Young bagpiper to perform in Canonsburg Fourth parade
Courtesy of Amber Young
Isabella Young at the Ligonier Highlands Games
Courtesy of Amber Young
Isabella Young poses with her father, Kirk, before she performed with the Balmoral Pipes and Drums Band at the Canonsburg Fourth of July Parade in 2021.
Courtesy of Amber Young
Isabella Young, a rising senior at McGuffey High School, plays bagpipe with the Balmoral Pipes and Drums Band. Here, she plays at the Jersey shore.
Courtesy of Amber Young
Isabella Young, center, will perform with the Balmoral Pipes and Drums Band at the Canonsburg Fourth of July Parade.
Courtesy of Amber Young
Isabella Young, a bagpiper with Balmoral Pipes and Drums Band, performs at the 2021 Canonsburg Fourth of July Parade.
When the Balmoral Pipes and Drums Band marches along Pike Street on Monday – one of 120 units participating in the Canonsburg Fourth of July Parade – 17-year-old Isabella Young of Claysville will be among the kilt-clad pipers and drummers performing for parade-goers.
It will be Young’s second year of playing in the Canonsburg parade with the ensemble.
“I love playing in parades. People cheer, you don’t have to worry about being 110% perfect like you do in competition, and it’s very exciting and enjoyable,” she said.
Young, a rising senior at McGuffey High School, picked up the bagpipes about 4 1/2 years ago. Her father, Kirk, whose Scottish roots run deep, had always been drawn to the drone of the instrument, but never found the time to learn how to play.
So, in 2018, at Kirk’s urging, Young decided to give it a try.
She started taking lessons with world-renowned piper George Balderose, director of Balmoral, after her mother, Amber Young, googled “bagpipe instructors” and struck pay dirt.
About 2 1/2 years ago, Balderose invited Young to play with the competition and performance pipe band.
Young got her first set of bagpipes – an antique set from the 1950s – about nine months after she started lessons.
After a lot of initial, methodical practice to get the required breathing and fingerings down, Young has been working to master the five-pound instrument.
“Learning to play the bagpipe is a physical challenge because you have to build up your lung capacity,” said Young. “It’s an easy instrument to learn, but difficult to master. It does not have much range; it has one octave. But it’s amazing because, for a little instrument that only has nine notes, it has so many variations because of where you place your fingers.”
Young had played clarinet and saxophone in the middle school and high school band, but now concentrates on the bagpipes.
Among the events she and the band have performed in and competed at are the Ligonier Highland Games, the St. Andrews Society Tartan Gathering, and the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Pittsburgh. She played solo at the Claysville Fire Station during the borough’s Christmas parade.
Young also appreciates the tradition and culture that accompany bagpipes.
Surprisingly, while bagpipes are known as Scotland’s national instrument, it is thought the first bagpipes came from Egypt. The playing of the bagpipe was banned in Scotland after the Uprising of 1745 because they were classified as an instrument of war by the government.
Young is busting the notion that bagpipes are for men, pointing out that there are plenty of women who play the bagpipe today.
“It’s definitely evolving. There are more girls and more people my age who are playing,” said Young, who is the youngest member of the Balmoral Pipes and Drum Band.
Young’s bagpipe career also has prompted the Young family to search their Scottish roots, which they have traced back to the pre-revolutionary war. Young now serves as resident bagpiper for Clan Young.
Young’s mother recently gifted her with a kilt made from the weathered Young tartan.
“It’s so gratifying to have that tartan,” said Young. “(The weathered Young tartan) is hard to get a hold of.”
Young also enjoys listening to bagpipe music. Depending on the bagpiper and who he or she studied under, the same song can sound completely different, Young said.
When she’s not practicing or performing with her bagpipe, Young enjoys reading, knitting, spending time with her cats, and going to the symphony with her mom.
What’s next for Young?
She plans to attend Edinboro University and wants to become a forensic dentist.
The university offers a bagpiping program, so Young will continue playing the instrument.
Amber Young joked that playing the bagpipe is likely going to be “a lifelong addiction for Bella.”
Young doesn’t disagree.
“I see myself playing for the rest of me life. It allows me to meet people from all walks of life I’d never meet otherwise,” said Young. “It’s been the best experience.”