About Us

STRENGTH & HONOR

PIPE-MAJOR BILLY DART and DRUM-MAJOR SCOTT O'NEILL

CELTIC THUNDER PIPES & DRUMS

Working Together To Present the Most Unique Pipe & Drum Organization

in WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS !

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE SHOW & HAVING FUN !

H O N O R & E S T E E M

3 T O W N S ~ 1 T E A M

GET TO KNOW US

Celtic Thunder is the Realm in which we are Committed to nurturing the values of Dedication,

Teamwork, Respect, Responsibility, and Community Service through the Gift of bagpipe music.

Celtic Thunder is a Non-Profit, Family Oriented, Fun organization based in Massachusetts.

All members of Celtic Thunder volunteer their time in order to share the “Gift” of bagpipe music

throughout the United States of America by way of education and performance.

Inside the Realm of Celtic Thunder; exists the first Youth Pipe-Band in Massachusetts; there is

no doubt that this Youth Pipe-Band is all about the kids. Priority one is to have Fun. The Celtic

Thunder Youth Pipe-Band provides an alternative hobby to children in the Community.

Members are provided with exceptional instruction and guidance as they progress forward with

their journey on the bagpipes or drums, by experienced Regimental Officers of the organization.

Our teaching system is geared to have children playing actual tunes in a very short time.

All lessons are taught in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere for the kids.

Bagpipe and drum lessons are always free for members of the Youth Pipe-Band and are open to

anyone between the ages of 8 and 18 years of age. Of course these ages are just guide lines.

So if a child is slightly younger and willing to commit to practice, we do make allowances.

The Youth Pipe-Band has been structured in such a way that it actually allows the kids to be

the leaders of the band. The Pipe-Major of the Youth Pipe-Band is 13 year old Jeff Hastings of

Brimfield. The Pipe-Sergeant is 10 year old Kassidy Dart and the Pipe-Corporal is 12 year old

Harley Dart, both of Monson. Our Drum-Major for the Youth Pipe-Band is 7 year old Connor

O'Neil (following in his Dad's footsteps). These are the Officers who will lead the Youth Pipe-

Band in performance and parade.

Parents interested in learning to play the bagpipes or drums are also Welcome to receive Free

lessons. It's pretty awesome to take what you learn home and practice with your child.

All music lessons are overseen and taught by experienced Regimental Officers of Celtic Thunder.

There is no greater joy than to invest time in teaching a child, it truly is Priceless.

No, Celtic Thunder is not just a pipe-band. It is a Realm of Wonders.

~S T R E N G T H & H O N O R~

T h e M a g i c I s B a c k !

And We're Taking it to a Whole New Dimension !

"Giving Back To The Community"

Having Fun is Priority One, But it's also important to give back to the many Communities

throughout Western Massachusetts by way of Teaching and by way of Performing. Celtic Thunder

has multiple practice locations. The traditional way would be to be based in one town. We have

opted to break tradition and base Celtic Thunder in many towns to offer Free bagpipe and drum

lessons to as many people as we can. There is no limit on how many practice locations there will

be. As long as our resources continue to grow, so will the area in which we will call home.

~We Are An American Pipe-Band~

Pipe-Corporal Harley Dart ~ Celtic Thunder Youth Pipe-Band

Pipe-Major Billy Dart

CELTIC THUNDER PIPES & DRUMS

ABOUT THE Musical Director

Background: Pipe-Major Billy Dart, founding Pipe-Major of the Quabaog Highlanders Pipe-Band;

2002 - 2007. What began as a vision of sharing bagpipe music and creating a pipe-band had

progressed at an unbelievable pace. The band quickly became the largest show pipe-band in

New England. This was Accomplished through Many hours of Sacrifice and the Passion of Sharing

the "Gift". Having met and exceeding all of his goals and challenges with Quaboag Highlanders,

Pipe-Major Billy Dart retired his leadership positions to make way for the next wave of leaders.

A NEW DREAM LIVES

Mission: To Share the "Gift" of bagpipe music with as many people as I can through our teaching

and performances. We will accomplish this by breaking the rules of tradition and hold practices

at many locations throughout Western Massachusetts. Together with a good team of Officers I

will build a Pipe-Band organization unlike any other with the primary objective of having Fun.

Celtic Thunder Youth Pipe-Band:

As Musical Director:

This is a new project for me and so we are progressing forward with a slightly different strategy

than most traditional bands.

Our goals are to offer an alternative hobby to young people. Allow them to take what they are

learning and share it in a positive way. The Instructors will be the kids, we will be there to guide

them along. When they march in parade, it will be all children, this includes the Pipe-Major and

the Drum-Major. The most important aspect of this is to make sure that they are All involved and

and having Fun. The Youth Pipe-Band is my primary focus, to see them grow and progress.

As the Musical Director I am committed to working with each and every member of Celtic Thunder

to insure that they reach their dreams of piping and drumming in a unique Pipe-Band.

This I know as it is my Experience, Passion and Drive that will see them All Succeed.

A Good Pipe-Major is worth a million bucks, Multiple Pipe-Majors - Priceless.......

~S T R E N G T H & H O N O R~

What We Do In Life... Echoes In Eternity

A Special Thanks To Pipe-Major Ken Barber of Connecticut. Without His Teachings To Me, His Showmanship And His Inspiration; The Quaboag Highlanders And Celtic Thunder Would Probably

Not Exist Today. Ken Barber > Is The The Master of Pipe-Band Showmanship and We are Thankful.

His Teachings and Inspiration Will Echo In Eternity . . .

-Pipe-Major Billy Dart

We Are But a Small Band of Pipers & Drummers, Having Fun.

We are Very Organized , We Have the Vision , We are Focused and We are on the Rise.

It's the Vision and the Passion of All involved that will Drive Us On ,

And One Day We'll Invite You To

CELTIC THUNDER

the Keystone Automotive BIG show

2 0 0 9

L E A D I N G T H E W A Y !

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