Bellview Before she was 2 years old, Emma Grace Campbell would be adopted by two people who loved her enough to choose her as their own.
“It’s really amazing, I love my parents. When I was really little, I wanted to be like my dad. I’ve always been super short, and he was really tall, so I would pretend I was gonna get his genes and grow really tall like him,” she said about being adopted.
By the time she was 14, and after a year and a half of practice, the young lady became an accomplished Scottish bagpiper. The activity, which is dominated by men, would finally have a woman on the scene – and one who was born in 2011 and not even old enough to drive.
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Campbell is multi-talented and enjoys playing the clarinet, fiddle and piano, but bagpipe is her favorite. She plays in three different bands, including a homeschool band. She also enjoys sewing and crocheting.
“When I was really little, we went to the Highland Games and I saw the bagpipers, and I thought that was really interesting. I’ve always wanted to be a bagpiper,” she said.
“Eleven years later, we were here in North Carolina, and mom and dad said there’s a bagpipe band in the area not far away. We signed up for it, and here I am.”
Campbell has played the bagpipes at a couple of funerals so far in her young career. “Amazing Grace” is her most requested song.
As for playing at funerals, “It’s a little sad, but I like doing it because a lot of these people tell me their loved one’s last wishes were to have the bagpipes played at their funeral,” she said.
However, blowing air into a wind instrument is not easy.
“It was definitely hard when I started. There are things to make it easier; you can get a small bag size that uses less air. You can also get drone reeds that are adapted that use less air. There are also breathing exercises you can do but it does get easier,” Campbell said.
Bagpipes can be expensive. Her instrument was used and cost about $950. Then there’s the uniform and all of its components.
Campbell’s uniform consists of a hat that bears her family’s crest, shirt and tie, a tartan kilt, leather belt with a buckle and a bag known as a sporran worn in the front. She also dons a kilt pin, socks and specialized shoes.
Also worn is a sgian-dubh knife tucked inside of one of the kilt socks. A jacket can be worn as well. The colors of the kilt are traditionally based on family origin.
Campbell’s favorite color is turquoise, with her favorite botanicals being the daffodil and succulents.
The native Californian has spent grown up in the South, the last five years in North Carolina. Campbell is homeschooled and said she prefers it over a traditional public school setting, although she did like kindergarten a bit better than the first grade. Mom Candra is her teacher, while dad Mike works in information technology.
In the future, Campbell sees herself still playing the bagpipes.
“I see myself also getting married eventually,” she said.
Campbell may appear with her bagpipes at the First Friday Art Walk in downtown Murphy on Dec. 5.
She performs at weddings, parties, special events and funerals. Her brother, Mason, is also multi-talented, playing the banjo, trumpet and drums.
Details: Email Campbellms2001@yahoo.com.