I had a fantastic week tutoring at Fèis Spè in Aviemore last week. This was my third year in a row as the keyboard tutor so it was great to be back. It’s always such a lovely bunch of tutors at Fèis Spè and this year was no exception; Gillian Fleetwood, Angus Binne, Sophie Stevenson, Barry Reid, Steven Blake, Gary Innes, Sharon Hasson, Sandra MacKay, Gillian Frame, Findlay Napier, Dave Martin, Calum Beange, and helpers Ilona Kennedy and Ailis Sutherland.
I arrived pretty tired on Monday morning as I’d been in Shetland at the Box and Fiddle Festival until Sunday evening. A brew and a banana when I arrived and I was raring to go. Each morning starts with the fèis song. Then you have your first choice class, your second choice class, and then lunch. After lunch is first choice again, then this year there was an hour of either sport or dance. I went into the dance studio to help Sophie with the dancers. We learnt Scottish step dancing steps, some ceilidh dances, and I taught the girls an Irish céilí dance as well. The last class of the day was groupwork where the kids get the chance to play together in a group.
Thursday was a busy day with a ceilidh for the kids in the afternoon, and then the tutor concert in the evening. The concert saw the return of Gael Force for their annual gig. Gael Force are all the tutors who play flute and whistle. After the concert we went to The Old Bridge Inn for a drink and then on to The Vault, Aviemore’s best and only nightclub. We impressed the dj and bar staff with our body percussion moves we’d been practicing all week at the fèis.
Friday was the last day and there was the final showcase concert in the afternoon. All the first choice classes performed a piece at the concert as well as the dancers. I was very proud of my keyboard group who played their arrangement fantastically.
