Jackie started playing Highland Bagpipes in January, 2000 with Iain Mac Harg of Marshfield, VT. Since then, she has attended numerous workshops with instructors such as Jack Lee, Gail Brown, Dr. Jack Taylor, Norman Ghillies, Jim McGillivray, Adrian Melvin, John Wilson, Willie McCallum, and Bruce Gandy. 

She has been taking lessons from Donald Lindsay, Director of the Invermark College of Piping and Drumming for the past 7 years along with Willie McCallum of Bearsden, Scotland.

Currently, she is a member of good standing with the EUSPBA (Eastern United States Pipe Band Association) as a solo competitor in Grade 2. She currently plays with the Grade 1 Albany, NY based Oran Mor Pipe Band and with the Grade 3 Montpelier, VT based Catamount Pipe Band, of which she is a founding member.

Jackie plays a set of circa 1908 R.G. Lawrie pipes made of african blackwood and mounted with ivory and engraved sterling silver, and chanters made by Michael MacHarg.