessons and workshops across the continent. Elizabeth has played in several different bands throughout her career, including the Grade One 78th Fraser Highlanders of Ontario for the 2014 season. She was a member of the Rocky Mountain Pipe Band when they won the 2017 North American Pipe Band Championship title in Grade Two.

Some of her solo awards include winning the 2011 Grade One North American Solo Championship, and 2nd Place in Professional at the 2011 Agnew-Harrison Invitational Solo Competition. She also places consistently in the Professional Solo Grade across several provinces and has been the Alberta Provincial Champion for multiple years.

Elizabeth has been instructing several bands and solo competitors since 2007. You can find her at ShawSnare.ca, and on several social media channels including Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/shaw.snare/] and Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/shawsnareinstruction]. This is Elizabeth’s first time attending Sound Advice!

Outside of the pipe band community you can find Elizabeth indulging in her other hobbies, including rock climbing, boxing, and visiting the local cat café.