Competition adjudicators 2023
Mae Murray
Mae began her teaching career in 1979 at St Andrew’s Academy, Saltcoats gaining experience teaching music in both primary and secondary classes. During this time, she was highly engaged in choral extracurricular activities and building relationships within the community.
In 1988 she moved to the role of Principal Teacher of Music at Garnock Academy building the department to one of the most successful in the west of Scotland. During this time the department developed into a faculty of Music and Drama allowing for expansion of opportunity for the young people of the Garnock Valley.
In 2010 the opportunity arose to work both at school and local authority level with the seconded post of Music Service Manager for North Ayrshire Council. During this time Mae was also a committee member of the Scottish Association for Music Education supporting and delivering various courses and conferences for practitioners across the country. This led to the involvement in the SG Instrumental Music Group, the Instrumental Music Implementation Group, and the Music Education Partnership Group.
In 2017 Mae was invited to be the secretariat of MEPG which at this time sat within Education Scotland. As well as supporting the work of MEPG Mae also developed Singing to Learn, a notional singing programme available to all schools in Scotland. The resource was launched in the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall with over 2,500 primary pupils participating in a big sing in 2018 followed by a similar Play to Learn experience for 2,500 secondary pupils in 2019.
Mae retired from her role in Garnock Community Campus and North Ayrshire Council in January 2020.
In March 2020 MEPG became a charity supporting music education in Scotland. The partnership has grown from strength to strength and further information of their work can be found at https://wemakemusicscotland.org/
Phil McGregor
Phil is currently the Education Support Officer for Music, Performing Arts and Culture and the Head of the Instrumental Music Service in Dundee City Council.
He started playing the tuba at the age of 14 years old in his hometown of Dundee, playing in all of the local bands and orchestras until the age of 18.
In 1990, Phil gained a place at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama where he studied tuba under Tony Swainson and David Dowall. During his time at the RSAMD, he played in all of the RSAMD's major ensembles and was highly commended in the Governor's Recital Prize for Brass in 1993.
Teaching was the profession he always what he wanted to enter. After graduating from RSAMD in 1994, and gaining a Post-Graduate Diploma in Information Technology from Abertay University in 1995, Phil was appointed as a brass instructor in Dundee in 1996. After 24 years as a brass instructor and conductor in Dundee, Phil was appointed to his present post in February 2020 continuing his association with the Instrumental Music Service in Dundee.
Sandy Gomez
Piping adjudicator
Sandy has been a Piper in the Lewis Pipe Band for 25 years, as well as competing in Grade 2 with the Denny & Dunipace Pipe Band, and has been Chairman of Lewis Pipe Band for the last 13 years.
