EPIC East Ayrshire Pipe Band Academy welcomed some esteemed guests to their ranks this week as students sat their first ever SCQF exams.

On November 27, assessors from the National Piping Centre in Glasgow dropped by Lugar Parish Church Hall in Logan to visit music enthusiasts.

The examiners were Director of Piping, Finlay MacDonald, and Dr Andrew Bova who is in charge of the PDQB (Piping and Drumming Qualifications Board) Syllabus at the National Piping Centre.

The exams are run by the SQA and thus points awarded as students progress through the syllabus are added to their education record, meaning the exams can help towards gaining a place in further education.

The examiners said they were impressed with the level shown by all students, with Finlay assuring it was “a real pleasure to see such a talented group of pipers being led by an inspirational team.”

Trustee, Stewart Allan, also sat his SCQF Level 6 exam on the day - a massive undertaking in which he had to prepare 13 pieces of music, perform advanced exercises, plus performance and theory exams.

Instructor, Karen McCrindle Warren, said: “We’re incredibly proud of all our students. They were so well prepared, the exam on the day was actually a breeze.”