Pipeband
RCMP H Division Pipes & Drums
Founded in May 2004, RCMP H Division Pipes and Drums Is a Volunteer Performance Band Serving Nova Scotia, With Practices at RCMP Headquarters in Dartmouth.
Updated
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) H Division Pipes and Drums was formed in May 2004. Based in the Halifax area, the band brings together volunteers from across Nova Scotia to share their musical talent and strengthen connections between communities and their national police. Its motto is “Benefiting the Community through Music and Dance.”
Members come from many backgrounds, including serving and retired RCMP members, military personnel, teachers, medical and business professionals, and public servants. Many have experience in competitive bands; H Division focuses on performance, with an emphasis on musical quality and presentation.
Performances and history
The primarily self-supporting band raises funds through parades, concerts, community events, and RCMP ceremonial functions. It has also recorded two CDs.
The band has performed across Eastern Canada, from Newfoundland to Manitoba, as well as in Bermuda, France, and Belgium. Individual members have taken part in the Royal Windsor Tattoo in 2009, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee events in London in 2012, the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in 2015 and 2019, the Belfast International Tattoo and Shanghai Music Festival in 2018, and the Basel Tattoo in Switzerland in 2022.
Uniform and tartan
The dress uniform combines the RCMP tartan kilt with the red serge tunic. Designed in 1997 using colours drawn from the RCMP uniform, the tartan was formally presented to the RCMP by Princess Anne in Fredericton, New Brunswick, in 1998. Civilian volunteers in the band are permitted to wear the RCMP red serge.
Leadership and membership
The band is directed by Pipe Major Brian Morrison, CD; Drum Majors Angela Corscadden and Chris D’Arcy; and Drum Sergeant Brian Duncan.
Experienced pipers and drummers can maintain and develop their skills in a supportive social environment without the demands of a competition programme. The band does not currently offer beginner lessons but can help prospective players find suitable instruction.
Practices
Practices take place on Mondays from 7 to 9 p.m. at RCMP H Division Headquarters, 80 Garland Avenue, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. A full-day weekend practice is also held once a month, allowing members from elsewhere in the province to attend and providing additional parade drill training.
Contact
Visit the band website or follow the band on Facebook.
Photos
