Please find attached a copy of a systematic literature review of studies surrounding singing, bass, woodwind, and bagpipe playing during the COVID-19 pandemic which we have received. This is not new analysis of the risks, but is a review of what has previously been published.

Click here for PDF

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For the attention of all Band Secretaries:

There is no doubt that this has been a difficult year for many if not all of us, and it looks like it’s not over yet. The loss of our five Major Championships clearly had a major effect on the financial position of the Association, however we have managed to keep going by attracting some funding and by tightly managing our costs, including placing our HQ staff on furlough since 1st April.

At this point in time, we are still hopeful of a season of some sort next year, but at present we do not yet know what that will look like. However, as in previous years, we need to start preparing now for the coming season. We have already had discussions with some of our current promoters and are arranging to speak to the remainder shortly. They too have their challenges as it is likely that there will still be restrictions in place for mass gatherings next year, as well as a number of specific and detailed guidelines that will need to be followed.

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The precis of the Board of Directors meeting held on the 3rd October 2020 is now available.

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"The First Minister announced on 7 October 2020 that there will be additional national and local measures in place from 10 October to 25 October 2020 inclusive to reduce opportunities for the virus to spread.

This includes some temporary amendments to the Performing Arts and Venues guidance, which has been updated accordingly online.

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For the Attention of all Band Secretaries of the RSPBA Pipe Bands based in Scotland.

For your information, those local MSP's that you requested to write to Parliament on your behalf, regarding the provision of guidance on the resumption of pipe band practices, received a response from Fiona Hyslop MSP, the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Fair Work and Culture. The key message within the response is detailed below.

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The Music Board met on Saturday 26th September 2020 and approved the first changes for the 2021 season.

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The precis of the Board of Directors meeting held on the 5th September 2020 is now available.

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As a result of the continued restrictions due to Covid19, including travel, both within the UK and overseas, limits on indoor gatherings, the compulsory use of face coverings, and the continuation of 2 metre social distancing measures indoors, have led to the decision to postpone the World Solo Drumming & International Juvenile Tenor Drumming Championships until 23rd October 2021.

We have been working closely with our event partners Andante Percussion, Glasgow Life, and Glasgow Caledonian University, and we have made this difficult decision based on Scottish Government and Event Scotland guidance that no events involving the gathering of people should be taking place until further guidance on the easing of restrictions are published. Glasgow Caledonian University has also made us aware of its decision to host essential activity only on campus up until the end of 2020.

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The Board of Directors were today advised the Chief Executive, Ian Embelton, plans to retire from the role at the end of November 2020. Ian had originally intended to retire after the World Pipe Band Championships in 2020, but with the current situation he agreed to delay his retirement until later in the year. Ian has been pivotal to the Organisation since he joined us in March 2001, and after almost 20 years, and now that he is approaching his 70th birthday, he feels the time is right to retire. The Board expressed their sincere thanks to Ian for his service over the years, and the energy, dedication, and knowledge he brought to the Organisation. Ian has kindly offered to remain within the Organisation on a part time basis post November, to assist with transition.

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The RSPBA would like to thank all the members based in Scotland who contacted their MSP asking them to support Stuart McMillan MSP and his request for guidance for the re-opening of the performing arts for amateur and professional musicians. A précis of the key notes within the response received from the Cabinet Secretary for the Economy, Fair Work and Culture is available below.

On 21st August, the Scottish Government published updated guidance for the Performing Arts and Venues Sector https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-the-performing-arts-and-venues-sector/

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The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association are looking to refresh the organisation's existing website which comprises content from all of the various RSPBA committees, news items, galleries, educational material, as well as supporting competition results from bands and drum majors for Major Championships and local Branch events. The traffic on the website is lower than usual because of the pandemic and the Board welcomes this opportunity to explore the redevelopment/refresh.

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The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association through the Pipe Band College set out the framework for a Composition Competition focusing on a 6/8 March of 4 parts with a closing date of the 13th June 2020.
Can I please remind you that at this point, the guidance from the Scottish Government is as follows:

The focus was to provide a challenge to our Juvenile Members to develop an individual Composition as a Melody or Score while they were unable to engage in their normal practice regime due to COVID-19.

The competition also encompasses a Band Combined entry, which required the submission of the Melody and Scores for the Pipes, Side Drums, one Bass drum and up to two Tenor drums.

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To all bands based in Scotland:

How many people from other households can I meet outdoors?

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In adherence with the need for Social Distancing and the cancellation of a number of Branch Meetings, here is the precis of the Board of Directors meeting held on the 25th July 2020.

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The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association - Music Board are pleased to inform that we have invited All the Grade One Pipe Majors (P/M) and Leading Drummers (L/D) to be part of an information gathering conference call around the format of the Medley Competition held at the RSPBA's World Pipe Band Championship.

