Tanya and Caleb Becvinovski

CHARLESTON Pipe band

When Caleb was younger he was really interested in the Napoleonic Wars and thought it would be fun to learn bagpipes. When he was 8 years old he saw The Charleston Pipe Band perform at the Charleston Riverdogs baseball game and he had his picture taken with one of the pipers. Caleb, like many pipers in our band, learned to play the pipes under the tutelage of Peter Armstrong. He also gained a better music reader by attending the North American Academy of Piping and Drumming. Caleb also brought his experience as a piano student (7 years) and his competitive spirit as an athlete to
the study of the pipes.
Caleb fondly recalls his first competitive outing with the band at the Greenville Scottish Games; it was an impactful experience for him because, ”I always like competing and I always have the most fun when something’s on the line.” Caleb is also inspired and supported by his academically gifted sister and his dad who was a professional soccer player in Australia and his mom who plays snare drum in the band.
Outside of band, Caleb is an avid soccer player and surfer and believes that playing the pipes makes him a well-rounded person.

Meet the Becvinovski family!
Tanya and Caleb Becvinovski are one of several valued "band families".

Tanya was motivated to start the snare drum in middle school because all her friends were in band. However, she recalls that reading music proved to be an obstacle at that time, so she pivoted to ballet. Years later in 2022, her son Caleb was taking bagpipe lessons and she found out the band needed snare drummers, so she decided to give drumming another try.

Now as a member of The Charleston Pipe Band, Tanya particularly enjoys playing in parades because, having attended these same parades with her kids, she has fond memories of community outings. Tanya also enjoys the Scottish Games because of the combination of culture, ceremony, and competition in such an enjoyable way. Tanya notes, “I absolutely love that I get to take part in all these events with such talented, interesting people - my bandmates - and my son, Caleb!” Attending the North Academy of Piping and Drumming is also special for her, having grown up in the North Carolina mountains. As Robert Burns said, "my heart’s in the Highlands.”

Outside of band, Tanya loves to trail run, paddle board, go to the beach, spend time with her family, and watch English Premier League.