Celebrating the Gaelic arts with Fèis Week
During October Fèis Week, an annual celebration of Gaelic arts, Mairi Brown spoke to us about Fèis Spè and the importance of promoting and celebrating traditional Gaelic song, dance and music.
Whilst I took on the role of Chair in November 2023, I have been involved with Fèis Spè for several years and I have lived and breathed traditional music and all that it encompasses all my life. Fèis Spè has been providing access to tuition and performance opportunities in traditional music and Gaelic for young people throughout the Cairngorms National Park since 1990 and it’s a privilege to be the custodian of it for the time being.
We all know music is a form of storytelling; used to communicate a feeling, a moment in history, a community’s heritage. Traditional music can be traced back many hundreds of years in Scotland and stories of the rich history of the Highlands and Islands, and indeed Badenoch and Strathspey, are woven into every note of many of the tunes and songs that the young people at Fèis Spè learn.
It is so important for the preservation of our cultural heritage that we keep these stories alive going through the Gaelic arts. The most effective way of doing this is continuing to offer children and young people opportunities to be exposed to traditional music and dance, learn Gaelic songs and how to play instruments. This is where Fèis Spè plays a critical role in Badenoch and Strathspey.
Fèis Spè is great for young people who have an interest in learning and performing traditional music, but it runs much deeper than that. It gives those involved a sense of cultural identity, belonging and ownership of the tunes and songs. It also helps to convey that the roots of the music the young people are learning from the elder musicians is intrinsically linked to the places, history and culture of this part of Scotland.
We have such a vibrant cohort of youngsters involved as well as enthusiastic parents who are the engine that keep it going. Some children start tuition and are involved in performances from the age of five, right through to joining the senior band, Monadh Ruadh when they are in secondary school. This year alone, they have performed at events for the Fiddlers of Strathspey Festival, Carve Carrbridge and Thunder in the Glens to name just a few. More recently we also performed at the Cairngorms School of Dance end of term celebration.
Being part of Fèis Spè is very social and a tremendous amount of fun. Lifelong friendships are forged at weekly tuition, practice for performances, annual band residentials and during Fèis Week, which is taking place in Kincraig this week. More than 80 talented young people and tutors are involved in performances and highlights are the tutors’ concert on Thursday and all the children and youngsters showcasing what they have learnt at an afternoon performance on Friday. All welcome.
Events like Fèis Week give visibility in the wider community and shows that traditional music is alive and well here in Badenoch and Strathspey!
The Park Authority granted Fèis Spè with £2000 to support direct engagement with local primary schools and to provide a Gaelic speaking tutor to deliver drama classes throughout the week, as part of our Gaelic Language Plan.
If you’d like to learn more about tuition, Fèis Week performances or supporting Fèis Spè to continue providing access to tuition and performance opportunities in traditional music or young people throughout the Cairngorms National Park, contact their team by visiting the Fèis Spè website.