Melissa Jane Hollands

There is a picture in The Montreal Gazette of then 11-year old Melissa –Jane Hollands, arms akimbo, dressed in a kilt and sporran and equipped with a bagpipe, staring defiantly at a Montreal police officer. The photo was taken last July, after Hollands attracted much media attention for her dispute with the City of Montreal.

The issue? Hollands, who was visiting Montreal with her family, wanted to play her bagpipe for the tourists. As she was not yet 14 (and didn’t meet the minimum age requirement for the busking by-law), Hollands was told to pack her pipes, or her parents would be fined.

A tough pill to swallow for the Alma, Quebec native, who now lives in Huntsville, Ontario (her busking was earning her $200 a day). All was not lost though when organizers of the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival asked Hollands to play at their gala. In front of a crowd of 2000 people, as wrote The Canadian Press, “…Melissa-Jane drew applause for Scotland the Brave. Many people in the posh theatre hustled up to the stage to toss coins and bills into a bag set in front of her”.

Hollands is the youngest of seven children and has been playing the bagpipe since the age of nine.