A big thank you has to go to our mom and dad in 1964-65 for taking my brother John and myself to The Lord Selkirk Boy Scout Pipe Band for lessons. John and I started on chanter, John stuck with it and I moved to Snare under the instruction of Bob Cooper and his father Harold Cooper. Both of them were very accomplished and dedicated drummers. From there I transitioned to tenor and eventually at the age of 13 moved onto the bass drum until I aged out. Note: in the 1960’s and early 1970’s the tenor drummers were only for show. You did not dare hit your drum, which is quite a difference from today’s mid section.

In 1973 PM Robert Fraser formed the St Andrews Society Pipe Band with the idea that students aging out of Lord Selkirk would have a place to continue playing in the piping community. At the age of 16 I started playing Bass drum for St Andrews and I continued playing there for more than 25 years. 

In 2009, I joined and continue to play the Bass drum with the Winnipeg Police Service Pipe Band. I very much enjoy watching the mid section students develop and progress on a weekly basis which couldn’t be possible without the dedicated instruction of past members, Sara Lantz, Caelen Plischke and Rob Babineau.

Caelen Plischke is a mid section instructor with the Lord Selkirk Robert Fraser Memorial Pipe Band. Being a member of the band for 10 years from 2012-2022, Caelen is knowledgeable in the instruments, music and skills of both tenor and bass. Alongside playing with the LSRFMPB, he plays competitively in a Grade 2 band. Caelen is studying English and French literature alongside Education at the University of Manitoba. 

I actually first started with the band as a piping student. But I quickly realized it wasn't for me, and my brother convinced me to switch to tenor drumming. I fell in love with it, and ended up as a fully kitted member of the band within a year. I was able to go to Scotland with the band in 2019, and even became lead tenor drummer for two years. When I graduated, I became an instructor so I could still be a part of this amazing community.