This conference call will be held on 15th August 6pm UK time (this is to facilitate global time zones). As this is a Pipe Major and Leading Drummer forum, the invitation is extended to those who hold these roles exclusively.

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We are pleased to share that despite the current challenges we face with the COVID 19 pandemic that the Music Board have continued to meet Online.

This has ensured that the Music Board business has been maintained and where additional meetings have been held to review Competition Format and the World Solo Drumming.

Normally the Music Board meetings would complete in April as the outdoor season goes live then resume in September. However, we have decided to change this approach and have maintained a regular meeting schedule.

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The Music Board recommendation to carry forward the practiced but not performed requirements into the 2021 Season was approved at the Board of Directors Meeting on the 27th June 2020.

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The RSPBA Annual General Meeting was held at 10am on the 27th June 2020 as notified to the Members.

Members were invited to appoint the chairman of the AGM as their proxy, and to exercise their votes by submitting their proxy forms through the voting portal that had been set up for this purpose.

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In adherence with the need for Social Distancing and the cancellation of a number of Branch Meetings, here is the precis of the Board of Directors meeting held on the 30th June 2020.

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Voting reminder

Final reminder that voting closes at 10am on Thursday 25th June 2020.

If you have yet to vote, I would appreciate if you could submit your vote as soon as possible.

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After our launch of the learning pages at the end of April, we are delighted to announce more content for those students interested in attaining Certificate of Pipe Band Musicianship

On our Certificate of Pipe Band Musicianship page you will find links to Part 1 and Part 2 for bagpipes, snare drum and bass section.

Paul M Brown
College Principal.

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Voting reminder

On 5th June, we sent an email to all Band Secretaries, of UK RSPBA Registered bands who have paid their 2019/2020 registration fees, to let you know that our rescheduled Annual General Meeting is at 10am on Saturday 27th June 2020. If you have yet to vote, I would appreciate if you could submit your vote as soon as possible. Voting closes at 10am on Thursday 25th June 2020. This year, the voting process at the AGM will be conducted online and as such you will need to be able to access the voting system to cast the vote for your band. An account has been set up for you to enable this. Please refer to the original email of 4th/5th June 2020 for your login details. If you have any issues please contact webmaster@rspba.org for help.

John B Hughes
Chairman
The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association

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The 2021 Pipe Band Championships will take place as follows:

• British Championships - 22nd May at Paisley
• United Kingdom Championships - 12th June at Lurgan
• European Championships - 26th June at Inverness
• Scottish Championships - 31st July at Dumbarton
• World Championships - 13th/14th August at Glasgow

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Thanks for the submissions so far, the competition closes on 13th June 2020.

We are all disappointed that the 2020 Competition Season has ended before it began due to the Coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19), and our need to follow the government health advice.

The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association celebrates its 90th Anniversary in 2020. To mark this occasion The Pipe Band College have set out the framework for a Composition Competition focusing on a 6/8 March of 4 parts.

The focus is to provide a challenge to our Juvenile Pipers and Drummers to develop an individual Composition as a Melody or Score as they are unable to engage in their normal practice regime whilst maintaining the need to remain at home and self-isolate. Entry is open to those who through their Band have registered with The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association for the 2019/20 season.

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In adherence with the need for Social Distancing and the cancellation of a number of Branch Meetings, here is the precis of the Board of Directors meeting held on the 30th May 2020.

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Today, an email has gone to all Band Secretaries, of UK RSPBA Registered bands who have paid their 2019/2020 registration fees, regarding the rescheduled 2019 AGM with the following information.

On 13th March 2020 we advised that "The RSPBA Annual General Meeting scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday 14th March 2020, in Glasgow, has been postponed due to the escalating coronavirus situation."

In light of the extraordinary challenges presented by the coronavirus outbreak, we are having to do things very differently this year. I never thought I would say to our Members that they should not attend our AGM but that is what I am doing.

In light of the guidance issued by the Scottish Government that mandatory social distancing measures remain in place, except in specific circumstances, which do not include attending an AGM, people are required to stay at home.

Whilst we remain legally required to hold our AGM, the Stay at home Measures significantly restrict our ability to hold the AGM in the traditional way. As a result, The RSPBA Annual General Meeting will be held using proxy submissions and Members will not be able to attend in person.

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The pipe music for 6 new tunes added to the prescribed list is now available. There are 3 x 2 part marches and 3 x 2 part strathspey's as follows.

New 2 parted marches - Corn Rigs are Bonnie, Coppermill and The White Cockade

New 2 parted strathspeys - Strathconnon, The Cowal Society and The Inverness Fiddler

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As a result of the continuing Covid-19 pandemic, the committee of Peebles Highland Games Association have decided to take the difficult but necessary decision to cancel this year's event which was due to take place on Saturday 5th September.

