Sohan Singh From APU Hits The Right Notes At The World Pipe Band Championship 2022

Sri Dasmesh Pipe Band, an all-Sikh band that collaborates with Scottish Coalburn IOR Pipe Band, finished fourth in the World Pipe Band Championships 2022, and one of the guest snare drummers is from APU
 

A mixed team comprising of the Malaysian Sri Dasmesh Pipe Band, an all-Sikh band and the Scottish Coalburn IOR Pipe Band won 4th place in the World Pipe Band Championships 2022.

The world annual event was held in Glasgow, Scotland, which featured six categories ranging from Grade 1 to Grade 4B.

The bands competed against 146 bands and thousands of pipers and drummers from around the world, with Coalburn IOR fielding 14 snare drummers, four of whom came from Malaysia's Sri Dasmesh Pipe Band, in front of over 40,000 spectators.

“It was surreal to compete in the World Championships. My nerves kicked in the moment I arrived and saw all the bands practice. The preparation from the time we arrived six weeks before the competition until we marched out of the competition arena felt like it happened in the blink of an eye,” said Sohan Singh.

Sohan is an Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU) student who recently completed his computing and technology foundation and will now begin his first-year degree this month.

According to him, he joined the Sri Dasmesh Pipe Band in 2017, which now has 50 members in Kuala Lumpur. The band members play the bagpipes, snare drum, tenor drum, and bass drum, and the band was founded in 1986 by two brothers who wanted an activity for Sikh youngsters to focus on.

“I had to practise a lot and submit a video of my drumming to the sergeant of the Coalburn IOR Pipe Band, which has an active membership of 30 people, in order to be accepted and approved as a guest drummer,” he explained.

APU was supportive of his participation in the group and even offered him a scholarship.

“So far, I have been able to successfully balance my studies, band practises, and performances. I took a short break after finishing my foundation to focus on competing in the 2022 World Pipe Championship and will now begin my first-year degree this month,” he said.

Sohan (middle) is one of Malaysia's Sri Dasmesh Pipe Band's four drummers. 

Explaining his involvement in Sri Dasmesh; he intends to remain a member of this band for a long time because being a member of the band has allowed him to travel to various countries such as Scotland, Australia, Japan, Singapore, and Indonesia for competitions and performances.

“I am looking forward to visiting more countries. For me, the band is more than a hobby because I enjoy music and the band allows me to explore my talent and passion while also providing a weekend activity and spending time with my friends and band members. I am now training the band’s younger and newer members in the hopes of taking the band to greater heights,” he concluded. 

Sohan also won 1st place in Solo Drumming at the Boys Brigade Competition Singapore in 2017 and the KL Highland Games in 2018, as well as the Grade 4B championship title with Sri Dasmesh Pipe Band at the World Championship in Scotland in 2019.

This year, the band decided to compete in the Grade 3A category to bring back experience and knowledge to push the Malaysian piping scene forward.