Fredericton piper ready to take requests for songs … or silence

Jennifer Sweet · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 21, 2025 5:01 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

It's go a springtime rite for Ryan Strong to commencement outdoor signifier connected his bagpipes successful Fredericton's Skyline Acres. 

"I emotion the music. It's truly amusive to perceive to. It's adjacent much amusive to play," said the 17-year-old, who has been playing since helium was 9 years old. 

His mother, Tracy Wilson, has developed a springtime ritual of her own. 

"As always," she posted successful their neighbourhood radical connected Facebook, "if you person a sleeping babe oregon conscionable request immoderate bid and quiet, sprout maine a connection and helium volition stop." 

"It's not a quiescent instrument," Wilson said with a smile.

Depending connected upwind and histrion cover, the dependable of pipes tin transportation astir 1.5 kilometres, Strong said.

"It's loud. … You decidedly privation to beryllium outdoors for it."

When Strong archetypal got his pipes, his playing was little euphony than noise.

"It sounded similar helium was strangling a cat," his ma said.

But implicit the years, she and others successful the neighbourhood person been precise supportive, and Strong's playing has travel a agelong way.

"We haven't had anyone petition that we halt ever," helium said. "It's usually enactment and encouragement."

Strong often gets notes from radical who bask proceeding him oregon privation to petition a song. And tiny crowds of fans sometimes stitchery successful the driveway, including friends who bring tract chairs, and radical retired walking dogs oregon riding bicycles who halt a portion to ticker and listen.

At the parkland down the street, funny children volition flock to him from the adjacent schoolhouse and child-care centre.

"If I commencement marching and walking astir to signifier that, I'll person a small radical of them marching down maine similar you would person a colour guard."

"I anticipation that I'm capable to present immoderate of them to an instrumentality that possibly they'll play successful the future."

Springtime contented ending

"A batch of the neighbours are going to miss having their outpouring piped successful adjacent year," Wilson said.

Strong is astir to postgraduate and caput to assemblage successful Halifax, wherever his parent hopes he'll find an arsenic welcoming piping community.

WATCH | How a budding instrumentalist pursues his passionateness successful the dooryard: 

He was conscionable 4 years aged erstwhile helium fell successful emotion with the pipes, she said.

They were astatine the Highland Games watching the massed bands — erstwhile each the pipe and drum bands that person taken portion successful the contention play unneurotic and march down the field.

Wilson looked down and noticed small Ryan was "sobbing," but erstwhile she asked if it was excessively large and helium wanted to leave, helium said, "No, Mommy. I tin consciousness them successful my heart."

"That was the opening of a agelong career, I think," she said.

Shortly afterward, Strong's parents got him a signifier chanter, which looks a spot similar a recorder utilized successful simple schoolhouse euphony classes.

He started taking lessons arsenic soon arsenic helium was aged enough, and the bagpipes person been his passionateness ever since. 

"I emotion it a lot," Strong said. "It's a truly large portion of my life."

City set heading to Scotland for satellite championships

Even aft years of playing, the dependable of the pipes inactive gets to him.

"Whether that's successful an affectional consciousness oregon the existent feeling of the drum bushed … you consciousness like 

you're a portion of that heartbeat."

It besides makes him consciousness connected to his ancestors.

Wilson's household is from New Glasgow, N.S., and they person Scottish roots. 

Her uncle Bob Walton was a drummer successful the Black Watch Band that played connected the Ed Sullivan amusement successful 1967, she said. 

Strong and his bandmates, who person go immoderate of his champion friends, are preparing for their ain large infinitesimal connected the satellite signifier this summer. 

They're owed to permission Aug. 6 to vie astatine the European and World Championships successful Scotland, portion of a week-long festival successful the metropolis of Glasgow.

It means he'll beryllium practising adjacent much than the accustomed 3 hours a week adjacent his location and 3 hours connected Saturdays astatine Nashwaaksis Middle School with the Society of St. Andrews band.

There are astir 25 members of the band, and they'll beryllium practising hard each implicit the city, said Strong.

Some usage parks successful their neighbourhoods, oregon the Green adjacent Government House, oregon person agreements with churches oregon assemblage centres.

Strong has precocious hopes for a medal and for what mightiness travel next.

"Some of the champion solo players person had their commencement from winning these championships oregon placing successful these championships," helium said. 

"I privation to proceed playing arsenic agelong arsenic I can."