Musicians January 2012

musicians@lists.sharedweight.net

17 participants
16 discussions

[Organizers] Northeast Dance Organizers Conference

by Lisa Sieverts

I'm just home from the awesome dance organizer's conference that just took place in White River Junction, VT. My mind is buzzing and I want to share some of my thoughts. First, I feel so validated in my choice to invest lots of time and energy into our local dances. Giving people the opportunity to experience community in the context of social dance is a worthwhile and valuable thing to do. I knew that already, but spending time with 80 other organizers helped me to see this again, with new eyes. Second, I'm energized about our dances, and about broadening the team that manages the events. I see clearly that being able to help with the dance is a privilege and an honor. I can feel good about tapping a regular on the shoulder and saying, "would you like to be part of the team that puts this dance on"? I'm so happy that we already have this venue of Shared Weight - Organizers. Let's keep the energy and support that we had this weekend flowing. Thanks to CDSS, NEFFA, DEFFA, New England Dancing Masters, MFS, and the hard work of Chrissy Fowler, Delia Clark, Linda Henry and Mary Wesley. -- <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103582272438&s=522&e=001yMXrq9ir0gBX7ESCD5f3q…> lisa(a)lisasieverts.com 603-762-0235

9 years, 9 months

[Organizers] borrowing ideas

by Chrissy Fowler

Had an email exchange recently with another dance organizer, who was one of my buddies from POTD. We were discussing various aspects of dance series management. He noted that every dance is different (as in 'all politics are local') which reminded me of lyrics in a Billy Bragg song, North Sea Bubble: "I went out drinking with Thomas Paine. He said that all revolutions are not the same. They're as different as the cultures that give them birth. For no one idea can solve every problem on Earth. So don't expect it all to happen in some prophesied political fashion. For people are different, and so are nations. You can borrow ideas but you can't borrow situations." I refer to this general concept often when thinking about dance organization. Thought I'd pass it on to the larger group for entertainment and rumination. You know, since no one idea can solve every dance organization problem on Earth. And because, uh, you know, a dance is sort of like, uh, a revolution. Right? :) Chrissy Fowler Belfast ME ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ website www.westbranchwords.com website www.chrissyfowler.com dance series www.belfastflyingshoes.org telephone 207-338-0979

