The Playing Me...
I started music at the age of, erm, I can’t really remember, but it was pretty young, on the recorder. This became the fife and then at 10, the flute. At the age of 16 I took up the double bass, I’m not really sure why, it was just there in the corner at school. It seemed like a good idea at the time! I started the Scottish Smallpipes as I left the Royal College of Music. I was originally taught by my dad, (a pipe major for a local band). I think it was always a bit of a disappointment that neither myself or my sister played the pipes so it was sad that a year after starting them he unfortunately died (cancer). I love playing all three instruments, I have no fave. They’re all so different, but the one thing that I do try is be lyrical and play them all melodically with feeling. You might think that’s hard on the bass, but this is not so! I stopped playing the bass so much in recent years due to not enough time to practise, but as I’m getting more and more work playing with other folkies it is coming out to play more often. I am really excited now to be playing more Swedish music. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, but until now hasn’t really happened. The internet has helped me find so many wonderful resources!
The Teaching Me...
I started to teach the flute when I was 14 and gradually got more and more pupils. I completed my PGCE with my final specialism in instrumental teaching. I was a peripatetic flute/bass/piano teacher for six years before going into educational research.
Teaching was never something I wanted to do, but it is something that I have always done. There seems to be something inside of me that can’t stop it from happening. I guess it’s hereditary, my dad started off his pipe band with about 4 pupils in the back room and it got larger and larger going from church hall to school hall to fully competing pipe band. It is sad that he never really got to see me play the pipes properly. :-(
The Masters Me...
I’ve completed my masters degree, (and got a distinction) in which I focussed on teaching the scottish smallpipes (and flute) online. It was great fun and I am going to continue teaching online, but I’m taking a short breather to learn to play the Nyckelharpa! Learning the nyckelharpa has been a huge adventure. I initially wanted to play it for something to sing and play with. Combining with learning to play an instrument where there was no teacher, only online resources, something that I’d never tried put me back in the position of being a learner, into the position of the learners that I’ve been helping. I have always known about the nyckelharpa as my mother’s side of the family is Swedish. I speak Swedish, we spent all our summers there when I was growing up. I have had so much fun discovering my Swedish roots. Don’t worry though, I’ve not forgotten about the Smallpipes!
:))
Vicki
