The National Piping Centre and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland are delighted to announce the appointment of world-class piper Finlay Johnston to the teaching faculty of the BMus Traditional Music (Piping) degree.
Finlay joins the team as a principal study tutor, primarily overseeing the development of the senior students. His appointment follows the departure of piping legend Willie McCallum, who is stepping down fully after a gradual handover period.
Finlay is no stranger to the National Piping Centre, having previously worked with the organisation before a five-year hiatus. He returns to the institution to help shape the next generation of performers, balancing his new teaching responsibilities alongside running his full-time business, Pipe Dreams.
John Mulhearn, Head of Piping Studies, welcomed the appointment: “We’ve had a gradual handover from the team that has been established for quite a number of years. With Willie McCallum fully stepping down, we’re welcoming Finlay Johnston to the team to pick up principal study work for the third and fourth year students. I think there’s some unique insights and skills that he will be able to bring, as both a performer and reed maker.”
Reflecting on his return, Finlay Johnston said: “I’m really looking forward to it. It’s nice to come back after a break of five or six years, but in a different capacity and with a different way of teaching. It’s an honour as well to follow the lineage that the degree course has had in terms of instructors over the years.
“I’ll still be working at Pipe Dreams full-time, I’m lucky that I’ll be able to fit this into my working week. It’s going to be busy but I felt like it was an opportunity I didn’t want to turn down.”
The BMus Traditional Music (Piping) degree has undergone a significant evolution since its inception as a BA program in the late 1990s. Reaching a milestone transformation into a Bachelor of Music (BMus) format, the course flipped the traditional academic model to put performance, repertoire and practical peer-to-peer feedback at the very heart of student assessment.
Margaret Houlihan, who graduated from the course in 2004 and has now taken on an increased role in principal study work over the past year, noted the positive shift in the curriculum: “The way the course is laid out is much better for the pipers, it gives them a much wider group of teachers to work with and they can develop whatever style of piping, whether it’s competition-style or the route of playing in a more traditional group.
“When I did the degree, we only got one hour of piping tuition a week, now there is a performance time set aside each week where people get the opportunity to perform in front of their peers and receive feedback in addition to genre specific supporting studies and, of course, individual principal study lessons.”
With a diverse, world-leading teaching roster and an adaptable learning environment that blends centuries of piping tradition with modern industry skills, the partnership between the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the National Piping Centre ensures that the future of Highland pipes remains in expert hands.
The deadline for applications is the 1st of October 2026 for UK applicants, and the 1st of December 2026 for international (including EU) applicants, with the course starting on the 20th of September 2027. Audition fees are £65 and the Application fees are £34.50.
For more information, visit the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s website: www.rcs.ac.uk/courses/bmus-traditional-music-piping/