John Dew Musician Personal Profile

John Dew

Glasgow based

Education and Qualifications:

Strathallan School 2009 – 2016

10 GCSEs in English Literature, English Language, Maths, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, History, P.E., German and Music

3 A levels in English Literature, Biology and Music.

Currently Studying ‘Traditional Music’ at The Royal Conservatoire of .

Employment:

I have worked at the Crieff Hotel, a family owned business, in various departments: waiting, kitchen, and banqueting. I have also assisted the Pipe Major at Ardvreck School on work experience assisting with junior pipers. In addition, I have worked as a sports coach at Ardvreck helping with cricket. The summer of 2016 I worked in my father’s Gardening business on a 0-hour contract. I have worked regularly there up to 15 hours a week. Within these jobs I have regularly had to engage with customers face to face. During the summer of 2017 I worked as a waiter at the Towers Hotel in Crieff whilst doing solo competitive piping and pipe band competitions, with a side line of composition. I have also covered for teachers at The National Piping Centre and The Junior Conservatoire at the RCS.

Additional Information:

Experience – I have played at prestigious events such as The World Pipe Band Championships, Piping Live!, The Ryder Cup, T in the Park, The European Equestrian Championships Opening Ceremony, Annual Charity Concerts at Perth Concert Hall and performances with The Red Hot Chilli Pipers at Perth Concert hall and Albert Concert hall in Stirling. I have done various workshops with children teaching them about traditional music, competitive piping and the opportunities one can be offered as a musician. In addition I enjoy competing piping and regularly travel across Scotland to compete at highland games. I have travelled to Aboyne games, Strathardle, Cowall, Lochearnhead, Crieff, Glenisla and St Andrews where I have been relatively successful as well as competing in The MacGregor Memorial Piobaireachd Competition which is a part of the Argyllshire Gathering, Oban. Similarly a group of students started a ‘trad’ club at school in which we performed at ceilidhs and concerts. I was part of this establishment and was lucky enough to include students own compositions which were then publically played. Whilst being at the Conservatoire I have volunteered to be part of the students union sports society where I am in joint charge of the football club. Since moving to Glasgow I performed in working with Phil Cunningham and John Ashton Thomas in a suite of music performed in Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall. I performed a short whistle solo as well as a bagpipe trio with 2 other colleagues of which I was part of the arranging process. In the same festival I performed a concert with Inveraray and District Pipe Band lasting 1 hour. I regularly play in sessions across Glasgow and in the MAMMAS in Crieff. I have also been the support act in several folk clubs such as Falkirk folk club where I supported Kenny Spears.

In 2017 I formed a duet called SIMMITRI. This is a border pipes/whistle & clarsach duet with Helena Rose, also a student at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. So far we have performed at various folk clubs around the country and have performed for Royalty one two occasions; Once at The National Piping Centre in Glasgow for the Queen’s cousin and the other at Dumfries house for HRH Prince Charles. We continue to develop and have started work on our EP.

Whilst being at the Royal conservatoire of Scotland I applied for a position in a band called Ur: The Future of our Past. This was a collaborative project between staff and students to create music to be performed live at Celtic Colours festival in Canada as well as being played live on radio with Phil Cunningham and Aly Bain as part of their St Andrew’s day show.

I currently have been taking on pupils for whistle and bagpipes and have been teaching privately for several months now. On top of this I have also covered teaching positions at The National Piping Centre evening classes for adults and children as well as the Junior Conservatoire programme that runs on a Saturday morning at The Royal Conservatoire.

Personal Qualities and Skills –

Meticulous where expected, capable of juggling multiple tasks and working under pressure. I enjoy working with people either one to one or in groups. Having undergone group activities in school such as CCF, teaching and sport, I have gained relationship-building skills, team cooperation, verbal communication, and organisation and time management skills.

Achievements:

CCF Scottish Schools Senior MSR, CCF Scottish Schools Piobaireachd, The Robert Barr Memorial prize for music (Strathallan), The MacMaster Quaich for piping, 2 Consecutive years in the MacGregor Memorial Piobaireachd Prize list (Top 3), 100% in AS level Music composition, 100% in A2 English Literature, Regular prize lists in piping competitions at highland games such as Killin Highland Games and Lochearnhead Highland Games. Invited to give a recital at the CCF dinner in London. See experience for more information. In 2017 at the age of 19, I won the open Strathspey and Reel contest at the Lochearnhead Games, placing above A graded players. Subsequently in that year, for both Ceol Mor and Ceol Beag, I also achieved first places at Cowal Games, The Duncan Johnston Memorial, Inveraray Games and Blairgowrie Games in C graded events as well as a second place in the B/C Lochabar Golden Axe competition for Pioabaireachd

Member of Inveraray and District Pipe Band, British pipe band champions 2 years running (2016 and 2017), Scottish Pipe band Champions 2016, European pipe band Champions 2014, Cowall Games and winner of the Argyll shield 2014 and 2016.

I also enjoy composition and have had my work played in Perth Concert Hall as part of a charity gig and have had piece published a magazine. I achieved 100% in music composition at school (A- level).

Hobbies:

I enjoy Music composition, Pipe band competition and solo piping as well as socialising. My other passion is sport; I enjoy playing hockey, Cricket and Squash and I also enjoy watching Rugby.