TMI band leader studies with master pipers

TMI junior Lincoln Abbott, right, gets tips on bagpiping technique from instructor Jimmy Bell at the Celtic Arts Summer School of Lyon College in Batesville, Ark. Abbott will serve as pipe major of the TMI Pipe and Drum Band during the coming school year.

Lincoln Abbott, a junior at TMI – The Episcopal School of Texas, studied bagpiping June 14-20 at Lyon College Celtic Arts Summer School in Batesville, Ark. Abbott, who was chosen to serve as pipe major of the Texas Military Corps of Cadets Pipe and Drum Band during the 2014-2015 school year, learned reed making and intricate bagpipe playing skills and participated in a student recital.

The summer program is an opportunity for young pipers to refine their skills and learn new tunes under the guidance of competition-winning instructors headed by James “Jimmy” Bell, pipe major of the Lyon College Pipe Band and director of the school’s Scottish Heritage Program.