Funerals

* Participated at 100’s of funerals

* Can Participate at Church, Graveside and/or Memorial Service

* All Denominations served

* Various types of service and locations accommodated

Although Tom has had the honor and privilege of playing bagpipes at 100’s of funerals, he continues to approach each funeral with the respect, dignity and professionalism the deceased deserves. The laying to rest of a loved one is important to the family and friends of the deceased, so Tom strives to enhance the importance by providing professional service from initial contact to completion of his participation.

Tom prides himself on the following key elements of professional service:

Ø Dependable – Tom has never missed a performance or been late since 1983. If an emergency prohibits his participation, Tom will find a comparable substitute from his numerous bagpiping contacts at no additional expense to the client.

Ø Quality – Tom pays particular attention to the details from tuning the bagpipe to appearing in proper attire to performance presentation.

Ø Fair Pricing – Tom believes it should not cost a small fortune to hire a bagpiper for a funeral. He strives to maintain fair and competitive rates.

Ø Commitment to excellence – Tom strives to make the hiring of his bagpiping services as easy as possible with very little attention required by the family. By doing his part it’s one less thing for the family to worry about. His flexible attitude makes working with him very easy and pleasant.

Denominations

Over the years Tom has had the opportunity to participate in ceremonies of many denominations. He has respect for the ceremony and traditions of every religion. Tom’s bagpiping experience allows him to better serve the family by easily adapting the use of bagpipes to the ceremonial aspects of the religion without interference.

Ceremonies and Locations

Each funeral service and location is unique and requires the expertise of an experienced bagpiper.

Using his bagpiping experience Tom has the ability to adapt to the type of service the family has chosen to lay to rest their loved one. From the non-traditional service of a family by themselves on a cliff overlooking the ocean to burials at sea to the traditional church ceremony Tom has done it. Certain religious sanctuaries do not allow non-secular music to be played. This does not mean pipes can not be part of the service, it means other options will need to be considered such as hearing the pipes before or after the ceremony outside the sanctuary or playing a secular tune such as Amazing Grace. In addition, services performed in a location other than a religious sanctuary may have sound level restrictions that bagpipes exceed so other options would need to be explored. Depending on the circumstances the solution could be as simple as sounding the pipes indoors or outdoors with the sound of the pipes drifting in. Using Tom’s experience, in most circumstances a satisfactory resolution can be found. Tom advises clients to verify with the personnel at the location that bagpipes are acceptable and if any restrictions require consideration.

Church/Memorial Service

Tom believes he is attending the service to serve the family in any capacity they feel is required. Based on his extensive bagpiping experience Tom does have suggestions as to what part(s) of the ceremony the pipes make the best contributions. These are only suggestions as he prides himself in repecting the wishes of the family.

v Prior to the Ceremony – A piper dressed in a kilt sounding the bagpipes in front of the funeral location for 10-15 minutes prior to the service can set the tone as the mourners arrive.

v Casket Entering the Sanctuary – A piper leading the procession of the casket into the sanctuary can be an honorable entrance.

v A Tune of Remembrance – Bagpipes sounding at a point in the service can be a time to reflect and remember the deceased.