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2009 AGM - Annual General Meeting

Each year, WUSPBA holds a meeting to vote on new officers and consider changes to bylaws and rules for the association.

AGM MEETING MINUTES • December 9 , 2009

WUSPBA Meeting Minutes for the 2009 AGM (Zipped PDF file, 7.8MB)

The above file is a PDF file which as been compressed into a "zip" file. Downloaded zip files will be automatically decompressed when double-clicked on a Macintosh computer. Some Windows computers may require a utility such as WinZIP which can easily be found online.

SPECIAL COMPETITION ANNOUNCEMENT AT AGM:

It was announced at the WUSPBA AGM in Las Vegas by Nevada State Senator Nolan that Las Vegas Events has approved approximately $2,000,000 for a grand-scale international pipe band competition and tattoo to be held in Las Vegas in April 2011. The precise venue in the Las Vegas area has yet to be determined.

Read the official announcement (PDF, 390K) made by ANAPBA.

2009 AGM, November 14 in Las Vegas —

Where & When & What:

The 2009 WUSPBA Annual General Meeting was held Saturday, November 14 and was at the Clarion Las Vegas.

The Annual General Meeting was schedule to being Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m., with band and solo registration beginning between 8:00 and 8:30 a.m.

During the AGM, proposals for Bylaw and Contest Rules were voted upon. These proposals are linked below and are noted with the outcome.

At the conclusion of the business meeting on Saturday, there was a free workshop with Ian Whitelaw (tone and tuning) and Andre Tessier (beginning drumming). See below for details. Attendees brought practice chanters, pads and sticks, and questions!

The Games Sponsors Meeting, open to all attendees, was Saturday afternoon following the AGM. Beverages were be offered.

Free Sunday morning classes (11/15) were offered: Advanced Drumming (Tessier) and also Piobaireachd (Whitelaw).

See the full AGM 2009 SCHEDULE for a chart of times and events.
For a more detailed and different format you can download a AGM Timeline (PDF).


OFFICER NOMINATIONS:

President
BJ Gunn
John Biggar ELECTED

Executive Secretary
Mike Terry ELECTED

Treasurer
Scotty Dean
Daniel Scheider (write-in candidate) ELECTED

Band Registrar
Kylene Tanner ELECTED
David Mackenzie (nominated in error, withdrew)

Nominations were also be accepted from the floor of the AGM.

PROPOSALS:

Executive Committee Proposals:

• Article XIII sec4 move from Bylaws to Contest rules (MS Word) PASSED

• Article XIII sec2 move and Number of Judges (MS Word) PASSED

Music Board Proposals:

• Bylaws & Contest - Band Grade V (MS Word) PASSED

• Contest - Bass Drumming Solo (MS Word) PASSED

• Contest - Band Instructor Limitations (MS Word) Part 1 PASSED, Part 2 TABLED

• Contest - Juvenile Band Class Clarification (MS Word) TABLED

Membership Proposals:

• Solo Contest - Aggregate Points (MS Word) FAILED

• Band Contest - Dual Musicians (MS Word) PASSED

• Band Contest - Juvenile Band Play Up (MS Word) WITHDRAWN

• Solo Contest - Order of Play FAILED - Piobaireachd Up PASSED (MS Word)

• Solo Contest - Piobaireachd Grade IV Wording (MS Word) WITHDRAWN

Music Board Memoranda:

• Implementation of Band Grade V (MS Word) DISTRIBUTED

• Judging Compensation (MS Word) DISTRIBUTED

The above files are in Microsoft Word format. There are a number of free MS Word readers/editors available online, including OpenOffice and NeoOffice. TextEdit, included with the MacOS, can open and read Word files.

FREE AGM WORKSHOPS:

Ian Whitelaw will present an educational clinic "Tone and Tuning" on Saturday afternoon, November 14, 2000.
Ian will also present a clinic on Ceol Mor on Sunday morning, November 15, 2009. Ian has a long and distinguished record as a successful Open Professional competitor and musician and is well known and respected in piping circles worldwide for his knowledge, playing, and teaching of Ceol Mor. This Sunday clinic is being conducted primarily to prepare members of the judging panel for the upcoming exam who want to continue to adjudicate piobaireachd. However, Jimmy McColl and Campbell Naismith have also helped in the preparation of this clinic and as such all three of these distinguished pipers have designed it to be an educational opportunity for anyone who would like to find out more about this ancient art form.

For more about Ian Whitelaw, visit his website: aceltictraveler.com
*** Those attending Ian's workshops are encouraged to bring their pipes. ***

Andre Tessier started drumming at the age of 10 in his hometown of Montreal, Quebec. After showing some promise in the early going, Andre's father (also his first teacher) sent him to Toronto to learn from J. Reid Maxwell. Under Reid's tutelage, Andre won the Ontario Pipers and Pipe Band Society Champion Supreme award for Grade 2 Drumming (1987) and Grade 1 Drumming (1989).

In the early-to-mid 90's, Andre was fortunate enough to learn the finer points of drumming while playing for the Dunvegan Pipe Band under John Kerr, The Toronto and District Pipe Band under Craig Stewart and the 78th Fraser Highlanders under Harvey Dawson.

In 2006, Andre ventured west to Vancouver where he was re-united with his mentor, Reid Maxwell. Andre spent the next 10 seasons with the SFU Pipe Band, winning 3 World Pipe Band Championships (’96, ’99, ’01), a World Drum Corps Championship (’99), the Australian Championships (‘01) and the North American Championships (‘02).

Andre has also had the privilege of performing in some of the world’s greatest concert venues, including New York’s Carnegie Hall and the Sydney Opera House.

After many years as a section player, Andre took on the role of Lead Drummer of the Robert Malcolm Memorial Pipe. In his first season as lead drummer, RMM won the World Pipe Band Championships in Grade 2.

As an instructor, Andre’s most notable achievement was guiding the Robert Malcolm Memorial Grade 3 drum corps to the 2005 World Championships title in the Juvenile category.

No pre-registration is necessary for the free workshops.