Students may audition for class placement during the morning registration session on the first day of the school, or may send in audition tapes at registration or prior to the school. Please note: Audition tapes should be a recording done on the bagpipes if possible. The instructors meet in the morning session on Sunday and determine class placements.

Placement in classes is oriented toward grouping individuals as closely as possible with respect to individual skill level and experience. Preferences may also be considered as some individuals may wish to concentrate on a certain type of music or certain other technical areas of their playing. Students should state this preference in the registration form or at the time of audition.

Once assigned to a class, students may feel that another class may meet their needs more closely. These requests will be considered, but students should be aware that the individuals determining placement are very experienced in these matters, and many times in the past, switching classes has turned out to be the wrong move. The following is a list of typical types of piping classes at the school over the years.

• The Medallion class: Students with the highest level of technical competence. Ceol Mor is presented along with light music, and less emphasis is placed on the development of the instrument and technique.
• Piobaireachd class: Concentrates on Ceol Mor with some light music for players who have intermediate-level technical skills that require further development.
• Intermediate adult classes: Stress technical skill development and instrument maintenance. They feature mostly light music, with some Ceol Mor, depending upon the preferences of the instructor and students. Generally, there are several of these classes separated by technical skill level.
• Intermediate youth classes: Generally made up of younger players and cover the same territory as the intermediate adult classes.
• Beginner classes: May or may not be separated by age, depending on the number of beginning students. It is most practical to separate adults from younger players due to their different rates of assimilation of the material.