Scottish FIRE Mission Statement
Scottish F.I.R.E. is Scottish Fiddling Revival, Ltd., the North American association for Scottish Fiddling and all of its regional styles. (Cape Breton, Shetland, etc.) The goals of Scottish F.I.R.E. are to preserve and promote Scottish fiddling through education, competition, and the support of aspiring and established Scottish fiddlers.
One of the foremost ways Scottish FIRE helps to preserve the Scottish fiddling tradition is by fostering and sanctioning Scottish fiddle competitions. As a non-profit organization since 1975, Scottish FIRE sets the rules and sanctions the many Scottish fiddling competitions held in the US, Canada, and other parts of North America.
Scottish FIRE also certifies judges for local and national competitions, and monitors the annual U.S. National Competition held at a sponsoring Highland Games during the Games season. In order to help preserve the Scottish fiddling tradition, Scottish Fiddling Revival maintains a list of active fiddling clubs around the world. We also maintain lists of links to related sites.
If you have information about Scottish fiddling that you think would be relevant to our site, please contact us.
Our goal is to help you discover and enjoy the wonderful tradition of Scottish fiddling.
MEMBERSHIP: Certain pages on this site will be password protected and available to members only. These pages are under construction. You will receive a password with your membership card. Please contact Heather Jenkins via email for the password. heatheliza@gmail.com
Please consider supporting Scottish FIRE with a membership. Click on the form link below for details.
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It is possible to send payment via PayPal
send to: sfiremembership@gmail.com
Forms can also be emailed to heatheliza@gmail.com
send to: sfiremembership@gmail.com
Forms can also be emailed to heatheliza@gmail.com
The Founder's Page
The Paul Brockman Story, by Nancy Brockman
Paul and I were enthusiastic Scottish Country Dancers for many years. Our older daughter, Lauren, began learning to play the violin at the age of 4, through the Suzuki method, and one of her favorite tunes was a country tune called "The Devil's Dream." Because of her interest we went down to the Old Time Fiddlers Convention in Galax, Virginia, where we heard incredible fiddle playing, both at the gathering, and informally back at the motel where we were staying. We were very excited when one of the tunes played in the country style was a tune we had danced to called "Waverly." We made an immediate connection. One of our regrets at that time was that most of the Scottish dance bands featured the accordion, which had replaced the Scottish Fiddle. Paul was inspired to come up with a plan to bring back the art of Scottish Fiddling in America and went to the Virginia Games in Alexandria to arrange for a Fiddling Demonstration. This plan was readily accepted and the word went out. John Turner and some others showed up that first year and gave a beautiful rendition of this musical tradition, and John has been a major contributor throughout the years, both as a competitor, judge, teacher and promoter. At that first gathering, we determined that there was enough interest to begin a Fiddling Competition the following year and the Virginia Games supported it. I'll never forget that event. A darling teen-age girl named Bonnie Rideout came running across the field buckling her kilt as she ran, with a fiddle under her arm, saying "where do I play?" She warmed the hearts of all with her enthusiasm and talent. Paul organized the Fiddling competition for many years; both on the local and national level, bringing in well know judges from Scotland and elsewhere. He founded the organization "Scottish Fire", which not only captured the essence of the music, but also stood for Scottish Fiddling Revival. It gave him great pleasure to watch talented young musicians grow into the art and flourish, in some cases achieving world-wide acclaim. And he was always most supportive of the young and beginning fiddlers who would preserve Scottish Fiddling for future generations. The Founder's Trophy is in his memory.
Best,
Nancy Brockman
The Paul Brockman Story, by Nancy Brockman
Paul and I were enthusiastic Scottish Country Dancers for many years. Our older daughter, Lauren, began learning to play the violin at the age of 4, through the Suzuki method, and one of her favorite tunes was a country tune called "The Devil's Dream." Because of her interest we went down to the Old Time Fiddlers Convention in Galax, Virginia, where we heard incredible fiddle playing, both at the gathering, and informally back at the motel where we were staying. We were very excited when one of the tunes played in the country style was a tune we had danced to called "Waverly." We made an immediate connection. One of our regrets at that time was that most of the Scottish dance bands featured the accordion, which had replaced the Scottish Fiddle. Paul was inspired to come up with a plan to bring back the art of Scottish Fiddling in America and went to the Virginia Games in Alexandria to arrange for a Fiddling Demonstration. This plan was readily accepted and the word went out. John Turner and some others showed up that first year and gave a beautiful rendition of this musical tradition, and John has been a major contributor throughout the years, both as a competitor, judge, teacher and promoter. At that first gathering, we determined that there was enough interest to begin a Fiddling Competition the following year and the Virginia Games supported it. I'll never forget that event. A darling teen-age girl named Bonnie Rideout came running across the field buckling her kilt as she ran, with a fiddle under her arm, saying "where do I play?" She warmed the hearts of all with her enthusiasm and talent. Paul organized the Fiddling competition for many years; both on the local and national level, bringing in well know judges from Scotland and elsewhere. He founded the organization "Scottish Fire", which not only captured the essence of the music, but also stood for Scottish Fiddling Revival. It gave him great pleasure to watch talented young musicians grow into the art and flourish, in some cases achieving world-wide acclaim. And he was always most supportive of the young and beginning fiddlers who would preserve Scottish Fiddling for future generations. The Founder's Trophy is in his memory.
Best,
Nancy Brockman