What is a keydetpiper?

A second post already! The first post turned out to be so long that I broke up the "getting to know me" stuff into several posts. So in this one I'll answer the question you're dying to ask: what exactly is a keydetpiper?

The word is broken into two parts. The first is keydet and the second is piper. They have two different origins which I shall explain presently.

I am a graduate of Virginia Military Institute, a venerable old school in Lexington, Virginia. Students there are officially called cadets, and back in the day the rival college in town (Washington and Lee University) twisted that moniker into the derogatory "keydet." The intended insult had quite the opposite effect and keydet is an affectionate nickname for VMI's sports teams and students. So a keydet is a student, athlete, or graduate of VMI.

When I started at VMI I was persuaded to start learning the bagpipes. I did pretty well, played in the VMI Pipes & Drums for the four years I was a cadet, and have continued to play after I graduated. Therefore, I am a piper.

I am a keydet, I am a piper. I am the Keydetpiper.