TyFry Gold Medal North American Solo Tenor Drumming Competition

[tenordrummer.com]

I'd like to say well done to Tyler Fry, Midwest Highland Arts Fund and all the competitors who helped make the event in Kansas City this last weekend a great success and a glowing example to every organisation in the pipe band world.

Competitors were attracted from North America and Scotland, no doubt by the prestigiousness of the occasion and the banner prizes.

Considering tenor drummers are often the butt of jokes, this event proved that we are just as much entertainers as our piping and snare drumming colleagues.

Also, the $750 prize money and gold medal sends a shot across the bows of pipe band organisations world wide - I work the total prize out at more than the Grade 1 World Pipe Band Champions won in 2004!

What a shining example of what can be achieved with committed and co-ordinated planning.

A million congratulations to everyone involved.

[Drew McPheeters]

Re: TyFry Gold Medal North American Solo Tenor Drumming Competition

It was an amazing contest. I managed to video almost everything. Ran out about 1/3 of the way through the gold medal H/J round.

[Mike Cole]

Re: TyFry Gold Medal North American Solo Tenor Drumming Competition

Spot-on Scott. This was a groundbreaking contest in a number of ways. I only hope that this plants 'a few' ideas among other associations as well.
An event such as this also serves to raise the standard of play on an international level.
I can almost see a DVD of this contest in the future....have you stopped kicking yourself for running out of tape yet, Drew?

[Jeff]

Re: TyFry Gold Medal North American Solo Tenor Drumming Competition

MHAF will definitely look at DVD projects this coming year. We have talked about it in the past, esp for the concert. We have recorded all the events (contests and concerts) over the years for historical purposes, but the DVD project is still daunting, from a personnel standpoint and a $$$ standpoint.

[Mike Cole]

Re: TyFry Gold Medal North American Solo Tenor Drumming Competition

I hear you Jeff. It's easy to say, 'Hey, why not do a ....'. I can only imagine the cost of having to: record an entire contest, record all of the contests, (keep a cameraman awake during the Piobaireachd---sorry ); mix everything down; and publish it.
If my stock in the new Ice Hotel, Tehran, takes off---I'm all over it.
Mike