Abstract of the Dissertation

This dissertation explores how Highland bagpipers in Texas construct individual and collective identities through musical participation, cultural engagement, and community affiliation.

Situated within the broader framework of ethnomusicology and identity theory, the study investigates how pipers engage with heritage, navigate tradition and innovation, and experience personal transformation through the practice of bagpiping. Drawing on qualitative data collected from open-ended surveys with pipers across Texas, the research employs thematic analysis to interpret participant narratives within six high-level thematic categories: identity and belonging, style and tradition, cultural heritage, leadership and organisation, band participation and social roles, and personal skills and development.

The findings reveal that piping in Texas is not only about learning and performing music, but also functions as a dynamic cultural practice, offering pipers a means of expressing both personal and group values, enhancing a sense of belonging, and negotiating the self in complex social environments.

Participants describe piping as both a continuation of ancestral heritage and a chosen identity, with many engaging in acts of symbolic participation that transcend genealogical lineage. The data also highlight how traditional music operates as a vehicle for emotional resilience, social cohesion, and elective cultural affiliation in diasporic and multicultural contexts.

This study contributes to ongoing discussions in ethnomusicology about the role of tradition in identity construction, the interconnection of tradition, heritage, and innovation, and the social functions of music in contemporary life.  It affirms that Highland piping in Texas represents a living, adaptive, and deeply meaningful practice that illuminates the broader processes by which individuals make sense of themselves and their communities through sound.