Kevin MacHeffner Conquest
Principal Faculty
Phoenix, Arizona

Kevin's interest in pipe bands began in the 1990s while playing in his school's instrumental music program. The Vista High School Regimental Band in Vista, California had a distinctly British theme wearing replica uniforms of the Brigade of Guards complete with pipers. Kevin studied saxophone and percussion in the Vista band and was also an award-winning drum major and student conductor. After graduation, Kevin decided to pursue pipe bands upon relocation to Phoenix and started playing bass drum with the Phoenix Scottish Pipe Band under Drum Sergeant Robert Pigford, a skilled drummer of both pipe bands and DCI corps. Kevin also started to take lessons from brothers Chris and David Hossack of the Mesa Caledonian Pipe Band on both bagpipes and drums to boost his understanding of the genre. In 1996, Kevin transferred to Mesa Caledonian where he functioned as Drum Major and Lead Tenor, revolutionizing their bass and tenor drummers into a fully integrated midsection.

Always willing to challenge himself, Kevin played tenor in the Grade 1 Los Angeles Scottish Pipe Band in 2004 along with Drum Sergeant Andrew Hoinacki while remaining an instructor with Mesa Caledonian. He returned to the LA Scots full time in 2007 as Lead Tenor, where the corps went on to win the drumming prize at North Berwick, Scotland as well as place first in the Grade 1 Qualifier at the Worlds. The midsection also took best bass section prizes throughout the region.

Kevin currently plays with the 78th Fraser Highlanders Pipe Band of Ontario, Canada and is enjoying the next chapter of his pipe band career!

Kevin has been fortunate to learn from many big names in the pipe band community. As a percussionist, Kevin has learned a great deal from Tim Gladden, James Grant, Tyler Fry, Art Peters and Jon Quigg. As a Drum Major, he has learned from Mickie Lujan-Shaw, Jim Thompson, Jim Harrington, Alan McBride, Brian Wilson, Roger Young, John Noble, Alastair Patterson and Billy Jordan.

Kevin is no stranger to solo competition. As a Drum Major, Kevin is one of the most successful adult competitors outside the United Kingdom, having placed 3rd at the 2004 World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow, Scotland where he already held a record of being the best D/M from overseas for the previous four years and having already placed 1st in Marching & Deportment in the heats. Kevin has also been the first American drum major to place in finals at the Scottish Championships, British Championships, and European Championships. Within the UK, Kevin has won the drum majors at North Berwick, Perth, Bridge of Allan, and Callander. Stateside, Kevin is ten-times the Western United States Pipe Band Association Drum Major Champion, five times the Western North American Champion at Pleasanton and has won every major competition in the region. In tenor drumming contests, Kevin started at the Grade 2 level in WUSPBA and worked his way up through Grade 1, winning the WUSPBA Champion of Champions in 1998, and then onto Professional where he competes occasionally and still takes prizes.

Among many highlights of Kevin's bright career have been the opportunities to perform as a guest D/M for bands such as world-champions Simon Fraser University from Canada and the Pipes & Drums of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards - a very unique honor for an American pipe band drum major. Another honor was being asked to instruct the first Drum Majors course at the MHAF Winter Storm Weekend, the largest pipe band instructional event in North America. Kevin also has enjoyed organizing and leading massed bands displays for highland games in Arizona, California and Colorado.

Finally, Kevin hopes to utilize his instructional skills with ScottishDrumming.com to provide several end results:

• Help pipe bands build integrated midsections with tenor drummers who use music and flourishing to enhance the overall sound, presentation and excitement of the band.
• Train drum majors to be effective at leading a pipe band through strong knowledge of the music and British pipe band drill, and give them the skills to be strong solo competitors.
• Improve the overall level of deportment for bands.