The Pipes are Calling portrays a summer bagpipe school in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, where piping enthusiasts from all over North America gather to learn the craft and music of the traditional instrument of the Scottish highlands. During this intensive two-week course, Joan, along with pipers and drummers of all ages and backgrounds, learn, practice, and perform in classrooms, recitals, and a hilarious costumed contest in the local tavern. Joan strives to win the Medallion competition, the prestigious award for the best "piobaireachd," the classical music of the Scottish bagpipe. For Joan, there is a spiritual quality to this ancient oral tradition, and whether she wins or loses, she will have grown in her efforts to better understand and preserve this unique cultural heritage. Additional interviews include, among others, the late Chief Instructor Evan McRae of Ft. William, Scotland, and Instructor Bruce Gandy, of Nova Scotia, current winner of many of Scotland's most prestigious piping awards.

As Sue Arbuthnot's MFA Thesis Film, The Pipes are Calling, premiered in 1990 at Columbia University's annual film festival. It then won First Prize for Documentary at the 1990 Suffolk County Film Festival in Huntington, NY. The film was awarded a Certificate of Merit at the 1990 Chicago International Film Festival. The film also screened at the Boston International Film Festival, Minnesota's Riverton International Film Festival, the North Carolina Film Festival, Rochester International Film Festival, and the Wine Country Film Festival in Glen Ellen, CA. The film has aired on PBS affiliates in New York, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and California.

"Reminding us repeatedly of the virtues and rewards of modesty, Arbuthnot keeps her eye and her camerawork simple and honest and therefore effective as she lets the expressions on the faces of the students and teachers carry most of the narrative." - Jay Carr, The Boston Globe, Sept. 18, 1990

"...the film effectively communicates the excitement and personal satisfaction gained from playing, as well as documenting a rich and enduring tradition." - Judy Rosenberg, Rochester International Film Festival

"...a serious account of dedication and tradition, told with conviction and heart...visually spectacular." - Columbia University Spectator, May, 1990

"...students struggling to achieve any artistic goal should find inspiration in this work." - Library Journal, Nov. 15, 1990