Beginnings 

Since 1993, I had been teaching adult fiddle and step dance in Edinburgh with the Scots Music Group. SMG is a community-rooted charity that uses traditional music, song and dance to bring people together. Over 500 adults attend their weekly classes in Edinburgh, and similar programmes have now taken root in Aberdeen and Glasgow. 

Those classes gave me space to grow, to listen, and to connect through music. I often say SMG taught me how to teach. 

In 2007, I began wondering whether I could bring that spirit of learning and community to weekend camps on the island of Lismore. I lived full time in Edinburgh but had a family cottage on Lismore. The thought of working a few weekends a year on the island filled me with fresh enthusiasm!  

Lismore Fiddle Retreats Are Born 

For the next five years, I hosted weekend retreats in the cottage. Seven people would come at a time. We all slept under one roof. I taught in the kitchen and did the cooking too. It was close-knit and lively. I loved those weekends.  

In 2011, I began to expand the content to include other parts of my creative life, voice work, InterPlay, and improvisation. The weekends evolved gently, shaped by my own learning and curiosity. 

In 2012, I had booked the Lismore Community Hall for an InterPlay weekend. The work was intimate, folks lying on the floor, making sounds, moving freely. Midway through the session, an islander popped in and asked, “Is the doctor in?” That moment made me realise that I needed a dedicated space, one designed for this kind of work. 

Thankfully, around that time, we had a little more money than usual. Our version of Auld Lang Syne had been placed in the ‘Sex and the City’ film, which brought in just enough to build the studio. I’ll always be grateful to Sarah Jessica Parker for the inclusion of our version. 

The studio is light-filled and well insulated. It’s become a quiet anchor for the retreat work, a place where people can settle in and open up.  

The Individual and the Collective

Most fiddle camps divide participants by level: beginner, intermediate, advanced. I wanted to do something different. I wanted to build a space where people support each other, no matter what their experience. Where music could be shared rather than measured. 

I want to hear each person play alone so I know how I can help and it works magic for overcoming nerves!   From there, I tailor my teaching to each person, while creating opportunities for the group to join in and learn alongside. 

I believe people want to be heard. They might not say it out loud, but they don’t need to.  Each participant brings something unique that serves the whole group.   I hold that as a central truth in my teaching. This approach creates a shared learning atmosphere