Who are we?
Pipe Band is offered as a music course at Helix HS
and students can choose to take it as an elective
or to fulfill their Visual Performing Arts requirement.

Piping students start on what is called a Practice
Chanter, a reeded instrument with the same fingering
as the bagpipe.  Students learn the basic fingering
techniques on the chanter and after they have
mastered a few tunes they graduate to the full set of
Highland bagpipes.

It takes roughly six months to learn to play the
bagpipes, and then a lifetime to master the instrument
and all of it's nuances. Bagpipes are not a difficult
instrument to learn, but are a physically difficult
instrument to play correctly. Therefore, diligent
practice and conditioning is required to become
proficient on the instrument during the nine month
school year.

Scottish drumming instruction is also available
through the Helix Charter HS Pipe Band. Students
begin on a practice pad, then move to the drum once
they have mastered the rudiments and can play
a few tunes.

Students are encouraged to start playing the pipes or
drums early. The Helix Charter HS Pipe Band
offers bagpipe and drum lessons to any Helix
enrolled student. For those in the Grossmont School
District, this is a great way to get a jump start on the
instruments in the years prior to attending Helix
by simply contacting our music department and
making arrangement with the instructor.

Helix Pipe Band performs at many school related
functions including assemblies, sports events,
concerts, administrative functions and graduation.
Aside from school activities, the group also
performs at public and private events including
parades, parties, arts festivals, retirement centers,
and corporate events.

If you are interested in having the Helix Charter Pipe
Band play at your next special event, please
contact our Music Director.
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Pipe Band - Who are we?
About Us

The band was founded in 1952.  Two of the founding members where Bill Flemming and John
Floyd.  They were playing members of the Camerons Highlanders and when Helix High School
was looking for a theme, Bill and John lobbied to make the theme The Highlanders so they could
have a pipe band at the school.  They got enough people to go for The Highlanders and the rest is
history.  This group continues to be the only high school bagpipe band in San Diego County.

Charlie Robinson, who also played with the Camerons and lived on Yale Street, right next to the
school, became the instructor for the band.  He was strictly a volunteer and taught the band for
probably 15 years.  His three sons went to Helix and were involved in piping, drumming and
dancing.

John Floyd taught the band briefly in the late 1960's and in 1967 the school decided they wanted to
hire a bagpipe instructor to teach the band one period a day.  John's schedule wouldn't allow him
to teach, so he contacted John Rosenberger, who suggested that his son Charlie Rosenberger
could do it since he had just graduated from high school and was attending college and he could
qualify to teach as an "Instructional Aide".

At this time, the pipe band was still considered a "Club" and was not part of the music
department.  The parents formed a parents’ organization and raised money to help with Charlie's
salary and also additional instruction on Monday and Thursday nights with Charlie, his brother
Malcolm and his father John Rosenberger.  They also helped with the purchase of instruments –
bagpipes, drums – and the parents made many of the early uniform pieces worn by the band.  As
the years progressed, the band was able to begin purchasing uniforms, and students now proudly
wear the Dress Gordon tartan kilts, red tunic and plaids for formal performances, and short
sleeved shirts with the kilt as their less formal uniform.

The band became a regular class around 1969 or 1970 and the pipers, drummers and dancers
began receiving grades for bagpipe band.

The band had done occasional things with the brass band with Mr. Thompson, but Gerry Kirk was
finally the band director that asked Charlie if the pipe band could do more with the brass band.  
The pipe band started participating in half time shows and parades with the marching band and
had the honor of being the band representing San Diego in the Tournament of Roses Parade in
1970.  It was the first time Helix had won this honor.

The pipe band also put on the San Diego Highland Games for two years at Helix High School
around 1971 and 1972.

In 1974, Charlie Rosenberger gave up his position as instructor for the pipe band to pursue his
own musical career.  Richard Warnock took his position as instructor for several years, then
another former Pipe Major of the Helix band under Charlie Rosenberger, John Nelson, taught the
band for a couple of years.

Charlie Rosenberger came back to teach the band in 1985 but only taught the band in the
summer of that year and took a job in the Post Office in September.  That is when John
Rosenberger took over the position of pipe band instructor.

In approximately 1994, a requirement was put in place that students audition before they
participate in the pipe band.  Prospective band members then had to learn some basic
techniques before auditioning.  This helped improve the level of playing on the part of the students,
and led to a focused learning environment and more dedication to the band and Scottish music.

In 1996, when Kathleen Mars became instructor for the pipe band, there were 5 bagpipers, 2
snare drummers, one tenor drummer and a bass drummer.  With the release of the movies
Braveheart and Rob Roy, bagpiping and Scottish drumming became popular, and the band saw a
steady increase in players, with freshmen joining the class and, in many cases, staying with the
band through all four years of high school.

In 2005, Kathleen Mars retired as the instructor and Merri Miles entered as the new instructor.  
During Merri’s two years as instructor, the band continues to play new and challenging music,
such as “Akuna Matata” from Lion King and “Cuban Rhythm.”  Due to poor health, Mrs. Miles left
the program and we were fortunate that Kathy Mars was willing to come back to build an even
stronger program than previously existed.

Through the years the pipe band has gained increased recognition and popularity within the
school and in the community.  They regularly play at football games, march in parades as a
component of the marching band, perform at a variety of fund raising events for the music
program, at community events, as part of the 50-year reunions of Helix classes, and at paid
performances.

This year, the 2007-2008 pipe band consists of 12 pipers, 5 snare drummers, 2 tenor drummers
and 1 bass drum player, who also plays tenor. In addition to the above listed activities, they have
played for:  a Gang Intervention Convention in Del Mar, a memorial for a Helix teacher, the annual
dinner of the San Diego Robert Burns Club, an event at Disneyland, the grand reopening of the La
Mesa Baskin Robbin’s ice cream store, the Spring Garden Show at the Water Conservation
Garden at Cuyamaca College, and the La Mesa Relay for Life event.  Everywhere they go, the band
is well received, and students present themselves in a very professional manner.  They are great
representatives of Helix Charter High School, and continue to uphold the 56 years of tradition they
have established.
History of the Helix Pipe Band