Peter Hendrickson
Associate Faculty
Edmonton, Alberta

Peter fell in love with drumming in Ottawa, Ontario at the age of 14 before his final parade with the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa Cadet Corps as he watched the drummers warm up outside the armouries. The next day he took the bus to the nearest music store and bought his first pair of sticks and practice pad. He remembers vividly his interaction with the music store attendant. The gentleman got up from teaching a guitar lesson and grabbed two different "heavy metal" drumsticks from two completely different areas of the shop. As he carelessly handed them over Peter asked, "Shouldn't they be the same?" The attendant answered, "If they were the same, it'd sound like you're playing with one hand." The then impressionable Peter paid for the sticks and pad and went home where he began transcribing a pipe band CD his mother had given him. In the summer of 1990, Peter's family moved to Calgary where he joined the 2137 Calgary Highlanders Cadet Corps and began studying with his first and most influential drumming instructor, Lloyd Martens (presently Alberta Caledonia’s bass drummer). Two years later, Peter joined Edmonton Caledonia (presently, Alberta Caledonia) and began competing as a grade 1 soloist.

Since, Peter has become an open soloist, served as lead drummer of the Regimental Pipes and Drums of the Calgary Highlanders, taught workshops and summer camps and has competed in the World Pipe Band Championships in 1993, 1995 and every year since 2000, finishing in the top ten on two occasions. He has also studied with Brian McCue, Jim Kilpatrick and extensively with John Fisher.

Peter also plays drum set and percussion professionally. Having played, recorded and toured with some of North America's finest musicians, including pops concerts with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and the Vancouver Philharmonic Orchestra. Peter spent a number of years drumming for dance classes at the University of Alberta, Grant MacEwan College, and the Edmonton Dance Centre. Peter has earned a diploma in music (jazz performance) from Grant MacEwan College in Edmonton, Alberta and a Bachelor of Music degree (Honors – jazz) from St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia.

Since being appointed lead drummer of Alberta Caledonia in 2002, Peter has worked hard (with the help of the extremely talented drummers he is fortunate enough to play with every year) to take the drum corps to a new level of sound, musicality and innovation, hoping to continually climb the ladder of standings at the World Championships.