This is a record of the first class of Sgoil Chiùil na Gàidhealtachd, the National Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music. It's not an exhaustive record. It doesn't show you everything the students had to cope with during the difficult start to the project, like travelling for four months from Plockton to Sleat every school day because the Hostel wasn't ready, coping with their schoolwork as well as ten hours a week of music, plus one weekend a month extra, plus all the gigs, and adjusting to suddenly living away from home at a very young age.
But it does show you how very much they love to play music together.

The project started in August 2000, and it's based at Plockton High School. Entry is by audition and if you make it you become a residential pupil at Plockton High School and do your normal education, and all this music on top. It's tough but it's fun. We don't claim to have exclusivity on excellence. You don't have to be here to be excellent, but you do have to be excellent to be here.

Over the past 23 years, I've been involved in some way or another in over 80 albums. I can't think of any that have given me as much pride and joy to work on as this one. I hope you enjoy listening to our First Class.
Dougie Pincock...Director, Sgoil Chiùil na Gàidhealtachd

The Players:
Calum Beaton: Scottish small pipes, whistle, vocals
Gillian Fleetwood: Vocals, clarsach
Ewan Robertson: Guitar, fiddle, vocals
Zoe Renouf: Fiddle, vocals
Jane Slater: Vocals, fiddle
Ishbel Strachan: Vocals, accordion
Gillian Chalmers: Scottish small pipes fiddle, vocals
Ruairaidh Campbell: Accordion, vocals
Katherine Kemp: Clarsach, vocals