Bagpiper Charles Armstrong Returns to Southdown
Every school has its own traditions and rituals and Southdown Primary School is no different. The building, located on Brown’s Road, has been filled with eager students since it first opened in September 1954. The youngsters have remarkable energy and it doesn’t take much to get them excited. A recent visitor proved the point.
When legendary bagpipe musician Charles Armstrong arrived wearing traditional clothing, including a kilt, the stage was set for a different type of fun. This is a man who can make the somewhat hard-to-play instrument sing and the sounds are sweet, indeed.
For this one March day it was as if the whole Southdown community was Irish. Anyone who has heard bagpipes from close proximity can attest to the awesome sound that even a single musician can generate. Mr. Armstrong marched up and down the hallways as his audience clapped and cheered.
Students were fascinated as they listened to the unique sounds reverberating down the long corridors from the fabled instrument, which Mr. Armstrong played to near perfection. Appealing melodies wafted through the two wings of the building, filling every nook and cranny.
Mr. Armstrong, who started playing bagpipes when he was nine years old, takes delight in entertaining nearly 400 Southdown students each year. He plays the part so well, right down to his socks. Teachers typically use the visit as an opportunity to present quick lessons on the long history of bagpipes and the culture that nourished them.
Principal Michelle Marino said the entire school community “looks forward to hearing those pipes every year.” Mr. Armstrong, who plays regularly with Clan Gordon Highlanders in Locust Valley, has been coming to Southdown for seven years and it hasn’t grown old yet.
Will he be back for an eighth visit in March 2011? That seems assured, as does the reaction Mr. Armstrong will get from students. There will be those same sparkling eyes and wide smiles.
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