Whilst we know that this decision will be disappointing for many, we feel it is the correct one to make in the interests of protecting the safety of the local community, competitors, spectators and officials many of whom travel from far and wide to come to Peebles.

Chris Patterson, Chairman of Peebles Highland Games Association said "It's been a very difficult decision to make. Having cancelled the Games in 2013 whist the drainage issues in Hay Lodge Park were being addressed we had hoped the Games wouldn't need to be cancelled again for a very long time. However, the ongoing threat from Covid-19 to the wellbeing of our community, visitors and volunteers has meant that we have to put safety at the forefront of our considerations and call-off the Games for 2020".

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After our launch of the learning pages at the end of April, we are delighted to announce more content for those students interested in attaining certification in Levels 2 through 6

On our Outreach Program page you will find links to downloadable content for both students and instructors that can be used in conjunction with the Level Syllabus and the existing RSPBA Structured Learning Book already available via the Learning menu.

We are also including sample theory papers for each level.

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Welcome to the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association, Pipe Band College Learning pages.

We have made a few adjustments recently by adding a new layout and content which you can find within the Learning Menu above.

You can download our free Structured Learning Manuals and make use of Elementary Instructional Piping Videos recorded by Robert Wallace from Piping Press.

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Following the recent government announcement surrounding the COVID 19 pandemic, the Summer School Principal along with the Board of Directors have taken the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 RSPBA Summer School.

In consideration of the forecast given by the Scottish Government regarding the management of public meetings, in that there will be a continued level of social distancing required for some time to come, essentially precludes a live Summer School event being managed.

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In adherence with the need for Social Distancing and the cancellation of a number of Branch Meetings, here is the précis of the Board of Directors meeting held on the 25th April 2020.

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In these difficult times due to the Covid 19 virus the RSPBA are aware of the difficulties that its membership has in maintaining their involvement within the Pipe Band Fraternity and are making a concerted effort to engage the membership by raising awareness of their Educational aims and Objectives through the RSPBA Pipe Band College.

The Pipe Band College have identified several areas where they can impact and engage their members and have further released in their New Web site a series of Online Support Tutorials for the Elementary Level Learning.

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The Glasgow and West of Scotland Branch committee have continually been monitoring the Coronavirus COVID-19 situation and discussing our duty of care towards band members, Association staff/stewards/adjudicators and the wider general public.
With this in mind and the rapidly changing nature of the crisis, we regret to inform you that our indoor competition at Cowal on Saturday 29th August has been cancelled.

All fees paid for entry will be refunded.

GWOS Branch Committee

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In response to the current Coronavirus outbreak (CoVid-19), the Dundee, Perth & Angus Branch of the RSPBA, as promoters of the Thornton contest scheduled for Saturday 04th July have cancelled the contests.

All entry fees paid by bands will be fully refunded.

Gary Mair
Dundee, Perth and Angus Branch Secretary

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We are all disappointed that the 2020 Competition Season has ended before it began due to the Coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19), and our need to follow the government health advice.

The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association celebrates its 90th Anniversary in 2020. To mark this occasion The Pipe Band College have set out the framework for a Composition Competition focusing on a 6/8 March of 4 parts.

The focus is to provide a challenge to our Juvenile Pipers and Drummers to develop an individual Composition as a Melody or Score as they are unable to engage in their normal practice regime whilst maintaining the need to remain at home and self-isolate. Entry is open to those who through their Band have registered with The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association for the 2019/20 season.

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The World Pipe Band Championships 2020, due to take place at Glasgow Green on Friday 14 and Saturday 15 August have been cancelled. The event, which attracts around 200 bands from around the world to compete, will return to Glasgow in 2021.

The World Pipe Band Championships have been held in Glasgow every year since 1986. Inveraray and District Pipe Band are the current world champions.

Ian Embelton, Chief Executive of the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association said: "The World Pipe Band Championships is the competition where bands, pipers and drummers want to test themselves against the very best. Behind every band that competes there are months of practising together, weeks of planning to get the bands to the arenas and vast amounts of fundraising and none of this can be done now. The safety of everyone taking part and the integrity of the competition at all grades were the key factors in taking this decision now. Although very disappointed we will look forward to being back at Glasgow Green in 2021."

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In response to the current Coronavirus outbreak (CoVid-19), and after careful consideration and discussions with West Dunbartonshire Council we have made the decision to cancel the 2020 Scottish Pipe Band Championships in Dumbarton. Our decision is based on the latest guidance from the Scottish Government, as well as advice taken from our key partners.

West Dunbartonshire Council would like to thank everyone for their continued support of the event and look forward to the 2021 championships

Please note this championship will not be rescheduled in 2020.

Ian Embelton
Chief Executive

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