Third time lucky for Mull Fiddle Week

Players at Mull Fiddle Week fi nally celebrated getting back together this month, after the event had been postponed twice due to Covid.

Mull Fiddle Week, funded by the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, aims to immerse young people in the energy and spirit of traditional fi ddle music. It was open to players of all abilities from Argyll and Bute and attracted more than 30 participants. The main fi ddle programme was based in venues around Tobermory and was led by some of Scotland’s fi nest fi ddle players - Patsy Reid, Adam Sutherland, Daniel Thorpe and Vanessa Edwards - who travelled up from Lancaster

to join the team. “Also taking part in Mull Fiddle Week was a group of young aspiring musicians who all gained places on a mentoring programme led by Patsy Reid.

Emily Goan, one of the trainees from Innelllan, Argyll, said: ‘I had an absolutely fantastic week at Mull Fiddle Week and I have left feeling absolutely inspired to keep teaching.

‘All of the tutors were patient, encouraging, helpful and supportive, as well as fantastic musicians. It was so great to be able to work with all of them and see their different teaching styles. I feel that I took something different from each of them.’ Another trainee, Lucy Houston from Ardnamurchan, said: ‘This was one of the best weeks of my life.

‘It was so much fun and

such an incredible learning experience.’ The participants, aged between fi ve and 17, took part in small, focused workshops learning traditional repertoire I had an by ear and bowing techabsolutely niques, musicianship classes fantastic week at Mull Fiddle experiencing traditional music through movement as well as creative composition Week and I classes. have left feeling The youngsters all learned absolutely parts to tunes including Jig inspired to keep Runrig, An T-Eilean Muileteaching. ach and Pinacle Ridge, all specially arranged by Patsy Reid, which they performed en-masse to delighted passers-by on Tobermory Main Street towards the end of the week. Adam Sutherland, one of

the event’s leading fi ddlers, said: ‘You guys created such a great atmosphere for learning. A very happy bunch of young people indeed, all of whom did so well.

‘So many inquisitive young minds. Bravo.’

Also taking place over the water was Mull Fiddle Week’s sister project, Hear My Music, spreading the joy and accessibility of traditional music to people with learning disabilities.

Emily Carr-Martin and Morag Currie, specialist music educators and fi ddler players from the Glasgow-based charity, spent each morning running music sessions at the Lochside Centre, formerly Lochgilphead Resource Centre, as well as working with groups at the Mid Argyll Youth Development Service and groups in Campbeltown.

Mull Fiddle Week organiser Laura Mandleberg said: ‘The pandemic has hit the vulnerable members in our community the hardest. It was very special to see the amazing work of the Hear My Music team working at the Lochside Centre.

‘Even though we were working apart, we were together through our music-making and working on the same pieces arranged by the wonderful Patsy Reid.’ You can fi nd video clips of Mull Fiddle Week on the Mull Music Makers Facebook page.

Organisers thanked the The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo for the funding and the Western Isles Hotel for gifting them venue space. Laura gave a fi nal thanks to ‘all of our participants who played their socks off and made us all so proud’.

Mull Fiddle Week 2022 anyone?’