11 years, 7 months

Re: [Organizers] Organizers Digest, Vol 34, Issue 8

by Dennis Merritt

Last year's Splash Dance weekend everyone really enjoyed the music and it's all open bands and open mic. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_KflHcq84M We've had more success with our open bands at our regular dance as well. The formula we've been using, both for them and Splash Dance, is to make sure we have two good musicians to lead each of the open bands, one rhythm, one melody. Here's a clip from one of our regular Thursday dances - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NotY1Zavyw For our Thursday dances, we compensate the two band leaders as we would any band. We also compensate the leader of the open mic as well. In our announcements of the open band nights, we usually point out that an open band provides a 'big band' sound that you simply can't get with a normal 2-4 member contra band. It really is something unique and special, we think. Dennis On Tue, Jan 17, 2012 at 2:25 PM, <organizers-request(a)sharedweight.net>wrote: > Send Organizers mailing list submissions to > organizers(a)sharedweight.net > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/organizers > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > organizers-request(a)sharedweight.net > > You can reach the person managing the list at > organizers-owner(a)sharedweight.net > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Organizers digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Open Bands (Jeff Kaufman) > 2. Re: Open Bands (mreddig(a)theriver.com) > 3. Re: Open Bands (barb kirchner) > 4. Re: Open Bands (Merle Mceldowney) > 5. Re: Open Bands (Jeff Kaufman) > 6. Re: Open Bands (Michael Barraclough) > 7. Re: Open Bands (Michael Barraclough) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:31:10 -0500 > From: Jeff Kaufman <jeff(a)alum.swarthmore.edu> > To: A list for dance organizers <organizers(a)sharedweight.net> > Subject: [Organizers] Open Bands > Message-ID: <20120117173110.GA9908(a)melfpelt.swarpa.net> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii > > Open bands have a reputation for being less enjoyable to dance to. > I've heard dancers say they avoid open band nights, or that while they > understand the role of the open band in fostering musicians they wish > they weren't needed. Now that I'm helping organize them with BIDA, > however, I'm not seeing this. In fact our attendance is higher, people > have a great time, and I don't hear complaints. Afterwards a dancer > wrote that they had "never seen that much positive engagement between > the band and the dancers." > > A video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MENiFoiMq5Y > > I see two explanations: (1) open bands are not actually unpopular and > I was just listening to the small number of people who don't like them > or (2) BIDA is doing something right. I don't know which it is, but I > figured I would describe what BIDA has been doing in case it's (2). > > (BIDA has had four open band nights. I've only been involved with the > most recent three, so what I have below is about these three.) > > In scheduling the open band we first find a band leader. We've had > Peter Barnes twice and Debby Knight once, both have been great. They > both primarily played piano, but also can play other instruments if > someone else wants to take a turn on piano. This is the only paid > role; everyone else playing pays admission on a $0-$10 sliding scale. > > We have two rows, sorting people by experience. We mic everyone in the > front row and most of the people in the back, though there are often > some who don't want to be mic'd or who need to take turns with limited > mics. It's helpful that we have a large stage. Everyone plays at > once. At our most recent dance we had: (front row) caller, piano, 6x > fiddle (back row) double bass, whistle, recorder, fiddle, octave > mandolin. > > Reading through this, nothing sounds very different from other open > bands I've been to. Which makes me think it's not actually about how > we run the band and instead about the musicians who decide to > come. Maybe what's going on is that we're drawing from a different > group? I wonder if there's an effect where when an open band has been > around longer many of the best musicians move on and you have mostly > people who aren't interested in or aren't able to get booked for other > dances? If this were happening I would expect that in general open > bands that were newer would be better; are they? > > Jeff > > ( Also a blog post: http://www.jefftk.com/news/2012-01-17.html ) > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2012 09:40:41 -0800 > From: <mreddig(a)theriver.com> > To: "A list for dance organizers" <organizers(a)sharedweight.net> > Cc: <organizers(a)sharedweight.net> > Subject: Re: [Organizers] Open Bands > Message-ID: <20120117094041.D4903DF9(a)resin03.mta.everyone.net> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" > > I have two possible reasons for your success. > > 1) Open Bands can help build your community by bringing in new people > (stakeholders) with enthusiasm. > > 2) Peter Barnes and Debby Knight are masters at creating dynamic music > from an otherwise disconnected group of musicians. I suggest it is not the > quality of musicians in the Open Band, but the quality of the band leaders > that gives life to the band. > > Mike > > --- jeff(a)alum.swarthmore.edu wrote: > > From: Jeff Kaufman <jeff(a)alum.swarthmore.edu> > To: A list for dance organizers <organizers(a)sharedweight.net> > Subject: [Organizers] Open Bands > Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:31:10 -0500 > > Open bands have a reputation for being less enjoyable to dance to. > I've heard dancers say they avoid open band nights, or that while they > understand the role of the open band in fostering musicians they wish > they