Piper and Bubba

[Jack Daw]

Steve, I'm sorry you had such an experience. I think I can relate as I have had, so far, only one bad experience as a piper. Once, when I showed up for a pro-bono solo piping gig at a grade school that was hosting an international fair, the teacher who hired me kept mentioning how disappointed she was that she couldn't get E. J. Jones (a pro piper from Clandestine), who played at the event the prior year. That much I could take; although, her candor surprised me. Thankfully, that was before I started playing.

I played for 4 straight hours (from 10am to 2pm), taking requests and playing my heart out with very small breaks and no lunch. When I finally started packing to leave, she came back to me and said how much she liked my playing, but that I had been hired to be there until 4PM, which would have meant another 2 hours of playing. I was worn out and told her so and left guiltlessly. Now, I know why E.J. didn't come back.

[wgority]

.............Once, when I showed up for a pro-bono solo piping gig at a grade school that was hosting an international fair, the teacher who hired me kept mentioning ................ When I finally started packing to leave, she came back to me and said how much she liked my playing, but that I had been hired to be there until 4PM, ............

Allow me to put on my language nazi hat here. You weren't hired. Hire is defined as follows:
1 a: payment for the temporary use of something b: payment for labor or personal services
2 a: the act or an instance of hiring b: the state of being hired

To be hired requires an exchange of payment for services or goods. You were doing this pro bono and from the kindness of your heart with no such exchange. She should have damned well appreciated your contribution and thanked you graciously. Were I you, I'd put information about this ungrateful and ungracious person out among pipers in my general area and recommend my friends give any engagement from her a wide berth.