THE COLORADO YOUTH PIPE BAND
Meet the Colorado Youth Pipe Band Instructors
Jamie Cuthill
Band Director
Jamie Cuthill is Colorado’s most successful piper. He is the 2015 and 2017 Western U.S. Professional Champion.
Jamie was a founding member of the Colorado Youth Pipe Band and played with the band as a child until his family moved to Canada in late 1993. In Canada, he was a founding member and first Pipe Major of the juvenile Robert Malcolm Memorial Pipe Band. Shortly after aging out of the RMM band, Jamie moved to Scotland, where he played with the highest grade David Urquhart Travel Pipe Band.
With a decade of global experience, and instruction from the finest teachers available, Jamie returned to Denver in early 2002 to proudly take on the position of Band Director for Colorado Youth Pipe Band. Jamie is also the Pipe Major of Colorado’s highest graded band, Queen City; a top tier piping adjudicator; and the president of the Intermountain Branch of the Western United States Pipe Band Association.
Jamie teaches students of all ages and abilities, many of whom win awards in solo competitions. He has remained passionately committed to the Colorado Youth Pipe Band since the band's first days.
Tripp Bishop
Piping Instructor
Tripp has been playing musical instruments all his life but learned to play the bagpipes in 2009 at age 36. He has played in a Denver-based pipe band and has also competed in solo bagpiping competitions through Grade 1. His two daughters have both been active in the Colorado Youth Pipe Band.
Charlie Butterworth
Piping Instructor
Born in UK, moved to Colorado in 1997 to attend grad-school in Iowa. After graduation, Charlie moved to Southern California, then Arizona, before landing in the Denver area in 2012. He started piping in 2009 and has played in bands in Arizona and Colorado, and has competed in solo piping since 2010. Since 2019, he has served as the Band Registrar for the Western United States Pipe Band Association. Both his sons (Jeremiah and Callum) play in the CYPB drum corps.
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Ana Fairbanks-Mahnke
Piping Instructor
Ana joined CYPB when she was 11 years old as a dancer. After a year of dancing, she twisted her ankle and attended a piping lesson and since then she's been hooked and has been playing the bagpipes ever since! She traveled with CYPB to Scotland in 2013 to compete. She continued her Bagpiping career after CYPB at the College of Wooster in their pipe band, and was Pipe Major in 2018-2019. She has now come full circle and volunteers as a piping instructor at CYPB, sharing her love of bagpipes with the next generation! When she isn’t piping, you can find her hiking or climbing.
Lindsay Cuthill
Drumming Instructor
Lindsay grew up around drumming and had always been drawn to it but didn't actually learn until 2007 when she joined a pipe band as an adult. She is currently a tenor drummer with the Queen City Pipe Band as well as being the tenor drum instructor for Colorado Youth Pipe Band. Trained as a social worker, she works in City and County government when she's not drumming or teaching drumming.
Evan Schrieber
Drumming Instructor
Evan has been a member of CYPB since 2009. He learned to play snare drum at 11 years old and immediately developed a passion for drumming. He went on to lead the Drumline in Scotland 2013, and then moved to instructing the snares in 2015. He has also played with Queen City pipe band in conjuction with CYPB and competed in many solo and band competions across Chicago, California, Missouri, and Colorado. He intends to have fun while teaching and staying competitive keeping a Scottish tradition alive!"
Cristy Jones
Highland Dance Instructor
Jackie Cuthill
Highland Dance Instructor
Shari Gillette
Highland Dance Instructor
Jackie is co-director with Cristy Jones of the highland dance corps of the Colorado Youth Pipe Band teaching students ages 4 -18. Jackie has her Member Highland certification from the British Association of Teachers of Dancing. In addition, Jackie has her Master’s Degree in Education.
Cristy Jones is co-director with Jackie Cuthill for the highland dance corps of the Colorado Youth Pipe Band. In addition, she is the instructor for Cristy’s School of Scottish Highland Dance in Broomfield, CO. Cristy has her Fellow Highland and Member National certification with the British Association of Teachers of Dancing and has been teaching for over 20 years. Cristy is a member of ScotDance USA. Cristy is also currently the Vice President for Rocky Mountain Highland Dancers. Through the years, Cristy has had many dancers win championships in Colorado and the Southwest region. Although competition is one part of dance, Cristy’s main purpose in teaching is for the love of dance. She has trained over half a dozen dancers to become teachers themselves. Cristy also has a Master’s degree and certification in elementary education.