Piping to the beat of their own drummer & drum major S.B. police officer strengthens bond through music BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP Staff Writer The family that plays together stays together. Members of Allentown's Owens family are closer than ever since they started sharing their passions for music. South Brunswick Police Officer Dale Owens (l) and daughter Taylor, 13, march with the Trenton Ancient Order of Hibernians Pipe Band in the South Amboy St. Patrick's Day Parade. Their collective talents and dedication over the years have most recently culminated in Dale Owens and his daughter, Taylor, 13, playing the bagpipes in the Trenton Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH) Pipe Band, while Maggie, 16, helps keep beat in the drum section and Pam keeps time as drum major. Dale, a South Brunswick police officer, first took interest in the bagpipes when he saw them played during Police Memorial Week in Washington, D.C., where officials from all over the country gather annually to honor fallen officers. Upon hearing the droning instrument and the emotion it evokes, Dale vowed to learn how to play the pipes by the age of 40. Although he started taking lessons on a chanter under the direction of Frank Watson in 2000, Dale stopped pursuing his dream when his mother suddenly took ill and passed away. At that time, he wasn't sure he would ever take up the bagpipes again. However, after a year passed, he realized that learning the pipes was something that his mom had always encouraged him to do. So, he picked up the chanter again and ultimately purchased his first set of bagpipes at the age of 43 in 2003. Dale began playing with both the Lia Fail Pipe and Drum Corps and the Camden County Emerald Society Pipes and Drums at the same time. He marched with Lia Fail in several events including the Belmar/Lake Como St. Patrick's Day Parade and the Princeton Parade. With Camden, he saw his dream come full circle as he had the honor of marching for Police Memorial Week and on the steps of the White House. However, his dream fulfilled couldn't compare to having his daughter show interest in the pipes at an early age. "The first time I picked up the pipes, a little, tiny sound came out, which is hard," Taylor said, adding that she was immediately hooked on learning the instrument. Despite knowing that the hobby is historically a male endeavor and that most pipe bands are all-male, Dale wholeheartedly supported his daughter and purchased a chanter for her. When his older daughter, Maggie, expressed an interest in learning the drums, he proudly toted both girls to Lia Fail for lessons. Pam, a kindergarten teacher in the Upper Freehold Regional School District, said it was nice to see her children take interest in what their father was doing. "I thought it was great because they are both competitive swimmers and I was their swim coach," she said. "This was something for them to do with their father." As the girls continued practicing, Dale joined the Middlesex County Police and Fire Pipes and Drums. When Taylor got her pipes in 2005, she and her sister joined their father in that band. "When they started performing together, I couldn't resist," Pam said. "I started taking pictures for that band." Pam said one of the most memorable moments of that first year of the family playing together was when the band had Taylor dress up as Pickles the Piper, a piping leprechaun. She also said the family was proud to have Dale serve as pipe major of the Middlesex band. Now, the entire family performs with the Trenton AOH Pipe Band, which is dedicated to continuing the tradition of performing Celtic music on the Highland Bagpipe. Pam's responsibilities have grown in that she still takes pictures but also acts as band mom and fills in as drum major. The four of them spend most weekends together as the Trenton AOH has been very successful booking parades and events. For instance, on April 19 they played during the "Guns and Hoses" boxing match of police officers against firefighters for the benefit of Officer Down, a nonprofit dedicated to honoring America's fallen law enforcement officers. Then, on April 20 they ventured to South Amboy where they played in the makeup St. Patrick's Day Parade. The family also works together to support Taylor in her increasing number of piping competitions. She started taking lessons in Cranbury under the direction of Gordon Fraser and has been competing since 2006. The family travels up and down the East Coast from Maryland to Maine in support of Taylor, who tries her talents in 2-4 march, piobreached, slow-air, and 6-8 jig competitions. As a Grade 4 Junior who competes with youths up to the age of 17, Taylor is currently ranked No. 2 out of the 274 players in her group. She is No. 4 in piobreached. Of her standing, Taylor readily stated, "There's a lot more competitions to come." A natural on the pipes, Taylor learned to play in a fraction of the time it takes most adults to learn. "It's important for younger kids to see girls can actually do it," Taylor said. "Usually you see guys doing it. A lot of little kids can't believe I'm 13 and I picked it up." Since the age of 11, Taylor has also been getting paid to play the pipes for weddings, funerals and other events. She has aspirations of getting a bagpipe scholarship for college. Pam said her family learns a lot from supporting each other and spending so much time together. She said playing in the pipe band has helped her girls develop communication and problemsolving skills as well as the ability to make good life choices. "We play in a lot of pubs," she said. "They are seeing a lot of things - what's appropriate and not appropriate. Down the road they will know what to do because we are there right now to talk to them about it." The pinnacle of their experiences together has yet to come as the family looks forward to one day being able to play together at Police Memorial Week in Washington, D.C.