Twelve-year-old bagpiper Nickola Forde has just passed her grade four bagpiping exam.
Since taking up the bagpipes two years ago, it’s been a natural fit.
Her first solo performance was three months later.
The novice, taught as a 10-year-old in the early days by the late Peter Doak, says performing is was one of the enjoyments of playing.
She enjoys playing tunes for others, both solo and with fellow band members of the Ashburton Pipe Band.
Various members had taken up the mantle teaching her since Peter’s passing in November 2023, including his grandson Harrison, also a D Grade player.
It’s given Nickola a good grounding and she hopes to one-day play at the World Pipe Band Championships in Scotland.
‘‘I like getting out there and doing performances, and meeting new people,’’ she said.
‘‘My goal with piping is to make it to Worlds.’’
This month she will perform in front of her peers and teachers of St Joseph School at the end of year assembly.
And in January, she, and Ma-ake Vaipulu, a fellow drummer from the pipe band, will be attending the Royal New Zealand Pipe Band’s Association four-day summer school at St Andrew’s College in Christchurch.
It is for individual pipers and bands and is being headlined by New Zealand tutors, as well as Scottish piper Callum Beaumont and Irish pipe band drummer Steven McWhirter.
Beaumont and McWhirter are internationally recognised.
‘‘On the last day the children combine to do a performance,’’ Nickola said.
Nickola has lately played at Geraldine, Timaru and most recently the Hororata Highland Games last month.
It was her first time competing as a D Grade player.
There were about 25 soloists competing, she said.
And although she did not place, Nickola said the judge commented that she had done a really good performance.
Two years ago, Nickola first chose to learn the bagpipes as a shared interest with her dad, Patrick.
They started on pipe chanters
Already a drummer in the pipe band, Patrick said children learning an instrument was ‘‘great for the brain’’.
Although he hit a plateau in his learning, Nickola just took off, he said.
He said the co-ordination needed to play the bagpipes was easily picked up by a younger brain.