weren't needed. Now that I'm helping organize them with BIDA, > however, I'm not seeing this. In fact our attendance is higher, people > have a great time, and I don't hear complaints. Afterwards a dancer > wrote that they had "never seen that much positive engagement between > the band and the dancers." > > A video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MENiFoiMq5Y > > I see two explanations: (1) open bands are not actually unpopular and > I was just listening to the small number of people who don't like them > or (2) BIDA is doing something right. I don't know which it is, but I > figured I would describe what BIDA has been doing in case it's (2). > > (BIDA has had four open band nights. I've only been involved with the > most recent three, so what I have below is about these three.) > > In scheduling the open band we first find a band leader. We've had > Peter Barnes twice and Debby Knight once, both have been great. They > both primarily played piano, but also can play other instruments if > someone else wants to take a turn on piano. This is the only paid > role; everyone else playing pays admission on a $0-$10 sliding scale. > > We have two rows, sorting people by experience. We mic everyone in the > front row and most of the people in the back, though there are often > some who don't want to be mic'd or who need to take turns with limited > mics. It's helpful that we have a large stage. Everyone plays at > once. At our most recent dance we had: (front row) caller, piano, 6x > fiddle (back row) double bass, whistle, recorder, fiddle, octave > mandolin. > > Reading through this, nothing sounds very different from other open > bands I've been to. Which makes me think it's not actually about how > we run the band and instead about the musicians who decide to > come. Maybe what's going on is that we're drawing from a different > group? I wonder if there's an effect where when an open band has been > around longer many of the best musicians move on and you have mostly > people who aren't interested in or aren't able to get booked for other > dances? If this were happening I would expect that in general open > bands that were newer would be better; are they? > > Jeff > > ( Also a blog post: http://www.jefftk.com/news/2012-01-17.html ) > _______________________________________________ > Organizers mailing list > Organizers(a)sharedweight.net > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/organizers > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 3 > Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2012 18:08:32 +0000 > From: barb kirchner <barbkirchner(a)hotmail.com> > To: <organizers(a)sharedweight.net> > Subject: Re: [Organizers] Open Bands > Message-ID: <SNT134-W159A37EF753CDC992AEADDE800(a)phx.gbl> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > > > i think the point about strong leaders is the key. peter and debbie are > great. sue songer does a great job with portland megaband. open band > night at glen echo is amazing fun. > > somebody who not only knows HOW to play for a dance, but can TEACH a > group, is a valuable resource. > > > > > Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2012 09:40:41 -0800 > > From: mreddig(a)theriver.com > > To: organizers(a)sharedweight.net > > CC: organizers(a)sharedweight.net > > Subject: Re: [Organizers] Open Bands > > > > I have two possible reasons for your success. > > > > 1) Open Bands can help build your community by bringing in new people > (stakeholders) with enthusiasm. > > > > 2) Peter Barnes and Debby Knight are masters at creating dynamic music > from an otherwise disconnected group of musicians. I suggest it is not the > quality of musicians in the Open Band, but the quality of the band leaders > that gives life to the band. > > > > Mike > > > > --- jeff(a)alum.swarthmore.edu wrote: > > > > From: Jeff Kaufman <jeff(a)alum.swarthmore.edu> > > To: A list for dance organizers <organizers(a)sharedweight.net> > > Subject: [Organizers] Open Bands > > Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:31:10 -0500 > > > > Open bands have a reputation for being less enjoyable to dance to. > > I've heard dancers say they avoid open band nights, or that while they > > understand the role of the open band in fostering musicians they wish > > they weren't needed. Now that I'm helping organize them with BIDA, > > however, I'm not seeing this. In fact our attendance is higher, people > > have a great time, and I don't hear complaints. Afterwards a dancer > > wrote that they had "never seen that much positive engagement between > > the band and the dancers." > > > > A video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MENiFoiMq5Y > > > > I see two explanations: (1) open bands are not actually unpopular and > > I was just listening to the small number of people who don't like them > > or (2) BIDA is doing something right. I don't know which it is, but I > > figured I would describe what BIDA has been doing in case it's (2). > > > > (BIDA has had four open band nights. I've only been involved with the > > most recent three, so what I have below is about these three.) > > > > In scheduling the open band we first find a band leader. We've had > > Peter Barnes twice and Debby Knight once, both have been great. They > > both primarily played piano, but also can play other instruments if > > someone else wants to take a turn on piano. This is the only paid > > role; everyone else playing pays admission on a $0-$10 sliding scale. > > > > We have two rows, sorting people by experience. We mic everyone in the > > front row and most of the people in the back, though there are often > > some who don't want to be mic'd or who need to take turns with limited > > mics. It's helpful that we have a large stage. Everyone plays at > > once. At our most recent dance we had: (front row) caller, piano, 6x > > fiddle (back row) double