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Latest News: Gosh - More and more work coming in and the launch of a new business - music typesetting, musical dictation, running musical courses with visiting tutors. Hard work, good humour, good food and good music - what more could you ask for? Still working on re-designing this site - but it is now a work in progress!!
Click on the photo if you want to learn more about where I am now!
My friends call me Kaz, and I am absolutely fanatical about woodwind instruments (and Winnie the Pooh!)
Well okay - I'll admit it - I am absolutely fanatical about everything to do with music full stop! I play all the Recorder family, Tin Whistle, Concert Flute, Baroque Flute, Piccolo, Clarinet, Oboe, Bassoon, Guitar (badly!!), Piano, all the classical percussion instruments, Saxophone and now I am learning the folk harp (Clarsach). I really think everyone should have a go at playing music. It is never too late to take up an instrument. The only necessary skill is that you want to have a go!
I
started playing (many moons ago) on the Descant Recorder at far
too sweet and tender an age to mention. I drove my folks so
crazy, playing all the time, that they decided I should acquire
my own shed to play in. J Eventually they relented and I was chosen at
school to learn to play the flute.
(And the rest, as they say, is history!)
When I was only sixteen I was accepted to study at the
Royal Scottish Academy Of Music and Drama.
I studied Flute with John Wiggins (1st Flute BBCSSO) and Richard Chester (1st Flute RSNO) for four years (piano with Gustav Fenyo and Bela Simandi, Harmony and Composition with John Weeks) before pursuing a career mainly teaching and performing but also examining and adjudicating.
I play on a solid silver Miyazawa handmade Flute, Type II, with open holes, inline G and a B foot joint. My Clarinet is a Boosey & Hawkes B12, my Alto Sax is a Trevor James Horn and my Oboe is a Hawkes and Son (before Boosey came along!!!). Oh and my Baroque Flute is a Cahusac copy (A=440). My new harp (and my old one) were made by Ardival Harps, Stathpeffer. But I am in the market for a new harp and can not decide between the makers although I am leaning towards a Cafferky!
I have a kind of 'concert party' thing going with a very talented (arranged all the music for the Papal Mass at Bellahouston!!) friend called Isobel (Piano), her husband Angus (voice), my pal and talented singer Claire, her Hubby Glynn on cello and Colin - a guy I was at college with on violin. We are doing some concerts for Charity but if anyone wants to book us (I have a couple of CDs available......)
I sometimes play with a great guy called Andy. (He is an ex-marine musician and with his training having been quite different - this leads to very interesting rehearsals.) We play all sorts of music from Bach to Jazz. We call ourselves PIANOFLAUTE. Andy also has his own Jazz Band called Four-in-the-Bar. Sadly, because of Andy's band commitments and the fact I now live 110 miles away, we don't play together that often just now!
Until recently, I had a 'daytime' job as a part time woodwind teacher at a Local Boarding School. Only they started taking the mick and P/T to them meant a full academic timetable and sometimes I wasn't home till after 7pm - when I had been there working since 8.10am!!! No joke!! So I decided enough was enough! I will miss all my students at Gordonstoun but sometimes you have to do what's best for you and put yourself first!
I do love teaching (mostly J) and I try to make the lessons as full of fun as possible. (After all music is supposed to be fun!) But I also try to encourage the students to practise (although they don't always listen!). The main criteria for having lessons with myself is that they at least try and enjoy themselves. I try to be a hard taskmaster and the minute they stop trying or do not enjoy playing anymore, they are encouraged to find something else to do with their time!
I am not there to help them skive academic lessons!!!
Moray Firth School
- is a new independent school in the Highlands that has also employed me to teach music
and some after school activities. We have a Theatre Club on a Saturday morning
and the students all love performing as well as several students learning
instruments from visiting tutors.
Some years ago, I have trained as an examiner with an international external exam board. This has been quite interesting and most informative. I haven't always agreed with the external exam formats of some exam boards but the only way to change things is to get in there and do it! I finished training more than ten years ago and they let me out on my own! Poor kids eh? J But it is an extremely interesting and worthwhile thing to do! Now that the exam board is accredited by the National Qualifications Agency, we are busier than ever!
While I was training to be an examiner some very 'weird' coincidental things happened. My friend introduced me to her Baroque Flute. Then I met a guy with a wooden flute who sang their praises continuously. Then just when I wasn't getting the message, I met Peter Harrison of 'Concert Royal Georgian English Music Group' - a Baroque Flute Specialist. Someone was obviously trying to tell me something so I bought a Cahusac copy (A440 - I know it should have been A395 or A415 to be really authentic! but I wanted to play with others around here too!) and have been enjoying it ever since.
Maybe one of these days I'll get Peter to give me a lesson and let him correct all my bad habits!J (And there are a lot of them!)
I also studied for an MA in Music Psychology at Sheffield University (2000-2002), and this definitely kept me out of mischief for quite a while! It is all truly fascinating stuff - if you are remotely interested in the whys, the hows and wherefores of all aspects of music, this is the course for you! They come from all over - there was a Norwegian, Australian and Canadian in my year - not to mention Greek and Portuguese.
I passed....... watch this space!! Trying to find somewhere to do a doctorate now! Too scared of failing to take it seriously though!!
I have also been adjudicating at The Official Royal National Mod and Provincial MODs (and Classical Music Festivals too) for the last few years. I have really enjoyed this. It is quite inspiring to see all the people taking part and to see their work and their obvious enjoyment of their singing and playing. It's almost a shame that someone has to win (and therefore someone has to lose!) because they all have great ability and potential. The Royal National MOD is a friendly competition and it isn't nicknamed 'The Whiskey Olympics' for nothing!! Like I said - it's a very friendly competition!!
An Comunn Gàidhealach help the local branches organise the Provincial MODs. I have become much more interested in my own culture and heritage since I first adjudicated at the Wester Ross National Provincial MOD a few years ago. (This is why I am learning Clarsach/folk harp) The Provincial MOD, apart from being a celebration of Gaelic Music, Words and Culture, can be a qualifier for The Official Royal National Mod, so it rates quite high in the competition stakes. They also have some non-qualifying classes though, which enables just about everybody to take part. I hope to expand my knowledge of Gaelic. (Which is very basic!J)
And
Feisean nan Gaidheal - Gaelic Arts
Tuition Festivals
organise lots of things for players of all standards if anyone is
interested. There is also an organisation in Aberdeen called Scottish Culture
and Tradition (SCaT) that run
many interesting traditional classes.
My Life isn't all music though, and I have a wonderful Yellow Labrador bitch called Tilley (age 13 1/2) and a black cat called Scruffy (age 16). We also adopted an elderly Chocolate Lab bitch called Bunn when she was 12 - sadly she passed away in 2003 aged about 15. It didn't make it any easier that we only had her a short time!
And here are
all three enjoying the fire on a cold winter's night!
(High Awwww! Factor) This is my favourite piccie of them all!
However, we now have a new addition to our 'family'.
Madubh is now 22 months and is so so so cute - Tilley and her get on fine and even the cat is beginning to have a quiet respect for this black thing that has invaded our lives (and hearts!).
I am married to a Master Mariner in the Merchant Navy and I have a lot of time just to myself for practice (Huh, what's practice? J) or at least to indulge my passions! when he is at work. His ship is nearly one of the biggest in the world. (as you can see!)
Thank you for calling in to see me. Please come again soon.
Need a Clarsach for your event? Weddings, Corporate Entertainment, Background music to eat by...... then
E-mail your ideas and comments to me.
Want to see some more photos?
Carole B. Miller
Copyright © 2002 [Mostlywind]. All rights reserved.
Revised: June 03, 2006