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The 87th Cleveland Pipe Band: A Tradition of Excellence.
The 87th Cleveland Pipe Band has an interesting history, after more than 15 years in existence. The organization is a competing pipe band, and has been competing for more than 12 years. Originally a small parade band, the organization has grown to field three simultaneous competition bands and each has enjoyed countless successful seasons. Membership began with less than ten members, but the count is now well over 70 (from ages eight to 65).
The 87th Cleveland Pipe Band has traveled to competitions in every surrounding state, several areas of Canada and Scotland. The band has competed in such major competitions as the US Open Championships (Alma, MI), the North American Championships (Maxville, Ont.) and the World Pipe Band Championships (Glasgow, Scotland), just to name a few.
Besides regional competitions, the 87th Cleveland has performed locally, regionally and nationally. The band has performed in nearly every major Cleveland concert venue, including Blossom Music Center, The Palace Theatre, CSU Convocation Center, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Nautica Stage and Entertainment Complex, Tower City Amphitheater, Cleveland Convention Center, International Exposition Center, and numerous other local landmarks in Downtown Cleveland, the Flats, and in several surrounding suburbs.
The band performs annually at several outdoor and indoor festivals in the Greater Cleveland area. In addition to festivals, the band has marched many a parade, including the annual St. Patrick's Day and Christmas Parades in Downtown Cleveland. The band has had the pleasure to perform with regional, national and international touring acts, even opening for Rod Stewart several times.
The culture within the organization is one of fellowship and dedication. The band was founded as a family band in 1987, and continues to operate as an "extended family" to this day. Due to the nature of the art form, players must work together in several aspects, and must be dedicated to a common goal. This lends itself to strong bonds, much deeper than is necessary. Most members have been in the 87th for several years, some their entire pipe band careers. Our members are very loyal to our band program.
We welcome many new members every year. While some are drawn to our commitment to excellence, others are drawn to our fellowship and camaraderie. Many members find close friendships within the band, and it is not uncommon for large groups of members to congregate beyond band rehearsals. Fellowship is a big part of our organization, and members seem to enjoy each other's company as much as the playing itself.
Though John Crawley, Sr. founded the 87th Cleveland Pipe Band in 1987, several other family members in the band play a key role in the organization's history, present and future. John, Sr. and Alicia Crawley have two daughters (Kathleen and Marie) and two sons (John, Jr. and Michael). All four are band members, as are other members of the Crawley family. The band was originally thought of as a "family band", but quickly grew outside the family tree (to over seventy members!). While organization membership is large, the band still operates as an extended family.
John Crawley. Sr. has been the backbone of this organization since it's founding. An accomplished piper himself, he was responsible for teaching many new pipers and recruiting some key players. He held the title of Pipe Major, until he passed the torch to his son, John, Jr. in 2000. John, Sr. was named Pipe Major Emeritus, and continues to work as an active member of the organization.
John's first born, Kathleen, started dancing at a young age. Soon, she became a champion Highland Dancer. When her dad founded the band, she was one of the first to join. A novice piper at the time, she quickly progressed to meet the challenges of competition. Kathleen is currently a piper in the band, and has been the Secretary for several years. She takes care of the tedious task of updating member information, announcements and updates, and lots of other thankless duties. Kathleen also teaches Highland Dancing.
John's youngest daughter Marie was also a piper in the band for several years. Later, she joined the drum section and effortlessly filled the role of tenor drummer. She is currently the Treasurer, responsible for fundraising and accounting duties in the band. She also takes care of uniforms, association correspondence, and countless other jobs to keep the band in business.
His first son, John Jr., started piping as a child. Taught by his father, John enjoyed playing the pipes as a young boy. He took a break from piping for several years of his adolescence and began piping seriously around age 21. His first competition with the band was more than ten years ago, and since then, John Jr. has proved himself as a talented piper and leader. After several years as Pipe Sergeant under his father, the torch was passed and he became Pipe Major of the Grade 2 band in 2000.
John's youngest son, Michael began playing the snare at a young age. Through the years, he has proven himself one of the World's most talented drummers. He has carefully cultivated a successful drumming program in the 87th, and has proven himself a great leader. He is responsible for teaching many of the drummers in the organization, and several new students. Michael is currently the Drum Sergeant of the Grade 3 band. Also a talented piper (taught by his father since age 12), he has led a successful piping program, and is the Piping Instructor for the Grade 5, our newest competition band. Michael also heads up several other areas of the organization, always willing to lend a helping hand.
Additionally, John's wife Alicia has been a supportive member of the organization since it's founding. She has done so much for the band, and has become a "mother" to countless band members. Marie's husband Mike Diamond was a piper in the early years of the band, and later went on to play bass drum. Kathleen's husband Mark Donnelly was also a piper in the early years of the band, learning from scratch. He is currently the Pipe Major of the Grade 4 band, and holds the office of Manager, taking care of many of the organization's business duties.
