News & Updates

Provincial Aggregates and Promotions

Provincial Aggregates were accumulated and reviewed by the ASPD Music Committee following the conclusion of the 2025/26 season. The Aggregate for each applicable grade in piping, snare, tenor and bass drumming as well as quartets and pipe bands were announced at the AGM on October 21. Congratulations to all! The list can be found on the Aggregate & Past Results page.

The Music Committee also considered competition data, adjudicator feedback and informed discussions to recommend promotions for the upcoming season. The list of recommended promotions for the upcoming season can be found on the Promotions page.

In accordance with Rule 4.2.4. for Solo Piping and Solo Drumming Competitions, any competitors wishing to appeal a current grade or receive an official grading by the ASPD Music Committee, must do so writing using the Solo Competitor Appeal Form (found under Resources & Forms) by March 31, 2027.

ASPD Annual General Meeting

All individual ASPD members were sent the Notice of Annual General Meeting on September 21, 2027 via email. Band representatives were also sent the Notice and advised to pass along the meeting details to their roster that was submitted for the 2026 season.

When: October 21, 2026 @ 6:45p.m.

Where: ASPD AGM | Microsoft Teams |

What: President's Report, Treasurer's Report, Music Committee Report (including Provincial Aggregate and promotion announcements) and of course, Election of Board of Directors. *Individuals must be members in good standing with the ASPD in order to participate in voting procedures.

All Board positions (President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and Directors) are up for election. All current Board members have offered to let their names stand and run for another term. If you are interested in any of these positions or would like to nominate someone, please reach out to youraspd@gmail.com.

Massed Bands Scores for Pipers

We have uploaded bagpipe settings for Massed Bands! These are available for download to ensure consistency across all disciplines and enable every competitor, individual and band, to participate in Massed Band presentations at any ASPD sanctioned Highland Games.

Find these settings on Resources & Form page, under the Massed Bands Scores heading HERE.

Massed Bands Scores for Drummers

By now, all ASPD drummers and pipe bands should be aware of the changes to the massed drums scores for snare, tenor and bass approved and rolled out by the Alliance of North American Pipe Band Associations ("ANAPBA") recently. They will now be referred to as “The Massed Band Cadences”.

The initiative has the end goal of improving massed bands while encouraging and supporting drummers at all stages of development, especially the earlier stages. The ASPD has adopted these and most bands within the Society have been working on these scores. It is expected that all pipe bands will be prepared to play these scores, starting at the Red Deer Highland Games in June.

Click here to download the final version of the new Massed Band Cadences for snare, tenor and bass.

ACE Percussion has put together videos featuring tenor and bass including piping and snare accompaniment. Follow the links below for each time signature:

2/4 March: https://youtu.be/XKweRryI7gU

3/4 March: https://youtu.be/8uBQy2TD3qw

4/4 March: https://youtu.be/NOmFn-NVujw

6/8 March: https://youtu.be/lrePEtpve5I

If you have any questions, please email youraspd@gmail.com.