H. James Wallace, M.D.’88 is an Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology at The Robert Larner M.D., College of Medicine at the University of Vermont and bagpiper.
In the following blog post, Wallace describes his time as the official bagpiper for the annual Match Day celebration.
“Over the last 10 years I have become accustomed to the looks I get walking through the hospital in full piping regalia, the sound of the cleats on my ghillie brogues tapping on the tile floor as I go.”
The Beginnings
I’m not sure how the idea of a bagpiper leading the fourth-year class of medical students into the Match Day ceremony began, or how anyone at the Larner College of Medicine even knew I played the pipes, but about 10 years ago I was invited to participate. Until then I thought my professional and piping careers were well separated and assumed my musical diversion was little known in the medical community. While I was comfortable playing in a bagpipe band, a solo marching performance in front of hundreds was a new and anxiety-provoking endeavor. Ultimately, I felt that participating in the spectacle of Match Day would be fun, and a decade later I’m glad to have been asked.
I fondly remember my Match Day in 1988. The essentials of the day have not changed over the last 38 years. Members of my class opened envelopes at noon, and we found out where we would be moving to, and starting our professional careers, three months later. The fanfare of the day has, however, changed a great deal over the decades. It has been an honor (and tons of fun) to facilitate the pageantry that is now part of Match Day at Larner.
The March into The Match
Over the last 10 years I have become accustomed to the looks I get walking through the hospital in full piping regalia, the sound of the cleats on my ghillie brogues tapping on the tile floor as I go. Approaching the event space, I recognize the excited chatter of students, the buzz of conversations from the crowd, and the energy of the staff as they make sure the timing of the day is perfect.
Warming up and tuning is a ritual now shared with familiar faces of the team from years prior. Constant checks of the clock ensure we head off at the right second. I always make a quick turn back to check to make sure the college’s mascot, Dr. Moo, and the class are close behind me as we start – a lone piper marching in would be a bit embarrassing!
As we approach the room, I can hear the chatter crescendo into a cheer as the class appears. After speeches and a skit, the moment arrives. My privileged post during the rest of the ceremony is a bit behind the scenes. I get to see faces filled with excitement/anxiety/dread (frequently all three) as each student is called up to ascend to the stage, open their envelope and announce their match – always to applause and cheers.
A Calling to the Chanter*
My grandfather Wallace made sure that our family attended as many Highland Games as we could, and bagpipe albums frequently played on the stereo at his home during cocktail hour. While the music and pageantry were compelling, and I was intrigued by the pipes, it wasn’t easy to find a teacher or the time to pursue learning to play until life settled a bit. In 2004, The Gaelic College of Cape Breton hosted a one-week summer day camp at Shelburne Farms with classes in dancing, Gaelic language, fiddle, and bagpipes. With encouragement from my wife, my then 11-year-old daughter and I enrolled. We packed brown bag lunches every day and debriefed on our days of learning music and Scottish dance on the car ride home. The community of professional bagpipers is small and even the most renowned pipers travel around the world to teach. My first teacher at camp was in fact a world champion solo piper and former Pipe Major of the Queen’s Own Highlanders. His mastery of the instrument was inspiring, so I continued trying to learn.
After years of lessons, I upped my commitment to the music, the instrument and the culture by joining The Catamount Pipe Band, based in Montpelier. My intent was to dip my toe in, play with the group and maybe march in a parade or two. Before you knew it, I’m spending every Tuesday night at practice and most of my summer weekends traveling to parades or bagpipe competitions around the northeast. I was a piper in games like my grandfather took me to 50 years previously! The highlight of my band career was competing twice in the World Bagpipe Championships in Glasgow, Scotland (to be clear, the only “qualification” to compete in the Championships was to pay the entry fee). Bands from around the world participate – the extent and influence of the former British Empire is apparent when one competes against bands not only from Scotland and Ireland, but from Oman and Zimbabwe as well. Eight thousand pipers and drummers converging at the Glasgow Green one weekend in August is a piper’s dream, fully acknowledging others feel differently.
*a bagpipe chanter is the melody-producing woodwind component of a bagpipe, featuring finger holes and a double reed.
Life of a Piper
My experience as a piper has been wide-ranging. I have marched in innumerable Saint Patrick’s Day parades (including Boston’s – what a party!), played at weddings and funerals, traveled with and led a group of musicians to compete in Scotland, and developed friendships with folks I would have never met otherwise, but nothing compares to the experience of leading the class on Match Day. Being a part of one of the most impactful days of our students’ career is an honor and one I will appreciate forever.
