Skip to content

Music as a Pathway – Access That Matters

Apply Now

How We Help

We are committed to providing equitable access to piping & drumming and supporting families in removing all financial barriers to participation.

Our NPC Access Scheme can provide support in three different ways:

  • Subsidised fees / Free places
  • Travel subsidies
  • Instrument loan / Rent-to-buy

Whether you would like to apply for financial support or would like to speak to one of our Youth & Communities team for advice please use the link below.

Apply Here

What We Fund

The NPC Access Scheme has been created with the sole aim of supporting young pipers into, and throughout, their piping journeys by helping to remove financial barriers.

The scheme is currently able to provide support towards participation in the below projects:

  • NYPBS Ensembles
  • NPC Community Piping Clubs
  • NPC Outreach Events

Apply Here

Who Can Apply

The NPC Access Scheme is available to participants aged 25 or under who are participating, or are looking to participate, in the NPC projects listed above.

Each application is reviewed by our access panel to ensure fairness and due process at every stage. While other factors apply, eligibility and level of support is determined principally by the household income of the applicant with two tiers of support; a 100% bursary and a 40% bursary. Full details of the eligibility criteria is available at the link below.

Discretionary Bursaries
If you would like to be considered for financial support and you do not meet the outlined criteria, or you wish to apply for additional support, please complete an application, providing as much detail as you can about your circumstances. For example, you may be a young musician who is self-funding the fees without the support of your family.

Made Possible By

The NPC Access Scheme is made possible by the kind support from; Creative Scotland, The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, The MacRobert Trust, The Eilidh Macleod Memorial Trust and the many smaller private donations made to the National Piping Centre.

The scheme is open to anyone aged 25 or under who meets the eligibility criteria however, the named funds below have been set-up to provide support in specific areas.

  • The MacRobert Access Fund – To provide financial support to young pipers and drummers from the Aberdeenshire region.
  • The Eilidh Macleod Access Fund – To provide financial support for young musicians in Scotland, with particular, but not exclusive, focus on enabling participation by young people from Island communities.

All applications are submitted in the same way and you do not need to specify which fund you are applying for. Each application is assessed on its own merits with successful applications being assigned to either a targeted fund or the wider NPC fund.