The City of Melbourne Pipes and Drums has had a long history by Florida standards.  Conceived as the Oceanside Pipes and Drums in 1991 under the direction of Pipe Major Jim Nisbet, the band came onto the piping scene with guns blazing.  The competition corps of the band soon garnered top awards and became a force to be reckoned with.  I joined the band in 1994 and competed with them for two seasons.  Unfortunately, its early success was to fall prey to personnel changes.  The band found itself with too small a corps to compete with and the final blow came when Jim Nisbet moved from the area in 1997.  However, the decision was made to try to keep the band going even though it was made up of only several beginners and a small corps of former competitors with no Pipe Major to pull them all together.  I, David Spurlock, Pipe Sergeant at the time suddenly found myself in the position of Pipe Major.  At this time, I should give you a brief history of myself so you can understand the ramifications of this decision.  I began my piping career in Rockville, Maryland at the age of 16.  My high school, Robert E. Peary, had a pipe band and I became its Pipe Major for both my junior and senior years.  However, all of the normal duties of a Pipe Major were handled by the instructor; including taming the 2x4 reeds that were the standard of the time.  This would become a problem that I would have to overcome as Pipe Major of The City of Melbourne Pipes and Drums.  After I graduated, I found myself ill equipped to continue the instrument and have a life at the same time.  I did not pursue the instrument seriously for the next 30 years.

      As the new Pipe Major of the band, I decided to make some changes.  I changed the focus of the band from a competition group to a street band with competition aspirations.  I also changed the name of the band to The City of Melbourne Pipes and Drums.  The theory being that the community would be aware of us as a local band and our opportunities for gigs would improve.

     The next few years would be educational for both the band members and especially for myself.  Slowly our new direction and attention to improvement began to pay off.  We scored a few new members and put the band on firm financial ground with our local gigs.

      By 1999, we were ready to get our feet wet in competitions again.  And get our feet wet we did.  Our first competition was in the pouring rain.  We didn't place but I was impressed with the member’s grit and dedication. 

     Our competitions of 1999 and 2000 were mostly learning experiences.  Our low rankings and the loss of a critical second snare drummer put the brakes on competition.  So we refocused on the street band aspect.  This worked out fine until something odd happened.  Even though our gigs were rolling in, band attendance at our weekly practice began to thin out.  After several stabs at different motivational plans, I found one that worked.  The band had become complacent.  Rehashing band music every week wasn't cutting it anymore.  The band needed to be challenged to keep the interest up. Hence, back to competition.

     This time we were armed with an expanded drum line and a pipe corps that had expanded in both numbers and in proficiency.  Band attendance was back on track and we were headed for the games.  In 2003, our first games brought in a fourth place at Plantation, Florida.  Our second and final for the season garnered a second place at Dunedin, Florida.  The bands highest achievement to date was winning first place in the grade 5 band competition at the Central Florida Highland Games in Orlando in 2004. It should be said that our wining competition medley for the 2004 season showcases two original compositions by the band’s former pipe major, Jim Nisbet.

     The highland games set the standard of excellence for piping and the Scottish arts.  They have played a very important role toward the progression of this band since its conception.  An alarming trend lately has been to eliminate the competition aspect of the games.  As we have all seen this is usually their demise and a tragic blow to the piping community.  The story of The City of Melbourne Pipes and Drums is a testimonial to the importance of these competitions.

 
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