Sixteen-year-old Daniel Anderson of Sundre recently won a provincial award for his passion of playing the bagpipes.
“I was competing this year in all the Highland games in Alberta and won the Alberta Grade 5 Provincial Aggregate for piping,” said Anderson.
It took him a lot of work to win the award and he was happy to receive it, he said. It was announced at the Canmore Highland Games on Sept. 1 and he received the plaque this month.
He has been playing the bagpipes for three years and is the first in his family to pursue piping for several generations, even though he comes from a Scottish background.
He has received six gold medals, two silvers and one bronze this year out of seven Highland games.
These include the Red Deer Highland Games 2013, the 2013 Foothills Highland Games, the 100th anniversary Calgary Highland Games, the Fort Edmonton Park Celtic Gathering, the Canmore Highland Games and the Ogden Legion Pipe Band, which was the only indoor competition.
One of his first gigs and most vivid memory was playing Amazing Grace in front of 700 people.
He belongs to the Innisfail Legion Pipe Band, which played at the World Plowing Championship 2013 in Olds in July and in the Sundre & District Chamber of Commerce parade in August.
The band hosted a Celtic festival in Innisfail earlier this month and is going to Scotland in August of next year for two weeks to watch the World Pipe Band Championships.
While playing a tune in his living room, Anderson's dog Robbie Burns, named after a Scottish poet, sang along with him. The canine Robbie Burns even has a tattoo of a bagpipe in his ear.
Anderson said he is competitive in everything he does and likes to boast about his accomplishments.
When he sparked an interest in piping, he began practising on a practice chanter.
“The bagpipes cost quite a bit of money and it takes a year pretty much to get your lungs strong enough to be able to play,” he said.
It is challenging to play outdoors in the winter because his hands freeze and it's harder to move his fingers, he said.
When asked why he got into piping he joked that it was to annoy the neighbours. He likes the sound of the bagpipes and enjoys being unique and taking on challenges. He claims the bagpipes are one of the most challenging instruments to play. He also enjoys playing Happy Birthday to his friends.
Outside of piping, he enjoys bowling and coin collecting. He has won the title of 1st place in Canada for junior displaying at the Royal Canadian Numismatic Association convention for five consecutive years.
“Maybe in two years I will compete again to become a Grade 3 piper. I'm now a Grade 4 piper.”
