"My breath -
        this is what I call my song, for it is just as necessary to me to sing as it is to me to breathe.   I will sing this song, a song that is strong ... Songs are thoughts, sung out with the breath when people are moved by great forces, and ordinary speech no longer suffices.   Man is moved just like the ice floe sailing here and there out in the current.   His thoughts are driven by a flowing force when he feels joy, when he feels sorrow.   Thoughts can wash over him like a flood, making his blood come in gasps, then it will happen that we, who always think we are small, will feel still smaller.   And we will fear to use words.   But it will happen that the words we need will come of themselves.   When the words we want to use shoot up of themselves - we get a new song."

- Orpingalik, Netsilingmuit
                                    

Breath ......
     Song .......

There is no grammatical structure in Gaelic for 'to play the pipes'.    Instead, it is 'to sing the pipes'.   And sing we do.

From across the sea, from the land of faeries, dragons, waterhorses, and wee people, from homes with thatched roofs, peat fires, honest home cooking, and a strong belief in God, from the sea breezes of the Outer Hebredes and the wind kissing the grain fields of County Fermanaugh, to the shores of the New World, comes a sound.    A sound so ancient it is woven into our very DNA.   It speaks to our hearts, and to our souls.   Without it, we are bereft.   With it, we are whole.   With it, we are with family and friends.   With it, we are home.

It is the sound of the pipes.

The music of the Great Highland Bagpipe  evokes strong emotions, from celebration and joy to sorrow from the very depths of the human soul. The steady voice of the drones  and the singing of the chanter produce a sound like none other. From Amazing Grace to the great masterpieces of Piobaireachd, tunes both familiar and new move people in ways no other music can.

Marsha Bell teaches bagpipe lessons, and is a certified Tutor.   She is easily accessible to all of Northern Virginia, the District of Columbia, and Suburban Maryland.    She also teaches lessons via Skype for students who live too far to travel to lessons.   

If you need other bagpipe services, she has several friends who will be able to provide the perfect music for your celebration.