Scotsman Obituaries: Alan McMillan, musician and music teacher

Alan – or John, as he preferred – was an exceptional man of many talents. Learning not simply to survive but thrive in the face of life-changing illness and other challenges became a hallmark of his later life; like the legendary phoenix he continually rose from the ashes.

Raised in South West Scotland, school years were not especially happy, but a passion for music that was to last a lifetime began to develop at that time, and playing lead guitar became his position. He also enjoyed time training for and competing at junior national rowing championships through Scottish Rowing.

Academically speaking, Alan shone later. Through attendance at Napier and Strathclyde Universities he achieved Bachelor of Arts (First Class) and paralegal status. He also studied to achieve Fellowship of the Chartered Insurance Institute. Later, when offered an MBA scholarship by Durham University he accepted an alternative offer of a post with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

Alan had a great love of the outdoors

The discipline shown to study as a mature student while working full time served him well. Alan went on to a highly varied working life across sectors. He travelled widely to support local groups of the former Age Concern Scotland, was fundamental to the roll-out of a risk management framework governing the activities of East Lothian Council, and as a senior associate with the FCA audited UK financial firms before leading on the development of an early online review tool. Later, using his considerable musical talent, he built a thriving guitar tuition business and performed beautiful classical guitar music at many weddings and other life events.

Alan had relocated to work in Edinburgh while still a teenager, having met his future wife Lisa at the tender age of 17. Their union was enduring, based in love, laughter and friendship. He was never considered a son-in-law, rather a son to the family, and the strength he and Lisa took from their relationship was the bedrock of both their lives.

Alan was a compassionate and clever man who wore his many talents lightly, never taking himself too seriously.

Former FCA colleague Ellie Matthewman said: “Working with Alan at the FCA was a privilege. His softly spoken manner, kindness and readiness to take responsibility made working together a real pleasure. He had a gift for making complex work – like the online review tool we worked on together – feel manageable to me, and he was always generous with his time. Even after I left the FCA, Alan kept in touch, which I valued greatly and will always remember with fondness.”

Alan McMillan had a lifelong passion for music, playing classical guitar at weddings and other events

And speaking to Alan’s legacy, Martha Caddell, whose son was taught guitar by Alan for seven years, said: “Alan was a remarkable, kind and generous teacher who shaped and inspired our son's formative years.”

During 2017, Alan faced the first major test of his resilience. Following a period of difficult life events, he suffered significant ill health and reluctantly resigned his post with the FCA.

Aged 46 he started with a blank sheet of paper, but within 18 months had a thriving music tuition business. A key element of his unique style was an ability to design and adapt musical arrangements to enable students to learn to play music of their choosing, no matter their stage of learning or style of music. Alan treasured his students and especially enjoyed the challenge where music had not originally been designed for a stringed instrument.

Building the business took everything he had, but the first UK lockdown destroyed it overnight. Transferring to online is familiar now, but then was almost as alien as the pandemic itself. Alan started again. He rose to the challenge, building almost as large a business, complete with a waiting list of prospective students.

In the background, further health challenges were building, including sudden vision loss. Alan was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2021, which showed a devastatingly fast progression. He refused to be defined by the condition, never considering himself a victim. Specialist MS Nurse Matt Justin said Alan “left a positive impression on everyone he met within the MS Team”.

Rather than complain, he looked for ways of helping those with similar challenges while continuing to develop his tuition business. MS fundamentally changed how Alan was able to interact with the world but it was his musical talent that defined him. He would say, “while playing the guitar the world still makes sense”.

As an avid reader, and having achieved his childhood dream of owning a sports car, the onset of severe sight loss was a particularly heavy blow. He responded in typical fashion, learning to embrace audiobooks and becoming a great cheerleader of both Lothian Buses and Scotrail. He was about to play a part in staff training, better enabling the assistance of visually impaired passengers.

Life gave Alan many lemons, he responded by making lemonade.

Giving back was always important to Alan. He spent time as a Samaritans listening volunteer, provided festive music for Crisis at Christmas and enjoyed volunteering with Contact the Elderly. He was also a much valued musical volunteer at Penicuik Storehouse. Volunteer Morag said: “We will always remember him for the beautiful music and for his gentleness.”

Before ill health, Alan loved to travel. Driving the length of New Zealand on two occasions with Lisa provided cherished memories. Never just a passive visitor, and in keeping with his interests, he visited Japan to see the production line where his beloved sports car was made, and Seattle's Boeing assembly line in order to better appreciate aviation engineering.

An active approach to learning was with Alan throughout his life. He loved the underlying craftsmanship of filmmaking, particularly the cinematography. Films directed by Alfred Hitchcock and Mike Leigh were particular specialisms. He was knowledgeable but modest about so much.

Earlier interests included acting and amateur film making. Alan was a keen golfer at one time. He was a volunteer dog walker with The Cinnamon Trust – through which he and Lisa fostered their beloved Bracken – and ran many half marathons to raise funds for The Cinnamon and other charities.

Alan was also a gifted amateur photographer, able to capture the perfect candid shot.

Lifelong friend Dean Major said “He was a very funny man who happened to be an exceptional musician.” Indeed, during their many happy years Alan with Lisa lived by his phrase of “never lose the humour”. This stemmed from his beloved grandfather Les who would say, “if you can't laugh”.

In their final years together Alan and Lisa sought simply peace and stability. Sadly, the suffering Alan had endured in some areas of his life had had a profound effect and he died on 23 May 2025.

Lisa survives him as his wife of almost 32 years. Alan was an advocate of and mentor to many. Lisa credits her own achievements to Alan's constancy, vision, support, intellect and resilience and will always remember his words: “I can still put one foot in front of the other and so that is a start.”

A fundraising page has been set up to support the RNIB's Talk and Support service which gave Alan so much, you can find it at this link.

Obituaries

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