From Ottawa to Glasgow: Young Drummer Making His Mark
By Jen Hill
Sometimes a lifelong interest begins with something as simple as picking up a pair of drumsticks.
For Ottawa area drummer Ryan Seigmiller, that moment came when he was just eight years old. His grandfather took him to a try-it tent at the North Lanark Highland Games, where Ryan picked up the sticks for a few minutes. That was apparently all it took.
“I wanted to take a lesson,” he remembers.
And why drums instead of the pipes?
“The pipes looked like they would be difficult to play.”
Fair enough!
Since then Ryan has gone on to currently compete with the Grade 2 Peel Regional Police Pipe Band. Closer to home, he also plays lead with the Ottawa Police Service Pipe Band and plays with the RCAF Pipes and Drums.
Rising to the Challenge
What keeps him interested is not only the music or the competition.
“I love the challenge of learning the music and competing in the circle, as well as making so many friendships with people from all over the world.”
There is also a great deal more work involved than those of us standing on the sidelines at a Highland Games might realize. Ryan attends organized practices three times a week, usually lasting anywhere from two to four hours, and still practices at home every day.
For him, one of the biggest challenges during a performance isn't necessarily the technical playing itself.
“The hardest part is tuning everything out that goes on around you so that you can stay completely focused while playing.”
That work has certainly begun to pay off.
Earlier this year, Ryan travelled to Kansas City for Winter Storm, his first international competition. He went into the event hoping to place somewhere in the top five.
He came home with first place.
Then came Scotland.
Ryan told us before heading to Glasgow that his goal at the World Juvenile Solo Drumming Championships was to make it through the qualifying round and earn a place in the final. Competing in Juvenile Section 4, for players aged 14 to 16, he knew he would be up against some very talented young drummers.
On October 17, Ryan placed 7th in his heat and 13th out of 25 competitors overall, narrowly missing a place in the final through a tiebreaker. For a young Ottawa drummer competing on the world stage, that's quite an accomplishment!
There is more good news closer to home, too. Ryan has been named the new leading drummer of the Smiths Falls Gordon Pipe Band’s Grade 5 band for the coming competition season. The role will give him the chance to develop his leadership and teaching skills while helping other players build theirs.
His experience in Scotland also gave him a rather different perspective on being part of the pipe band world.
“The first thing is, it was nice to not have people look at you strange when you're walking around in a kilt,” he said. “And then just being surrounded by so many talented players is pretty cool.”
Ryan is also quick to point out that none of this happens alone. He credits the teachers who have worked with him over the years and says he has felt tremendous support from the pipe and drum community, both here in Ottawa and throughout Ontario.
That community is something he would encourage other young people to discover.
His advice to anyone curious about piping or drumming is simple: go to a local Highland Games or competition and see what it is all about. From there, look for a local band that is good at teaching and, importantly, welcoming to young people.
It is rather fitting that Ryan's own journey began exactly that way, at a Highland Games, with his grandfather, trying the drums for a few minutes.
A few minutes turned into lessons. Lessons turned into bands, competitions and hours of practice. And this year, they took him all the way from Ottawa to Glasgow.
We have a feeling Ryan's story is only getting started!