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11/13/2005 - The Busy Fall Season

Mesa Caledonian never rests, it seems. After a successful competition season the band has moved into its performance role playing many engagements throughout October and November. The band put on two good shows at the Tucson Celtic Festival last weekend. Our Grade 4 drum major, Cameron Fitch made his debut and led the band for the first time! And today we played our annual memorial for the British pilots of the RAF who are buried at Mesa Cemetery. This particular memorial highlights the connections with the UK within Arizona and is very fitting for Veteran's Day.

Next weekend, Mesa Caledonian plays an engagement at All Saints Church in Phoenix. Come see the band play!

10/30/2005 - Our Music Book!

The band is pleased to annouce our new music book project! For our 25th anniversary, we decided to compile tunes from composers all over North America including Jack Lee and Bob Worrall as well as some not so well known composers. The book is called A Wee Bit West of Skye. Check it out!

10/17/2005 - New Band Merchandise For Sale!

Hey, check out the new 25th anniversary DVD, our neckties and cap badges. These are all new items on our merchandise page!

10/10/2005 - The GOLF TOURNAMENT is ON!

Hey all, grab your clubs and your kilt and come on out to the Legacy Golf Resort in Phoenix on December 10th! The band is hosting our second annual Tartan Golf Tournament. Last year's event proved to be a major success with a lot of fun on the links and an outstanding BBQ that evening.

What are you waiting for? Sign up now!

09/20/2005 - Updated Calendar of Events

One would be really surprised how busy a pipe band from the desert can actually be! We've updated our calendar to show all the upcoming events for the rest of 2005. Have a look and please come join us. If you would like to hire us for your event, please send an email to the band.

09/10/2005 - Scotland Highlights

The band has returned home from the trip to Scotland and we are all celebrating the accomplishments!

Our Grade 3 band played very well at all three of the competitions we attended in Scotland. At North Berwick amongst a beautiful setting in the Scottish Borders, the band placed 5th and also received the marching & discipline trophy for their impeccable uniforms and smart drill while competing. The next day at Bridge of Allan our Grade 3 band took 6th in a much larger field. At the Worlds, the band placed 8th out of nearly 30 entries with a 4th in piping and 6th in drumming!

The Grade 4 band also had tremendous performances placing in the middle of the pack consistently at all contests. This was the Grade 4 band's first season competing and to have come in where they did after only a few months of playing together is a great accomplishment!

A special thanks goes out not only to the players of the bands for their determination and skill but also the instructors: Scott MacDonald, Andrew Hoinacki and Jim Ryan for the Grade 3 band and Mike McKee, Todd Norris, Victoria Grant and Kevin MacHeffner in the Grade 4 band. Another special thanks goes to our supporters!

Also of note, Kevin WON the Drum Majors at Bridge of Allan, placed 2nd to the current Scottish and Cowal champion at North Berwick, and placed 5th at the British Championships!

Mesa Caledonian has been sitting idle since the trip ended in mid-August and starts up rehearsals next week. A lot of plans are being discussed for next season and all we can say is watch this web site for upcoming news!!!!

Scotland photos will be posted to the site within the next week.

07/06/2005 - Lots of News to Catch Up On

OK, folks, after 10 updates between September and January, your weary webmaster decided to take some R&R. Hence, no updates to the band news site since January. There's an awful lot to update you on, so let's get started.

The Grade IV band continues to make significant strides in its first year of existence. Under the steady leadership of P/M Mike McKee and D/S Todd Norris, the band successfully competed at The Queen Mary games, the Arizona Scottish Games, the Pomona games and San Diego contest. OK, they haven't finished in the money yet, but the band's leadership has been pleasantly surprised in the progress of the band as they continue to gear up for their trip to Scotland. With four contests under their belts this year, the experience this group is getting will go a long way towards determining their fate at the Worlds in August.

The Grade III group also competed at both the Queen Mary and Pomona games. The results were disappointing, to say the least. After the Queen Mary contest, P/M Hossack enlisted the help of one of the world's foremost pipe majors, Scott MacDonald. Scott is the former P/M of the LA Scots, and is one of a very select group of people to take a band from the lower grades all the way to the top of the competition world. About once each month since March, Scott, along with LA Scots D/S Andrew Hoinacki have been traveling to sunny Arizona to work with the group. The results have been nothing short of stellar.

