I am no longer a piper who hasn’t performed in public.

Yesterday’s concert/recital went very well. The weather was fantastic, the crowd was large and quite appreciative of our student efforts, my rattled nerves weren’t nearly as bad as I thought they’d be, and in the end, I lived to pipe another day.

I played a mini-set of “Mist-Covered Mountains” (the slow air that was played at President Kennedy’s funeral) and the upbeat march “Teribus,” which I made even more upbeat (and sadly less musical) by playing it somewhere around the speed of light.

I came dangerously close to losing things completely several times, once in each tune, when the fairly short blowstick on the Fireside Pipes slipped out of my mouth. That ticked me off a bit, because I had actually thought about that possibility and had considered adding my flexible blowstick extender, but ultimately decided not to. I hadn’t used the extender with the smallpipes before and didn’t want to deal with any new distractions. So instead I distracted myself by losing my grip on the stick. Fortunately, I was able to get the stick back in my mouth and the tunes back under control without too much damage.

I was also pleased to learn afterwards that the Negaunee Bandshell did a good job of amplifying and projecting the relatively quiet sound of the Firesides, eliminating my concern that I’d be playing my heart out for an audience that couldn’t hear a thing.

Looking back from the safety of the morning after, I am absolutely glad I did it. I’m glad my instructor and my family talked me into it. I’m glad I didn’t listen to my whiny internal reasoning and decide to wait until I was more comfortable or relaxed or experienced or any of the other dozens of things my brain told me to wait for.

All in all, it was a very good day. I conquered a fear and learned a lot. And I had loads of fun. What else can you ask for on a Sunday afternoon?

My instructor, who otherwise seems to be a sane, perfectly rational human being, has somehow convinced me to take part in a piping and highland dance concert in Negaunee, Michigan — his home base — located about two hours from here. Several of his students will be playing. When he first suggested that I be one of them, I laughed. Surely he was kidding, I thought. But no.

I won’t be on the “big pipes.” I’m not ready for that by a long shot. But I will be playing my Gibson Firesides, struggling my way through a tune or two.

Performance anxiety? You bet. Unfortunately, I can’t think of a better way to get over the nerves than to confront them head-on. And whatever happens — whether I’m great, mediocre or tank disastrously — it should prove to be an entertaining experience.

The concert is at 1 p.m. at the bandshell, on the corner of Pioneer and Lincoln streets in beautiful downtown Negaunee.

A map

If you’re in the neighborhood, stop by. If you can’t make it, no problem. I’ll post a report as soon as my hands stop shaking.