Who is Andrew Douglas?

Andrew Douglas is a prolific practitioner of the bagpipe, active at the highest level of pipe bands, solo competition, teaching, and creative endeavors for the past 20+ years.

Andrew is the co-founder, owner, and leader of Dojo University, the longest-running and most successful online bagpiping school in the world. Dojo U was the first online bagpiping school of its kind – and it's still the largest and most successful – where thousands of pipers from around the world learn at their own pace, engage with us and with each other, and have unparalleled access to expert knowledge, instruction, and troubleshooting on their journey to mastering the bagpipe.

In 2008, Andrew founded the Dojo with famous piping teacher Donald Lindsay. At that stage, it was called The Piper's Dojo, which was also a bagpiping supplies retailer. The online learning part of the business was rebranded as Dojo University in 2019.

By 2011, with the help of our current head instructor and awesome piper Carl Donley, Dojo University had morphed into an earlier iteration of the online school you see today.

During his piping career, Andrew has also accumulated a significant set of piping accolades at the highest levels in the world, which include:

• winning two world championships (2017 and 2019) with Grade 1 Scottish band Inveraray and District Pipe Band – Andrew is still a competing piper with IDPB, travelling to Scotland to compete with them in several majors, including the World Pipe Band Championships, every year
• qualifying for the World Championship Final as a grade 1 pipe major
• teaching and developing several junior bands who went on to win world-championships
• taking top solo prizes, including 5 top-4 finishes in the Silver Medals at Oban and Inverness
• even-winning the B-grade Strathspey/Reel at Oban in 2004
• composing music that's won the World Pipe Band Championships in Grade 1
• earning a bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Music Composition
• certifying as a Level 8 performer and as a bagpipe teacher with the Scottish Qualifications Authority
• being certified as a competition adjudicator in the British Columbia Pipers' Association and the Eastern United States Pipe Band Association
• writing an award-winning book about how pipers can find their bagpipe freedom and own unique musical voice.

Andrew lives in upstate New York with his wife and two children.

Learn more about Andrew

• Watch Andrew's world-championship-winning performances or selected podcasts.
• Listen to Andrew's original music and arrangements on your streaming platform of choice.
• Read Andrew's book, Finding Bagpipe Freedom.