Recognizing that merely bringing in top notch instruction was not the answer, P/M Hossack instituted our "Pipe Band Boot Camp" for the month of June. We needed to "walk-the-walk" as well as talking a good game. He placed Jim Ryan in charge of putting the band through the boot camp, and the band responded with some of the best playing we've heard in Arizona in a long time. "What exactly is 'Boot Camp'?"

Starting with the first practice in June, Jim decided the band needed to do two things: 1) Start practicing twice a week, and 2) shut up and play. Every Tuesday and Friday, everyone would show up, tune and, and play the set. No discussion, no analysis. We played the set 50 (count 'em 50) times in the month of June alone. Constant repetitions reinforced many of the good habits we'd developed, while many of the nagging issues we faced fell by the wayside.

The entire band is incredibly excited about our prospects for this year's trip to compete in the World Championships this August. Please come out and support us whenever you can.

06/01/2005 - Drum Major Places at Scottish Championships

Drum Major Kevin MacHeffner placed 5th at the Scottish Pipe Band Championships in Dumbarton on May 21st. Kevin is one of only a few Americans to travel overseas for an RSPBA major championship that isn't the "Worlds" and he is the first American D/M to place. Congrats!

01/30/2005 - Preparing for the First Contests of 2005

2005 is already proving to be a busy year for the pipe band as we prepare for our first contests. The Grade 3 competition unit is working very hard with additional weekend practices for the Queen Mary Scottish Festival coming up on February 19-20. The Grade 4 competition unit is also working very diligently towards their debut at the Arizona Highland Games.

Meanwhile, both competition units performed together for the past two weekends to celebrate the birthday of Scotland's poet laureate, Robert Burns. Mesa Caledonian put on two very enjoyable shows in Mesa and Sun City, where drumming instructor Andrew Hoinacki joined in as a guest player.

Finally, Mesa Caledonian would like to welcome two new members to the family. Phil Burk has returned to Mesa Caledonian pipe corps after a few years away. Phil is a former Pipe Major of the Fort Collins Pipe Band and was a pivotal member of Mesa Caledonian from 1997-2001. Welcome home Phil. In addition, his wife Luann Barnes has joined the midsection as a tenor drummer for the Grade 4 competition unit. Luann was also a member and teacher of the Fort Collins midsection which went on to win the Best Bass Section - Grade 3B at the 2003 World Pipe Band Championships. Both Phil and Luann bring a great attitude and loads of experience to the band. Welcome!!!

01/13/2005 - Mesa Caledonian Announces Additional Leadership and Official Kickoff of Grade IV Band

Mesa Caledonian Pipe Band today announced some changes in the upper
echelons of it's organizational structure. Chuck Burgin has voluntarily
stepped down as instructor of the Grade IV band, and been replaced by
Mike McKee. Mike will also take on the role of Pipe Major of the Grade
IV unit, in addition to his instructor position. In a related move,
Todd Norris has taken on the role of instructor for the Grade IV band
and will also hold the position of D/S.

Chuck was plagued by his own success in his professional career. He was
able to turn around a struggling department for his employer in record
time. Now, his employer is sending him around the country to share his
wealth of expertise with other departments, with the result that he was
unable to devote the time it took to get the new Grade IV band up to the
competition line.

Mike McKee is a great replacement. He's a high school music teacher
professionally and brings a wealth of piping experience to the job. Mike
was one of MCPB's earliest recruits and has been with the band more than
20 years and previously taught the Arizona Highlanders Grade IV band.

Todd Norris' promotion comes as no surprise to those familiar with the
band. He has contributed to the success of the drum corps for many
years and is a long-time member of MCPB. Along with his professional
career as a bank trust officer, Todd has privately taught jazz and pipe
band drumming for several years.

Mesa Caledonian's Grade IV band was formed late in 2004 with an eye
towards joining the Grade III band in Scotland to compete in the World
Championships in Glasgow. Look for them this year as they debut at the
Mesa Highland Gathering February 24th, 2005.

Both moves demonstrate the commitment Mesa Caledonian has to the Grade
IV program which is intended to be a training band for the higher grade
competition unit. Everyone in the band applauds the personal sacrifice,
dedication and love of the band that Mike and Todd demonstrate in enthusiastically assuming these new responsibilities.

View the news archive for 2004

View the news archive for 2003

View the news archive for 2002

View the news archive for 2001

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