About the Author
Zach Smith began taking drum lessons at the age of 12 with the Rob Roy Pipe Band of Kingston, Ontario. At 15 he joined the band first as a tenor drummer before making the permanent move to snare . At age 18 he led the Rob Roy drum corps to The World Pipe Band Championships winning "Best Overseas Band" in 1991.
In 1992, Zach left the pipe band scene to pursue his education at Acadia University in Nova Scotia. He graduated with both a performance degree in percussion and a bachelor of music education. After a brief stint working as a substitute teacher, Zach began a career as a private drum kit teacher and currently maintains a studio of 45 private students at the Fall River School of Performing Arts.
In 2012, Zach reentered the pipe band world joining the Dartmouth and District Pipe Band (Nova Scotia, Canada) as a corps drummer under lead drummer Jeremy Keddy. Upon Keddy's departure in 2014, Zach assumed the post of lead drummer and accepted the challenge of building a sustainable teaching program. At present there are more than 30 drum students enrolled with the Dartmouth and District organization which has recently grown to include three bands in Grades 2, 4 and 5. Dartmouth and District travelled to Scotland in 2015 to compete in the World Pipe Band Championships placing 4th in grade 3A. In 2016 the band placed second at the North American Pipe Band Championships in Maxville.
Zach has also performed and recorded with many well known artists including Richard Wood, Rachel Davis, Calvin Volrath, Kimberley Holmes, Christine Campbell, POGEY, Skip Holmes, Gordon Stobbe, Colin Grant, Alycia Putnam and Darren McMullen. He has performed at many Celtic and folk festivals across North America including Milwaukee Irish Fest, Chicago Celtic Fest, Celtic Colours and Stanfest.