The Pipers' Guild organised the an International Summer School, held from 25 July - 3 August 2006 at the University of Essex. Over 100 pipers from all over the world attended.

The photos that accompany this report are here, and many more are at Shirley's Webshots album: scroll down to the bottom three albums.

A hot and cloudless day helped to welcome just over 100 pipers to the University on Tuesday 25th July. Pipers had travelled by plane, train, car and cycle. They had come from America and Japan, many European countries and the UK, some from just up the road in Colchester.

Having found bedrooms and unpacked a pipe and music stand they were directed to the Lecture Theatre Building. Here they were given a smart green music bag with the course logo and containing the programme and copies of the main work to be studied, A Colchester Suite for Pipes by David Stoll. This had been commissioned by the British Guild as had the Camulodunum Suite by Betty Roe and A Roman Suite by David Fielker. There was also a book of music with contributions from each country, which was to be played in Orchestra.

First, tea and a chance to greet both old friends and first timers. Then into the lecture theatre for the first Orchestra.

Welding over 100 players from eleven countries and speaking many languages was a challenge for all the teachers. Classes were given in playing the new music, dissonant music, French and Swiss music and even boogie woogie. Everyone used instruments that they had made, played and decorated themselves. Some made new pipes, some played handbells. The Americans brought traditional limberjacks - a percussion instrument. Anna from Switzerland taught a group to make some “Roman” instruments and the results caused much amusement and not a little envy.

As week had a loosely Roman theme - Colchester being the administrative centre of Roman Britain - everyone had been invited to wear a Roman costume to the first evening's barbecue. The weather was perfect and it was a good way to start the week.

David Fielker was with us the next evening and conducted one of the movements of his Suite before he had to go to another course. David Stoll joined us at the end of the course for rehearsals in preparation for the Open Day.