News
February 2026
Studio Recording with Norrie MacIver!
Wow! I'd forgotten how much of a buzz I get from studio recording! It's been such a long time since I last recorded vocals in a studio and what an incredible way to return!
Huge thank you to Norrie MacIver for an amazing, unforgettable afternoon!
Thank you to Ross at GloWorm Recording (Runrig recorded here!) for being such a great, chilled out engineer!
So grateful to be involved alongside a fantastic bunch of people, the album is going to be amazing!
Brilliant to meet Rory for a bit of drummer chat after the recording!
January 2026
Online Drum Lessons now available!
1st week back after the festive season and we have been battered by the worst snow I have ever seen in Aberdeen! Unfortunately, I haven't been able to open for lessons all week. In the meantime, I have been exploring alternative ways to ensure that lessons can still go ahead when in-person lessons are not possible (or for students who prefer online lessons). I am pleased to announce that I have now set up Google Classrooms and Google Meet and this has now allowed me to offer online lessons when required. This has worked really well during a week of extreme weather when in-person lessons were just not possible.
I feel this will be a really positive addition to Granite City Music Tuition going forward.
December 2025
Merry Christmas from Granite City Music Tuition!
just want to say a huge thank you to all my amazing students, their families, and my own family and friends for your incredible support this year! I can’t believe I’m already heading into my 3rd year of business, time flies when you’re doing what you love!
Being able to teach and do what I’m passionate about every day is such a blessing, and I’m so lucky to have all of you as part of the Granite City Music Tuition family!
This month, my students have been busy working on Christmas videos (I even had to jump in and fill a few parts as there’s been a lot of students off ill, plus my 90 year old Grandma joined in for Jingle Bells! Charlie made a cameo, too!)
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and an amazing New Year!
Holiday Hours:
• Closed: 24th–28th December
• Open: 29th & 30th December
• Closed: 31st December–4th January
Thank you for making this year so special, and I can’t wait to see you all in 2026!
November 2025
Running a business!
Running a self employed music teaching business is so much more than the 30 minutes you see in a lesson! My whole schedule runs on consistency, and there’s a LOT happening behind the scenes to make every session smooth, fun, and productive. That’s why I stick to clear policies around payments, illness, communication, and cancellations so everything stays fair and stress free for everyone
Behind every lesson, I’m also:
* Planning fun, personalised lessons
* Handling admin
* Sorting payments & chasing the odd late one
* Doing accounting and tax bits
* Maintaining the drum kits and equipment
* Chatting with parents/students
* Marketing and continuing to grow the business
* Scheduling & rescheduling
* Providing practise targets
* Planning events
…all on top of teaching itself!
To all the awesome students and parents who show up, communicate, and support what I do, THANK YOU You make this little business of mine possible, and I appreciate you more than you know.
October 2025
First ever event!
This month we held our first ever Granite City Music Tuition event! A huge thank you to Andy and Mathilde for generously giving up their time and studio space, giving my drum students the amazing opportunity to experience playing in a real band setting!
I'm beyond proud of each and every student, their progress from start to finish was inspiring to watch. For many, this was their first ever time playing on an acoustic drum kit rather than an electronic one and they absolutely smashed it!
It was also fantastic that parents had the chance to see their child perform with a live band, a special moment for everyone involved!
We will be back in the studio in the New Year for the next sessions so that all of my students get the chance to experience this amazing opportunity!
September 2025
Music room make over!
The music room has had a make over! Huge thanks to Alex for all the painting! Transforming the dark woodwork to bright white was no easy task, but it looks fantastic! My lovely family bought me the beautiful Granite City Music Tuition sign which is now on the wall!
We have an exciting few months ahead with the very first Granite City Music Tuiton event happening next month!
August 2025
Exciting news from Granite City Music Tuition!
This week, I had the absolute joy of sharing some incredible news with some very excited students - and now, I’m thrilled to share it with you all!
Granite City Music Tuition is hosting its first-ever event beyond our regular drum lessons - and it’s something truly special.
