"It drives my family and friends nuts."
Lisa Adie would like to be playing her snare drum 24/7.
But when she can not, she resorts to the next best thing: tapping her fingers or pens on anything "tappable".
The 14-year-old Kaikorai Valley College pupil has been playing snare drum in pipe bands since the age of 7 and was recently one of three New Zealand pipe-banders to be selected to attend an international pipe-band summer school in Canada.
Lisa won a $1000 scholarship to attend the Piping Hot Summer Drummer School run by Simon Fraser University at Silver Star Mountain in Vancouver, after attending the Royal New Zealand Pipe Band Association Summer School in Christchurch last month.
"I'm pretty excited.
"Usually, the scholarships are given to 18- or 19-year-olds.
"I'm one of the youngest ever to receive the scholarship."
Kaikorai Valley College principal Philip Craigie was delighted with Lisa's success.
"I think it's great for anyone to come through and reach such a high standard as that.
"It's fantastic."
Lisa was one of more than 200 experienced pipers and drummers from New Zealand and Australia at the Christchurch event, and received tuition from principal tutors Jack Lee and Reid Maxwell.
The duo are members of the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band, the present world-champion pipe band, and help run the SFU summer school, which is the biggest pipe-band school in the world.
Lisa was selected by the tutors to attend their school because of her superior drumming skills and future potential.
Lisa said she started playing snare drum after hearing her cousin play the instrument for the Champions of Otago Pipe Band in Dunedin.
"I thought it was a pretty cool instrument - and noisy.
"So I wanted to learn too."
Since then, she has progressed to win drumming competitions in Otago and Canterbury, and was recently promoted to lead drummer in the John McGlashan Pipe Band.
"I practise for an hour a day.
"It drives my neighbours nuts.
"Luckily, I live next to a kit player who plays in a jazz band.
"So at least one of my neighbours enjoys my practising."
Lisa said in time, she hoped to become a member of the SFU Pipe Band.
"I look up to their standard of playing.
"They're world champions.
"They're my role models."
Until then, she will continue to practise hard in preparation for her trip to the SFU summer school in July next year.
