At his day job, he holds the title of Public Works Director for the City of Ridgeland, but in his free time, Mike McCollum is a bagpipe player who loves marching around his neighborhood.
McCollum said he was inspired to take up the bagpipes after a trip to his family’s homelands of Scotland in 2016.
”We took a trip, I got inspired and the rest is history really,” McCollum says.
He takes regular lessons from Zoe Brumfield of Brandon. The process to become an accomplished player is said to be about seven years.
That is seven years after a six-month stint on something McCollum described as “like a recorder” before he even got his first set of pipes.
He now practices two times a day, seven days a week.
McCollum said that at one year in he is decidedly a beginner, but he has already memorized about 20 songs.
McCollum’s favorite way to practice is his regular serenades for his neighborhood. He usually goes about a mile and walks back playing songs, often in full kilt and regalia. He has also taken to playing at various ceremonies and memorials locally.
“I have gotten a real positive response from the neighborhood. They like when I march around and play. I have also had people come up to me and give some compliments at the various events,” McCollum says with a laugh. “I guess I am doing something right.”
Perhaps the most recognizable song McCollum has learned is “Amazing Grace.” The song is well known for arrangements that include bagpipes and is a crowd favorite. It was published in 1779 by John Newton, a British slave trader who renounced his profession, went on to become a staunch abolitionist and wrote the song after his conversion to Christianity. The story is that Newton’s ship encountered a furious storm off the coast of Donegal, Ireland in 1748. Newton prayed for salvation.
“He prayed for God to save him. When he survived he felt that proved God’s existence and he wrote the song,” McCollum says. “Everyone knows that song and I would say it is one of the great hymns of the church. That is one people request a lot.”
McCollum said he was originally drawn to the instrument for its “sound and tone” and quickly found a connection to its use in spiritual music. His repertoire includes hymns like “What a friend we have in Jesus” and more secular selections like the ballad “Danny Boy”, popular at funerals and an anthem of the Irish people.
He said his current bagpipe target is to learn “Scotland the Brave,” the unofficial national anthem of Scotland.
“That is the one you have to learn. I am on a steep learning curve at the moment. It is a fairly difficult tune,” McCollum said.
McCollum said this is a hobby he sees himself pursuing well past the seven-year mark.
“It requires endurance and dedication. I enjoy the challenge and it is something I just enjoy doing,” McCollum said. “It is not something you see a lot and I enjoy playing in the community and exposing people something they might not see every day. I hope more people come out to these events. They are in for a treat.”