Thanks to an amazing group of professional musicians and friends, who have so kindly offered their time, expertise, and studio space, my drum students are being given the unforgettable experience to play with a live band!
Even more incredible? These brilliant musicians are doing this completely free of charge to support and inspire the next generation of performers. I’m beyond grateful for their generosity and support.
This will be a free event, held across multiple dates, and open to all my students and their parents. It’s going to be a fantastic experience and a huge confidence boost for everyone involved!
I can’t wait to see my students experience the thrill of performing in a real band setting. Let the countdown begin!
July 2025
The addition of the 2nd drum kit has been a hit!
A wee duet of Bohemian Rhapsody by Sloane & I using the Tomplay app!
June 2025
We have a new addition!
We took a little road trip to St.Andrews to buy a 2nd electronic kit for the music room (this is going to be great for the visual learners!) It’s a Roland TD-02K V-Drums.
Also, purchased a new amp which is a Roland cube amp and makes a huge difference to the sound!
Really looking forward to hearing how all the students respond to the new setup!
May 2025
Part of our Granite City Music Tuition family!
We welcomed a new student to our Granite City Music Tuition family!
Charlie (10 weeks old) is a Golden Retriever and has been a big hit with the students (and their parents)!
April 2025
Fantastic exam result for Craig!
Huge Congratulations to my student Craig, who achieved an A in his recent drum exam as part of the BA Applied Music course he’s studying through UHI!
Craig travelled all the way to Stornoway for the exam a few weeks ago, and all his hard work and dedication has clearly paid off. A fantastic and well-deserved result!
It’s been a pleasure teaching Craig over the past six months, and I’m really looking forward to continuing our lessons into next year.
March 2025
Working in collaboration with UHI!
What an honour it was when I was approached by UHI (University of the Highlands and Islands) in November to ask if I would work in collaboration with them to teach one of their students, Craig, who lives in Aberdeen and is studying the BA (Hons) Applied Music course.
This was an opportunity that I felt connected with since I was a student with UHI back in 2004 for 3 years. I moved away from Aberdeen at the age of 17 to move to Perth where I studied the BA Popular Music Performance course. I gained so much from my time with them and appreciate all the opportunities I was given whilst there!
A photo of me performing at Perth College in 2007.
February 2025
Never too old to learn!
My Grandma, who will be 90 this year! Proving that you are never too old to learn the drums!
January 2025
We turned 2 this month!
Thank you to everyone for the continued support!
December 2024
The Granite City Music Tuition Christmas Video 2024!
Well done to all my students who took part in our 1st ever Christmas video (and for keeping it a surprise for the last few weeks)! It makes me very proud seeing the progress of all my students and I’m very lucky to have such lovely students (and their families) 💕
Merry Christmas to you all and wishing you all the best for 2025 🎄
We will be open on the following days over the festive period:
🥁 Monday 23rd December
🥁 Monday 30th December
🥁 Thursday 2nd January
🎶 Back to normal schedule from Monday 6th January 2025
November 2024
✨Wow, what an incredibly exciting few weeks it’s been!
🎤 Macy was invited to be a Presenter on Original 10 Sticks via Original 106 FM
📸 We had a fantastic photoshoot with The Press and Journal and Evening Express
🎙️ I received a call from BBC Radio Scotland asking me to go live on air with them - I’m so thrilled that Granite City Music Tuition got a mention!
🎓 I was also contacted by the UHI (University of the Highlands and Islands) with exciting new teaching opportunities
🎵 And to top it all off, I spent an amazing Friday morning on air, with the wonderful Claire & Pete at the Original 106 FM studio, followed by a great chat with Claire about dogs, cows and everything in between! 🐶🐮
I'm beyond grateful for the support, and I’m thrilled to announce that Granite City Music Tuition has been busier than ever! With a growing waiting list, I'm now opening up Friday's for drum lessons 🥁
Thank you all for being a part of this amazing journey with me! 💫
October 2024
🌍 World Mental Health Day 2024 🌍
It has been proven that drumming can boost mental (and physical) health. My students often say that they feel better after drumming 🥁