Jack and SFU are examples of how a true piping programme is run. I'm also a big fan of Bob Shepherd and his teaching methods. The playback is always worse than the music in ye'r heid when ye' play it : ) I've seen Jack adjudicate here on the West Coast and he is highly respected and very encouraging. A good scorecard from Jack Lee is a well earned item !
Another fascinating interview and should be on a must watch list for younger players of pipes or drums. I may be pushing my luck, but I think your number 2 drummer would make for an interesting stories & insight from his perspective. There are probably many stories you still don't know about that Mac never told you.
Now being a piper myself, I'm not an opera singer at all but I really adore great opera singers, a second side-passion of mine besides piping. (Laura Bretan for instance is amazing, Denise Leigh, Lucia Popp, C. Bartoli, etc). I seriously would say, Jack, you are seriously the Joyce DiDonato of bagpiping! Joyce has taught several successful singers and she even knows the secrets to a successful voice (few people know you can't have a proper healthy vocal vibrato if you don't learn to trill, for example). If there was ever such an award as the Joyce DiDonato award, I really think you'd get it in the piping circuit. It's not too hard to remember her name isn't it, just look her up and you'll definitely see some similarities. Her teaching, her success, very very similar.
