April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
MUSIC TO HIS EARS
Bagpiper dad keeps family tradition going
Bagpiper dad keeps family tradition going
"I started playing when I was eight years old," he said.
That's about how old one of his daughters is right now. But Meara Sweet, a second-grader at St. Pius X School in Loudonville, isn't showing too much interest in the instrument yet. Neither is her four-year-old sister, Avery, who is in pre-kindergarten at St. Pius.
Mr. Sweet decided to pick up the bagpipes after watching his father play them. "He no longer plays," said Mr. Sweet, but still created memories for his son of growing up amid the sound of the traditional instrument.
Bagpipes, though most commonly associated with people of Scottish descent, have been played by many cultures for centuries. They were even mentioned in the Bible. Supposedly, Roman Emperor Nero also played the bagpipes, which were originally made of goat- or sheepskin and reed pipes.
"Most kids learned to play the clarinet or the violin," Mr. Sweet told The Evangelist. "I learned to play the bagpipes. It's been a lifelong hobby."
Time to play
The father of two works from home, doing cybersecurity for a financial institution.
"It's nice and flexible with the kiddos here," he said, noting that he can drop off Meara and Avery at school most mornings.
Mr. Sweet can also practice his pipes during his lunch hour at home. The parishioner of St. Pius X Church in Loudonville has a rehearsal room in his basement, though bagpipes aren't known for being quiet: His family can still hear the music from the upstairs.
"Definitely, you're not going to practice after bedtime," Mr. Sweet stated. "It's one of the more challenging instruments to practice. It's a very loud instrument. Most people who play, we wear ear protection."
He also encourages his girls to cover their ears to make sure they aren't ringing when he's done playing.
"I think my kids are probably proud and interested" in the music of the pipes, he said, though "it's not music I'm going to lullaby them to sleep with. It's more aggressive."
Mr. Sweet is a member of the Capital Region Celtic Pipe Band, a competitive ensemble of bagpipers and drummers. The band rehearses once a week.
Culturally Celtic
"It's really kind of unique," the bagpiper told The Evangelist. "It's not an instrument that a lot of people play."
Mr. Sweet and his family are Irish, so playing the bagpipes has cultural significance for him. Every year, for St. Patrick's Day, Mr. Sweet dresses in traditional garb and plays his pipes in the halls of his daughters' school, then talks with students about the history of the bagpipes.
"I hope it spurs their interest," he said. "They all seem to like it. It's a nice disruption from class." Playing at St. Pius reminds him of his own days at Catholic school: Mr. Sweet attended St. Mary's School in Clinton Heights, where he remembers performing in talent shows.
Even then, he said, he loved playing his bagpipes for a crowd. Mr. Sweet will play at many local parades this summer with the pipe band.
Family effort
Having a supportive family is key to his ability to be in the band, the bagpiper said; his wife, Jennifer, brings the children to many of the performances.
For Mr. Sweet, playing the bagpipes is tied to fatherhood.
"It's something I did with my father," he explained. "A lot of the people I know that play the instrument are part of bagpipe bands. They do it because of a family member."
Playing the bagpipes keeps a family tradition alive, said Mr. Sweet. He's still rooting for his daughters to join him.[[In-content Ad]]
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