Toe Tapping Tunes

Joining our KES community this year are siblings Ann (Grade 7) and Iain (Grade 10) MacQuarrie, from Mabou, Cape Breton Island. Although this is their first year at King's-Edgehill School, they are familiar with us because their older brothers, Neil (2011-16) and Colin (2011-16; Head Boy) preceded their arrival. The MacQuarrie family is steeped in traditional music, and these two have been playing together for years already. Ann has a lovely singing voice and is equally gifted on the guitar and the fiddle. Iain plays the piano like a seasoned professional. It is refreshing that there are young people interested in keeping Maritime fiddle music alive and prosperous in this age of rap and pop songs. Don't let their young ages fool you into thinking that they are of amateur ability; they're anything but! It is a pleasure to share a taste of their talent with you in this video of them rehearsing a few jigs and reels. I guarantee that this clip will put a smile on your face and set your toe to tapping!

When I asked them why they like to play this type of music, this is what they said:

Ann - "Well, I wanted to participate in concerts and events back in Cape Breton and the only way to do that is by learning one of our Celtic instruments, so I started to learn the fiddle."

Iain - "I always loved the way the piano and fiddle work together and the music they make."