Feisean a' Mhonaidh Ruaidh workshops.

Feis Spè is delighted to be awarded a grant from People Making Waves to contribute to the cost of a series of inspirational traditional music workshops for young people throughout the Cairngorms National Park.

For 20 years, we have offered access to tuition, group playing and performance opportunities within Badenoch and Strathspey, with hundreds of young people benefiting each year. Many of our past participants have gone on to become professional traditional musicians, including recent Young Traditional Musician of the Year winner, Ewan Robertson; three are currently studying at the National Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music in Plockton and others have gained entry to university music degree courses.

We have recently expanded our area of operation, through support from the Cairngorms National Park Authority and other agencies, to extend this provision throughout the Cairngorms National Park area - hence the adoption of our new name of Feisean a' Mhonaidh Ruaidh.

This grant award will enable us to run a series of 3 linked workshops in each of 5 venues, each with 3 professional tutors, offering a variety of subjects, including fiddle, percussion, song and groupwork. Carefully structured timetables will allow for young people of varying skills levels to take part, including 'come and try it' sessions for complete beginners.

We have a bank of instruments available for use at workshops and for hire, to allow those just trying out traditional music to join in without an initial outlay. We are seeking additional funds to increase the number and range of instruments available for this.

Our project funds also include a contingency amount to assist with transport for participants living in scattered rural communities who might otherwise have difficulty attending sessions.

Feisean a' Mhonaidh Ruaidh is looking forward to starting work on this programme of workshops and hopes to have many inspiring and exciting stories to share very soon.