October Granite Skyes

Your monthly news from the New Hampshire Scottish Music Club

Volume 35, No. 2, October, 2023

“Having fun with Scottish Music”

October Gathering

This month Neil Pearlman will take us on a detailed tour of John Morris Rankin, a three-part Cape Breton reel. For the dots, click here and to learn more about the tune, click here..

Annual Picnic & Jam

Check out the great photos from our annual picnic held at the home of Anne and Clete Baier.

NH Folk Heritage Award

The Fiddling Thomsons - Ryan Thomson and his son, Brennish - have been awarded the Governor Arts Award for traditional arts. They are multi instrumentalists; their fiddles are the prominent instrument. While many recent members are not familiar with their playing, Ryan was an active member of NHSMC in its early days. Ryan is unique in that he plays left handed. He was diagnosed with dystonia, an inherited neurological problem. Rather than give up fiddling he taught himself to fiddle with his left hand. He then wrote a book on dystonia for other lefties.

The award will be presented on October 23: Governor Arts Award Celebration

— Sylvia Miskoe

Our Impact Across the Country

NHSMC has members in several states beyond New England. Our California member, Julie Wyrick, has some thoughts to share about the impact our organization has had on her personal as well as musical life.

Camps, Festivals, & Workshops

Lots of fun stuff coming our way!

If you haven’t already discovered this valuable resource, go to our website and, from the “Home Page,” click on “Fun Stuff” and you’ll see a “Camps, Festivals, & Workshops” selection. Art Hull has been working to keep it updated with events you all might be interested in. There are two in October and Fiddle Hell is coming up in November. Check it regularly to see what might be in your future. And don’t forget about our scholarship program that you can tap into for funds to help you attend.

Website Problem?

Our new website is maintained by a committee of five volunteers. We don’t always get it right. If you see something that needs attention, if something is too confusing, or if we’ve posted a photo that includes you that you are not happy with, please shoot us an email at nhscottishmusic@gmail.com and we’ll get on it as soon as possible.

Back Issues of Granite Skyes

If you are new to our organization and would like to learn more about us, or you have been with us for many years and are waxing nostalgic, you can read many years worth of our monthly newsletter, Granite Skyes, here.