Adolescence is marked by a host of challenges-- insecurities, identity crisis and peer pressure. Plenty of human development theories suggest that the ability to resolve childhood and adolescent conflicts as the precursor of healthy adults. Issues of acceptance and fitting in can be sources of stress and pain in a teenager’s life. Many Asian-Americans can relate to the painful experience of growing up Asian in predominantly white neighborhoods— they just do not fit in anywhere. Looking for a group to establish one’s self-identity can be a tricky business, as picking the right group may help one thrive while joining the wrong group may land one in jail. A Chinese-American from Quincy, Massachusetts, fell upon the most unexpected place— a bagpipe band, to discover his sense of belonging.
The story goes back to 1989 when the nine-year-old Henry Wan decided to check out Colonial Pipers, a band where his best friend’s father was the drum instructor. Then band practiced in Mattapan, MA. Wan picked up drum sticks for the first time and has never put them down ever since.
And he was the only Asian member in the all-white bagpipe band. “I was in an anti-Chinese stage— I wanted to get away from my Asian identity and avoid anything that was Chinese or Asian,” said Wan, a full-time graduate student of social work.
In the 1980s and the 1990s, the Quincy in which Wan grew up—prior to the influx of Asian immigrants— was a relatively white neighborhood. Wan’s different skin tone and heavy-set body became a target of ridicule among his peers.
“I was a ‘robust’ kid who had a lot of insecurities,” said Wan, a second-generation Chinese-American whose parents immigrated to the US from Hong Kong three decades ago. Conflicted about this ethnic identity, the Colonial Pipers was a place where he felt accepted and recognized as an individual.
Nine years later, in 1998, Wan not only majored in percussion performance in college, but also became the band’s drum instructor. Today, nineteen years later after he first joined the band, Wan remains an instructor and an active member of the band, despite his hectic schedule. His greatest sense of reward, he said, is the ability to empower youth—those who are at risk of going down a wayward path, such as dropping out of school or engaging in an unhealthy habit, by committing to the band, gain respect and support from fellow band members, and are less likely to fall away.
The Colonial Pipers was founded in 1972 by Father Francis Crowley, an ordained Roman Catholic priest who served in various parishes in Massachusetts before becoming the chaplain of Veterans Association (VA) Medical Center in Bronx in New York and in Rhode Island.
“Father’s vision of the band was to allow for an atmosphere where young people are able to learn the pipers or the drums in a very supportive and encouraging environment,” said Donna Lucas, 48, the band’s bagpipe instructor.
Crowley, who was diagnosed as being septic and plagued by congestive heart failure, passed away March this year. Crowley’s death devastated many young members, but the band as a team was able to rise above their grief and march on. As the oldest members of the band, Lucas and Wan carried on the legacy of Crowley and assumed leadership roles.
Lucas joined the band when she was twelve and has stayed on for thirty-six long years. She said the bagpipe is a difficult instrument to learn at the beginning, but practice pays off.
A military band affiliated with the VA, the Colonial Pipers, is a registered non-profit organization which recruits students from all over Massachusetts and Rhode Island. It has twenty members but is looking to expand its size to between twenty-five and thirty. The majority of band members are bagpiper while the rest are drummers. The band meets every Monday night at VAF Post 2352 in Norwood and does about twenty-five parades and performances each year, which are a major source of income for the band.
“Every dime that comes in goes right out to the kids,” said Lucas, a court clinician in juvenile court, while the band grabbed a quick lunch at a Wendy’s restaurant on Columbus Day. The band had just marched in a parade in Woonstruck, RI, and was headed for another one in Revere, MA. According to Lucas, band membership is entirely free. Members gets an instrument, a full-fledged Scottish Highlander uniform—which includes the MacDuff tartan kilt (which is made in Scotland and runs around $450 per piece, and needs to be dry-cleaned), a sporan (the pouch that goes in front of the kilt), a pale green shirt, a hat and a pin.
In the afternoon, as the band marched down the streets of Revere, crowds along the two sides of the road cheered the Colonial Pipers on, while veterans and military personnel saluted as they marched by. “Scotland the Brave” and military pieces were among the band’s favorite and most performed pieces. Ahead of the line was Joey Sovoies (nicknamed “Little Joe”), 11, the youngest band member by age, carried the band’s banner. As a beginner bagpiper, he is learning all the basics of the bagpipe: fingering, reading music and practices the chanter (which resembles a recorder). He needs to learn the scale, all grace notes, and five tunes before he can move onto the pipes. Clothed in a loosely fitted pale green shirt, this pint-sized redhead looks as if he had stolen his father’s shirt.
One of Joey’s sisters, Michelle, took on the bass drum for the first time in a parade. The heavy drum, which strapped over her slim shoulders, turned out to be too big of a burden. When the march came to a brief halt, Wan commanded a break, to which Michelle replied: “Aye, thank you, Sir,” and rested to the drum to the ground. Keeping to its military tradition, in formal performances and parades, the band members address one another in military style.
The acting captain of the day was Peter Shorrock, Jr., 15, a tenth grade student from Hopedale MA. Shorrock was born to a Chinese mother and a Caucasian father. He joined the band in the fourth grade and “enjoy the great team spirit and friendships” within band members. “There are no negative attitudes in this band,” the piper said.
Once the 1.5-mile parade was over, the members hopped on their bus, took off their uniform and changed into T-shirts and shorts. Every few years, the band acquires an old and transforms it into the band’s designated bus, which is complete with the band’s emblem emblazoned on the sides and the back of the bus. On the bus, Lucas made announcements, while Wan walked back and forth to see what everyone was up to. Those who love to draw whipped out sketch books, those who had homework due worked on their assignments; those who are older and “cooler” huddle at the back, toying with their latest electronic gadgets. With many kids onboard, there is always a situation on board: someone spilled doughnut holes all over the floor, someone yelling for another, someone got a cut and needed first-aid-- you name it.
The strong bonds among band members are self-evident; the youth are there not just for musical experience, but to hold one another accountable and to be part of a community. No matter how insecure, different or out-of-place one feels inside, once in the band, one is automatically accepted as family. The Colonial Pipers fosters a trusting and nurturing environment for youth to express themselves through team spirit, communication and music. They look out for one another and build one another up; it is a musical group that learns music together through practicing “one anothering.”
Over the years, Wan found his voice and identity in the band. Although once being “anti-Chinese,” Wan now embraces and celebrates his Chinese heritage by being actively involved with the Chinese community in New England.
“Do you know why I’ve stayed in band for so long? What this band is really about?” Wan asked at the end of a very long day. “It’s so much more than music-- it’s about brotherhood, sisterhood, solidarity, community, camaraderie,” he affirmed.
The Colonial Pipers is recruiting new members. If interested, please contact Donna Lucas at dmlpiper@aol.com or 508-369-7592.
(Writer’s note: This article is a tribute to Father Francis Crowley (1929-2008), a man of God, whom many loved and shall always miss.)
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