Back in January this year, I was browsing through the Creative Scotland website when an opportunity jumped out at me. Open Call for Musicians for A New Conversation. The Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh were partnering with a G5A Foundation for Contemporary Culture in Mumbai, India to create a new collaborative work between Scottish and … Continued

Whenever I talk about working at MK Whistles I always end up finding that people are much more interested in what I do than I would’ve expected. I don’t really know what my official job title is, but what I have been doing is helping with the making of the whistles, and also in the … Continued

When myself and Josie started playing together after a very last minute gig at Celtic Connections we couldn’t have imagined going on to win the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award the following year. Since then it’s been an incredible journey. We have had the opportunity to play for 20,000 people at Fairports Cropredy Convention, … Continued

A song about romance at ‘the dancing’. I have recently been part of a project with two other musicians through Live Music Now Scotland​, performing in care homes and day centres around Paisley and Johnstone. We had an informal chat after each concert, where lots of memories of the area were shared. The dance halls … Continued

(Photo: Harp Bazaar pupils win at the Mod) Harp Bazaar was founded in 2014 by harpists Heather Downie and Pippa Reid-Foster. They met whilst Heather was teaching at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and Pippa was a student studying for a Masters. Harp Bazaar is all things harp related; courses, workshops, competitions, music books, CDs … Continued

In 1992, Dr Jo Miller gathered a few learners to teach Scottish fiddle by ear.  This was the start of Glasgow Fiddle Workshop (GFW) now Glasgow Folk-Music Workshop.  GFW now has a weekly membership of over 350 learners, a Board of volunteers who ensure our efficient day to day running (with the help of a part … Continued

The Certificate in Scottish Studies was established in 2014 to allow students in schools and colleges the opportunity to study subjects which are Scottish orientated.  This reflects  demands to make the curriculum more Scottish.     In the 1980’s the Scottish Consultative Committee on the Curriculum (SCCC) gathered evidence from teachers and others on whether the … Continued

This year, Scottish Culture and Traditions (SC&T) is celebrating 20 years of providing adult evening classes in the full range of Scottish traditional music, song and dance and we estimate that over 2500 people have been through our classes since we started in 1997.  We believe it is important to keep our traditions alive and are … Continued

Riddell Fiddles is a community music group based in Selkirk in the Scottish Borders. Originally started in September 2003 when there was little provision in the area for traditional music learning and playing the group has become part of a popular, fun and creative flow across much of Scotland. During their existence the group have … Continued

It all began back in 1931 at the close of the National Mod in Dingwall, when a group of enthusiasts, mostly women, met to form a Society to promote the clarsach and its music. Quiet, steady work by dedicated volunteers through ensuing decades, eloquently described in the recently published book “In Good Hands” by Stuart … Continued