I have these great little books called 'Life's Little Instruction Book' and they give you little ideas for making life a little better.
I've bought these many times over as gifts for friends, and I think this week I will post a different one for you to enjoy.  Here's the first one:

629.  Don't waste time trying to appreciate music you dislike.  Spend the time with music you love.

Now it was just a fluke that I opened to this page and saw a quote on music, but maybe it was meant to be....!  

I teach kids to play the pipes and drums.  It is a most rewarding experience, and I look forward to seeing where they go with it - and their stories are the best!  

Take time to be kind. You'll make friends, and those friends will be the best thing in your life, for a long time.  You are important, as are they.

Try to find a way to share your kindness.  I use my music, and you can use your talents. It can mean the world to others, and make your world kinder....

Looking for a gift for that hard-to-buy-for friend?  We offer lessons in pipes and drums for any level of player, so get in touch for a gift certificate - we promise fun and excellence!  We're at collegeofpiping@sympatico.ca 

On any given day, take time to enjoy something.  Make something.  Call someone.  Just brighten it all up - that's your joy and your chance to share your happiness with someone who just might need it!

Be sure to go to a ceremony on Sunday, November 11.  This year's special as it's the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Armistice.  We will remember them.

Don't put off learning a new skill.  Taking on a new challenge, be it song, dance or art of any kind - it's all good for you and to be happy.  I teach lots of people who are a bit older than 12, and they love a good new set of goals to have.  Taking on a new skill means too that you're fulfilling something you've always wanted to do, and that will bring you pride and confidence.  And that's a very good thing.

Set some dreams, write down your goals, and go for them.  Best thing?  They can come true.  Now go get what you want!

The Sons of Scotland welcome you to join them, if not in person then in spirit, on their trip to Scotland. You can make a donation for their coach to Balmoral and be part of their journey.  It will be great, and you will be there!  Give today if you can - we thank you.  https://bit.ly/2Kygejp
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The Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan was just lovely.  Touching and thoughtful, you could see how fond they were of each other.  
I wrote a tune for them last fall when they were engaged and sent it along to them.  I know it's not the last song that they'll have composed in their honour.
On another day, I had a letter from Her Majesty The Queen.  It is just a great honour to get letters of acknowledgement from such a magnificent person.  

We have a wonderful endeavor to help mark the 65th anniversary of the Coronation of Her Majesty The Queen.  Visit our Facebook page for details on how you can be part of this super celebration!

Make sure you take time to celebrate.  Celebrate the little things, the great friends, and the fact that it's Tuesday.  That, my friends, is a very Irish way to mark any day.  Go forth and be!

There are many days when the young among us will teach us simple joy and happiness.  Don't forget what makes you happy, and give back where you can. It makes all the difference.

No matter the age and background, when you share your music you share your joy. And that is felt, shared and appreciated.  We all have gifts - let's share them all!

Contests are curious things.  We need to prepare for them well and be ready to soar or fail - and anything else in between. Being humble and open helps a lot, but that's really only a small part of it.
Listen to your tutor, take the comments in stride, and work towards the next, whatever that is.  In your own way, you're already winning.

The months can prove long and dark - don't forget your music! Either playing it or listening to it, having the luxury of music in your life can bring so much to it. 
Share with your friends, look for new challenges, and play for others - it can make a day brighter for everyone.  Plus you improve and become a more solid performer, so everyone wins.
​Go get your music on!

January can be a bleak month, for many reasons, and for many people.  I keep busy making plans for the next spring and summer, and taking things off the never-ending checklist.  I make sure to call friends and cause laughter to break out, because you never know what great you can be giving.  Just give, and you'll get so much more in return.
But don't forget....we're Canadian, and that means we're silly and fun, snowbound and sarcastic.  We are champions.

I've been a piper for a very long time.  I have taught piping for many years too, and I truly enjoy the journey that not only I am on, but helping others is  great joy.   I find myself sometimes sharing stories with the people I work with, reminiscent of hearing our piping peers at summer camps gaze longingly out a window and go on at length about a piper they once knew who won medals and wrote a tune about a goat or something to that effect.....and now that I do it, I have a greater appreciation for those who told the tales,  and those who have to listen to pipers like me.   
In sharing our stories, I have to say that if someone had told me, all those years ago, that piping and/or playing in a pipe band would bring me to enjoy repeated visits to the Royal Family, I most likely would have kept the image of meeting Her Majesty and others in the back of my imagination as I practiced....but nowadays I am content with the memories of what we've been able to achieve, and what's to come. And there are more stories to tell because there will be more wonderful opportunities.  Happy 90th birthday Your Majesty.  We will see you again.

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