Piping Profile

Brett Tidswell held the position as the National Principal of Piping with the Australian Pipe Band College for over 20 years. This organisation is the educational branch of the Australian Pipe Band Association and manages educational programs, certificate courses, training and qualification of contest adjudicators, and the grading of pipers and pipe bands for competition purposes. He is also a qualified examiner with the Piping and Drumming Qualification Board – Scotland. He has a long and respected history as an educator of pipers at the highest of levels.

Having been employed as a piping instructor in the Defence Force and for some years as a full-time bagpipe teacher; in 1991 he was asked to take on the role of Pipe Major of the newly formed, City of Adelaide Pipe Band.  He took them on to win Grade 2 in the Victorian and South Australian Championships within 12 months of their formation. In 1998 they were the first band from South Australia to win the Australian Grade 1 Championships. The band remained at the top of Grade 1 for the next 10 years under his leadership. Brett has also competed with the Strathclyde Police Pipe Band of Glasgow (20 X World Pipe Band Champions).

Brett is a soloist of International renown with many competition successes and a demand to perform at recitals around the world. His students also have a history of such success, with many solo prizes and even Pipe Band World Championships to their credit. He is the author of the much acclaimed "The Complete Pipers Handbook", "The Reed Book" , "The Bagpipe Instruction Manual", and his technical articles have been published in some of the World’s most recognised piping publications including; Pipe Bands Australia Magazine, New Zealand Pipe Band Magazine, The Voice - USA, Pipes|Drums - Canada, and the Piping Times Magazine – Scotland. He now has several professional recordings on the world market.

Brett has been described by Piping World Magazine as the only piper to win Australia’s top solo piping competition (a record 12 wins of the R U Brown Piobaireachd Society Gold Medal and the Clasp for former winners) as well as pipe majoring a Grade 1 Australian Championship winning Pipe Band, “an impressive feat that will not be beaten in this generation”.