A Scottish Christmas
A man in Scotland calls his son in London the day before Christmas Eve and says, “I hate to ruin your day but I have to tell you that your mother and I are divorcing; forty-five years of misery is enough.”
'Dad, what are you talking about?' the son screams.
“We can't stand the sight of each other any longer” the father says. “We're sick of each other and I'm sick of talking about this, so you call your sister in Leeds and tell her.”
Frantically, the son calls his sister, who explodes on the phone. “Like hell they're getting divorced!” she shouts, “I'll take care of this!”
She calls Scotland immediately, and screams at her father “You are NOT getting divorced. Don't do a single thing until I get there. I'm calling my brother back, and we'll both be there tomorrow. Until then, don't do a thing, DO YOU HEAR ME?” and hangs up.
The old man hangs up his phone and turns to his wife. "Sorted! They're coming for Christmas - and they're paying their own way."
(from the internet – author unknown).
SAS Donation to a Young Piper
The Board has approved a donation to assist a young piper to attend a piping workshop. This is part of our charitable mission and it certainly seems to be a good cause. Following is a letter from Tracy Jenkins.
To the Saint Andrew’s Society of Williamsburg, VA,
I am a Scottish musician, although I touch on other Celtic traditions as well, and am first and foremost a piper. I’ve played Highland pipes since middle school, both in the Washington Scottish Pipe Band and in McLean High School’s marching band. Since graduating high school, I’ve focused more on the wonderful world of smallpipes and folk music. I have played Scottish Smallpipes for three years and this August added Border Pipes to my range of musical instruments. This summer I did original research for the William and Mary Monroe Scholars program on the process of recreating historical instruments and developing repertoires for them, focusing largely on the smallpipes renaissance and the effort to establish repertoires for Border Pipes from 18th- and 19th-century tune collections as well as more recent tunes.
I find in Scottish bagpipes not only a link with my McIntosh and MacMillan heritage, but a truly beautiful, expressive and fun music. While there is nothing quite as awe-inspiring and heartening as marching down a street in a pipe band, I have also come to love the dizzying energy of strathspeys, jigs, and reels at full tilt on the smallpipes. There’s a freedom in the smallpiping tradition in which each piper takes a tune and makes it his own, and the best smallpipers never play a tune the same way twice in a row.
I got into smallpipes so I could play with other folk instruments—fiddles, guitars, etc.—and soon after I acquired my first set of smallpipes I attended the first annual smallpipe workshop in Harper’s Ferry, WV. I enjoyed learning new tunes, sharing camaraderie with fellow smallpipers, and exploring together the freedom of the smallpiping tradition, which encourages variation and musical creativity I hadn’t accessed in a pipe band—so much that I returned for two more years. It’s a rare thing to get together with other smallpipers in such a small community, and I treasure those sparse opportunities for fellowship and learning. Every year I come away with new approaches to the music, new tunes, and new friends. I am really grateful to Joanie Blanton and Upper Potomac Music Weekends for putting on the “Squeeze the Bag” workshops, which have now moved to Shepherdstown, WV, and really hope to be able to go again this year.
When I started going to these workshops, I was in high school and my parents paid my tuition, but now I’m a full-time undergraduate at The College of William and Mary and my parents no longer pay for everything I do outside of my studies, which I pursue to the extent that I have no time for a job on the side. I would really appreciate it if the Saint Andrew’s Society would assist me in continuing to attend the “Squeeze the Bag” workshop by providing a scholarship to cover the $149 tuition and two communal meals for the weekend.
In return, I would be happy to share with the Society my experience at the workshop. I enjoy sharing my love of Scottish music with others and would happily share the tunes I learn, the methods I pick up, and the overall experience.
Sincerely,
Tracy H. Jenkins
Messages from Sarah McCaslin
Happy St. Andrew's Day!
I just wanted to send a message in order to touch base. My studies for the first semester as a grad student at the University of Edinburgh are coming to a close, and papers are due in about two weeks. I have been working fervently on an historiography paper which deals with how historians have dealt with eighteenth century clubs in both Scotland and America. It has been a difficult but very rewarding task. My next endeavor will be to start working in the archives and write a paper on methodology followed by my formal dissertation. I will be returning to Maryland on December 21st for the Christmas holiday, and then directly back to Edinburgh to continue my studies.
Thank you again for making this possible,
Sarah McCaslin
In a later message Sarah wrote us again
Dear Mr Tucker and St. Andrew's Society of Williamsburg,
Thank you very much for your generous contribution to my tuition and fees. I cannot begin to tell you how grateful I am. I also will of course speak to the society at a luncheon following my return to the states. As of right now, I am planning to returning home on September 9, 2010. With my PhD application pending, I cannot give you specific dates that I will be available. However, I will be sure to email you as soon as I know if and when my next program of study begins.
Thank you again, Sarah McCaslin.