The Crawley family has been a vital part of the organization since it's founding. Though founded as a family band, the 87th Cleveland Pipe Band operates largely as an extended family. Though the organization is large, members create and foster close relationships with the players around them. The band wins and loses as a team, and camaraderie and encouragement is high. The influence of the Crawley family is not simply part of our history, but it is part of our future.
In 1961, John Crawley Sr. emigrated from his native Glasgow, Scotland to Brookpark, OH. A talented piper of 23 years, John was eager to continue cultivating his gift. After a short time in America, John joined the ranks of the Caledonian Pipe Band (Cleveland, OH). It was in the Caledonians where he met several people that shared John's love of the instrument, and whom he soon became friends with.
John spent more than twelve years with the Caledonian Pipe Band. He took a much-needed break from pipe bands in 1973. Before long, he got the bug again, and decided to start his own program. In 1987, with just a handful of pipers and a few drummers, a new pipe band was born. Originally funded by a local Irish organization, the new band was formed under their name. When things didn't work out, a new name was chosen to reflect both the city of origin and the year of it's founding: The 87th Cleveland Pipes & Drums.
John began to recruit interested members from his family, his co-workers at a local automotive plant, and the rest of the community. Many of the new members had never had a music lesson in their life. John patiently taught many of the founding members from scratch, and helped them to develop into skilled musicians.
The small but hardworking band continued to strive toward their goals. Hoping to field enough players and learn enough tunes to march in local parades, the members pressed on. They intended to start a hobby band, playing every now and then just for fun.
Soon, membership numbers grew, players became more skilled, and the 87th Cleveland Pipes & Drums progressed by leaps and bounds. Membership numbers soon doubled, and the word got around of the new program in Cleveland. The 87th was able to recruit new players, especially some seasoned pipers. The band continued to play local festivals, parades, and some private engagements. Soon, the band made a name for themselves locally.
After a few years as a parade band, some members began to take playing a bit more seriously. In 1990, the 87th was asked if they'd consider competing against other pipe bands in the Ohio Scottish Games (Oberlin, OH). After some debate, the members accepted the challenge, and decided to enter their first competition. After hundreds of hours of preparation, they competed in Grade 4 and won an astonishing Third Place. Band members felt a tremendous sense of accomplishment, and enjoyed the process.
Coming off this competition, the members began to get the "bug" for competitions. They remembered the fun they had after playing well, noticed how much better they'd become through hard work, and were excited by the challenge. Soon the band decided to change the focus of the organization to competition. The 87th took a year off of competition to prepare for the following year.
With lots of hard work and with the help of some new players, the 87th began to take competitions seriously. Goals were set, rules were made, and music was learned. The members and leaders became more focused on success in competition, and it showed.
After a few successful seasons, the 87th won the US Open Piping Championship (Alma, MI) in Grade 4 in 1996. Driven by success and determination to achieve greater things, the band moved into Grade 3, a tougher level of competition, and went on to win Midwest Champion Supreme Pipe Band in 1999. As trophies were won, membership numbers grew.
The band soon fielded a Grade 5 band, as a means of encouraging more participation and starting a program that would flourish itself as players moved up the ranks. New members joined, many of them very young.
A teaching program was soon set up to support inexperienced players, and to foster growth through the years. Since 1990, competition bands in the 87th Cleveland Pipe Band program have achieved success in Grades 5, 4, 3 and 2. The 87th currently fields competition bands in Grades 5, 4, and 2.
The 87th Cleveland Pipe Band remains focused on future achievement, despite all of our past accomplishments. We take great pride in all we have accomplished, but realize that there is always a higher level of excellence to be won. We strive to be humble and grateful for our members, our collective talents and hard work, and the opportunities we have to perform and grow. Our members share strong bonds beyond the competition circle, fostering relationships with other members of the team. This allows us to flourish as an organization as we have for over 15 years, and allows us to continue to move forward.
The organization now fields three competition bands, each with a different level of ability. We continue to work together to accomplish common goals, both on the field and off. While we focus on our goals in competition, we recognize our duty within the community to perpetuate the art form. Though the focus of the band remains on competition, we've learned the value of education. Our teaching programs are thriving, and we continually focus on cultivating new players from interested young people, as a means of keeping the art form alive.
1996 US Championship Pipe Band, Grade 4
1999 Midwest Champion Supreme Pipe Band, Grade 3
2002 US Champion Pipe Band, Grade 3
2003 EUSPBA Champion Pipe Band, Grade 2
2003 Canadian Champion Pipe Band, Grade 5
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