The skirl of the bagpipes is about to achieve academic respectability. Today sees the launch of the world's first degree in piping, a collaboration between the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and Glasgow's Piping Centre. The four-year BA will offer students the chance to study subjects ranging from piping technology and the physics of sound to the intricacies of making the instrument. Students will also be able to study at teacher training colleges, giving them a chance to train as music teachers.