At some point in 2024, it was decided that the Carnegie Mellon University Pipes and Drums would undertake preparations to compete in Scotland at the World Championships in August, 2025. After long hours of memorization, practice, and preparation, the band competed twice in 2025 before heading across the Atlantic.

Those two competitions were the American Championships in Norfolk, Virginia, at the end of April, and the Chicago Highland Games, held in mid-June. We were lucky enough to win both of those titles, competing against many bands we had not previously met. After many weekend practices, we set out on the journey toward an ever more challenging field of bands in Scotland.

View the September 2025 Thistle Journal Here.