Last weekend RSPBA adjudicator Jennifer Hutcheon received her long service medal from the Association. Still active at the highest level, Jennifer’s background and piping career were revealed in a 2009 interview with Pipe Band Magazine.
How old are you and where do you live?
I am 58 and live in Bridge of Earn, Perthshire.
What formal qualifications do you have?
I was a teacher of physical education at Craigmount High School and then joined the Civil Service, the Customs and Excise and then the Land Registry. I’m now a full time teacher of piping at Strathallan School, Forgandenny, Perthshire. I have a Diploma in Physical Education from Dunfermline College of Physical Education. I was appointed an examiner for the Scottish Qualifications Authority in 1999. I am now a member of the RSPBA Adjudicator’s Panel.
When did you start piping?
I began piping when a friend joined the City of Aberdeen Ladies Pipe Band and encouraged me to join too. I mentioned the pipe band at home and my mother went out and bought a practice chanter for me and that was that. I had actually fancied playing the snare drum! I had my first lesson from Sandy Robertson, an esteemed teacher in the north-east. (He worked tirelessly with lots of bands, most noticeably the Culter BB bands.)
Three months after that, with three months tuition, I was playing in the band with 30 tunes under my belt. I appeared to be a quick learner. We played all over Scotland including RSPBA competitions. My first World Championship was at Inverness where we won the Best Ladies Band prize.
After Sandy Robertson and Jock Quaid (both former Gordon Highlanders) in Aberdeen, I then had further tuition from Calum MacPhee, Edinburgh, DR MacLennan, North Berwick, Captain John MacLellan and Donald MacPherson.
Talk us through the bands you have played with.
After moving to Edinburgh to college, I played for Monktonhall Colliery with the McBride family, Donald being the most accomplished player in the family. From there I joined Red Hackle with P/M John Weatherston, P/Sgt Malky MacKenzie and L/D Wilson Brown, a combination which produced a very musical band.
Next I went to Shotts with P/M Tom MacAllister jnr.; a different style, but again very musical. Polkemmet came next with P/M Johnny Barnes, an excellent teacher and musician. His phrasing and expression were always excellent. After John retired from playing other pipe majors came on the scene all with different approaches and lots of musical ideas. They were Robert Mathieson, Ronald Lawrie, Iain Roddick and then David Barnes.
I feel privileged to have been David’s Pipe Sergeant. He is a magnificent musician with original ideas that he applied to the pipe band scene – not always appreciated, but always pushing the boundaries. It was an exciting time. After a number of years we led the band to their first Grade 1 Championship, winning the Scottish and European titles and taking second prize in the Worlds in 1991.
From there I returned to Shotts with Robert Mathieson and Jim Kilpatrick and the most successful run in a number of years, winning all the major championships on a number of occasions
Once I retired from playing in 2000 I started my adjudicator training. I was talked into playing again after helping to get the Clan Gregor band up and running. Those early years were great fun with David Methven and Mick O’Neill. I really enjoyed the first few years. Circumstances changed and I returned to judging.
During this time I also started teaching at Craigmount High School where I was instrumental in starting the pipe band. Our first contest was at Scotstoun. The band was made up of school pupils who had no idea what they were doing. I remember marching them on to the contest field thinking to myself ‘what will I do if they all stop?’ A bit of a panic on my part! They played so well that they won fourth prize.
The following year they won the Scottish Championship and promotion to the Juvenile grade. I started another Novice band which ran as a feeder for the Juvenile band, a policy which ran successfully for 18 years. Both bands won many championships including the Champion of Champions title on four occasions.
Strathallan School also won the Scottish Championship at Novice Juvenile level, as well as a number of other prizes over the years. Due to other school pressures the band left the organisation a few years ago.
- To be continued.
‘Highland Bagpipe Music’ by Donald Morrison – digital book
This book was first produced shortly before Donald died in 1988. Languishing out of print, it surfaced in 2021 following contact between Piping Press editor Robert Wallace and Donald’s daughter Sheona. Sheona agreed that it should be offered to the piping public once more at nominal cost, the aim being to preserve her father’s musical legacy. Donald Morrison was the complete piper a fine teache…