bass, whistle, recorder, fiddle, octave > > mandolin. > > > > Reading through this, nothing sounds very different from other open > > bands I've been to. Which makes me think it's not actually about how > > we run the band and instead about the musicians who decide to > > come. Maybe what's going on is that we're drawing from a different > > group? I wonder if there's an effect where when an open band has been > > around longer many of the best musicians move on and you have mostly > > people who aren't interested in or aren't able to get booked for other > > dances? If this were happening I would expect that in general open > > bands that were newer would be better; are they? > > > > Jeff > > > > ( Also a blog post: http://www.jefftk.com/news/2012-01-17.html ) > > _______________________________________________ > > Organizers mailing list > > Organizers(a)sharedweight.net > > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/organizers > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Organizers mailing list > > Organizers(a)sharedweight.net > > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/organizers > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 4 > Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:12:55 -0500 > From: Merle Mceldowney <merle.mceldowney(a)gmail.com> > To: A list for dance organizers <organizers(a)sharedweight.net> > Subject: Re: [Organizers] Open Bands > Message-ID: > <CAK4w+gprKxrSx5B3bw5YYLs3TySwrvx_XnKNrJ85rtTg=mMw4Q(a)mail.gmail.com > > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 > > I am a very basic recorder player. I did a band workshop with Peter at > pinewoods. It was an amazing experience. I believe we sounded really good. > Beyond the basics that Peter taught us he was able to provide an > inspiration that was really amazing. I had a great time, people loved > listeneing to us, and wanted us to do it again. > > Peter is an extraordinary and unusual talent. He has a combination of > musicianship, leadership and inspiration that wil make others sound good. > The challenge to community bands is to be able to get it done with people > of lesser talents. > > Can I ask the icky question. Is Peter paid to do this? > > M > > > > On Tue, Jan 17, 2012 at 12:40 PM, <mreddig(a)theriver.com> wrote: > > > I have two possible reasons for your success. > > > > 1) Open Bands can help build your community by bringing in new people > > (stakeholders) with enthusiasm. > > > > 2) Peter Barnes and Debby Knight are masters at creating dynamic music > > from an otherwise disconnected group of musicians. I suggest it is not > the > > quality of musicians in the Open Band, but the quality of the band > leaders > > that gives life to the band. > > > > Mike > > > > --- jeff(a)alum.swarthmore.edu wrote: > > > > From: Jeff Kaufman <jeff(a)alum.swarthmore.edu> > > To: A list for dance organizers <organizers(a)sharedweight.net> > > Subject: [Organizers] Open Bands > > Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:31:10 -0500 > > > > Open bands have a reputation for being less enjoyable to dance to. > > I've heard dancers say they avoid open band nights, or that while they > > understand the role of the open band in fostering musicians they wish > > they weren't needed. Now that I'm helping organize them with BIDA, > > however, I'm not seeing this. In fact our attendance is higher, people > > have a great time, and I don't hear complaints. Afterwards a dancer > > wrote that they had "never seen that much positive engagement between > > the band and the dancers." > > > > A video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MENiFoiMq5Y > > > > I see two explanations: (1) open bands are not actually unpopular and > > I was just listening to the small number of people who don't like them > > or (2) BIDA is doing something right. I don't know which it is, but I > > figured I would describe what BIDA has been doing in case it's (2). > > > > (BIDA has had four open band nights. I've only been involved with the > > most recent three, so what I have below is about these three.) > > > > In scheduling the open band we first find a band leader. We've had > > Peter Barnes twice and Debby Knight once, both have been great. They > > both primarily played piano, but also can play other instruments if > > someone else wants to take a turn on piano. This is the only paid > > role; everyone else playing pays admission on a $0-$10 sliding scale. > > > > We have two rows, sorting people by experience. We mic everyone in the > > front row and most of the people in the back, though there are often > > some who don't want to be mic'd or who need to take turns with limited > > mics. It's helpful that we have a large stage. Everyone plays at > > once. At our most recent dance we had: (front row) caller, piano, 6x > > fiddle (back row) double bass, whistle, recorder, fiddle, octave > > mandolin. > > > > Reading through this, nothing sounds very different from other open > > bands I've been to. Which makes me think it's not actually about how > > we run the band and instead about the musicians who decide to > > come. Maybe what's going on is that we're drawing from a different > > group? I wonder if there's an effect where when an open band has been > > around longer many of the best musicians move on and you have mostly > > people who aren't interested in or aren't able to get booked for other > > dances? If this were happening I would expect that in general open > > bands that were newer would be better; are they? > > > > Jeff > > > > ( Also a blog post: http://www.jefftk.com/news/2012-01-17.html ) > > _______________________________________________ > > Organizers mailing list > > Organizers(a)sharedweight.net > > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/organizers > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Organizers mailing list > > Organizers(a)sharedweight.net > > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/organizers > > > > > > -- > *Merle McEldowney* > *212-933-0290* > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 5 > Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:17:04 -0500 > From: Jeff Kaufman <jeff(a)alum.swarthmore.edu> > To: A list for dance organizers <organizers(a)sharedweight.net> > Subject: Re: [Organizers] Open Bands > Message-ID: <20120117181704.GA11986(a)melfpelt.swarpa.net> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii > > Merle Mceldowney wrote: > > > > Can I ask the icky question. Is Peter paid to do this? > > > > As I wrote before, the band leader (twice Peter, once Debby) is the > only paid role. They get $75 base plus $25 mentoring. Peter got > another $25 travel. Then there's profit sharing, and because there > are so few paid performers to split profits that tends to be more than > usual. > > Jeff > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 6 > Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:13:16 -0500 > From: Michael Barraclough <michael(a)michaelbarraclough.com> > To: organizers(a)sharedweight.net > Subject: Re: [Organizers] Open Bands > Message-ID: <1326827596.3329.35.camel@The-Beast> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" > > This is what we say on the (Glen Echo) Friday Night Dancers web-site > about our Open Band, which plays every month on the 2nd Friday in the > month. Band attendance is usually between 30-60 people. Dancer > attendance is usually a little smaller than usual (say 25o instead of > 275) on Open Band nights, in part because some of the dancers are in the > band. My personal view is that the band sounds better (tighter?) when > it is smaller, but it is always dance-able. > > Michael Barraclough > > > > Open Band > > On the second Friday of each month, the "Fabulous Glen Echo Open Band" > provides the music for the dance. Both amateur and professional > musicians are welcome to sit in and are admitted free. One of our Open > Band members, penny-whistler Jim Stahler, has compiled an 18-year list > of tunes played by the Glen Echo Open Band and how many times they were > played. Newer members are encouraged to download the shorter list of > recently played tunes so they can practice the most frequently played > tunes. Both lists are Word .doc files. Here is a podcast that offers the > sets of songs along with the page info in some of the popular books such > as the Portland Collection and Fiddlers Fakebook. For more information > regarding the open band, check out the Open Band FAQ or send email to > Jim Stahler: jstahler at earthlink dot net. If you would like to play or > call for a Friday Night Dance, send email to FND Booking at: > fndgigs(a)petml.com > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 7 > Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:25:12 -0500 > From: Michael Barraclough <michael(a)michaelbarraclough.com> > To: A list for dance organizers <organizers(a)sharedweight.net> > Subject: Re: [Organizers] Open Bands > Message-ID: <1326828312.3329.39.camel@The-Beast> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" > > Ok - so the 'net police' turned my post into plain text and lost the > links! > > The18-year list of tunes played by the Glen Echo Open Band is at > http://www.fridaynightdance.org/OPEN_BAND_EIGHTEEN_YEAR_LIST_1993-2011.doc > > The posdcast is at > > http://www.openbandonline.com/Open_Band/Open_Band_Podcast/Open_Band_Podcast… > > The Open Band FAQ is at http://www.fridaynightdance.org/openbandfaq.html > > Michael Barraclough > > > On Tue, 2012-01-17 at 14:13 -0500, Michael Barraclough wrote: > > > This is what we say on the (Glen Echo) Friday Night Dancers web-site > > about our Open Band, which plays every month on the 2nd Friday in the > > month. Band attendance is usually between 30-60 people. Dancer > > attendance is usually a little smaller than usual (say 25o instead of > > 275) on Open Band nights, in part because some of the dancers are in the > > band. My personal view is that the band sounds better (tighter?) when > > it is smaller, but it is always dance-able. > > > > Michael Barraclough > > > > > > > > Open Band > > > > On the second Friday of each month, the "Fabulous Glen Echo Open Band" > > provides the music for the dance. Both amateur and professional > > musicians are welcome to sit in and are admitted free. One of our Open > > Band members, penny-whistler Jim Stahler, has compiled an 18-year list > > of tunes played by the Glen Echo Open Band and how many times they were > > played. Newer members are encouraged to download the shorter list of > > recently played tunes so they can practice the most frequently played > > tunes. Both lists are Word .doc files. Here is a podcast that offers the > > sets of songs along with the page info in some of the popular books such > > as the Portland Collection and Fiddlers Fakebook. For more information > > regarding the open band, check out the Open Band FAQ or send email to > > Jim Stahler: jstahler at earthlink dot net. If you would like to play or > > call for a Friday Night Dance, send email to FND Booking at: > > fndgigs(a)petml.com > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Organizers mailing list > > Organizers(a)sharedweight.net > > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/organizers > > > > > ------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > Organizers mailing list > Organizers(a)sharedweight.net > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/organizers > > > End of Organizers Digest, Vol 34, Issue 8 > ***************************************** >

11 years, 8 months

Re: [Organizers] Open Bands

by Chrissy Fowler

I agree with those who say that the open band leadership is key for danceability. It has to be fun/lively for the musicians too, and the quality of the leadership is part of that as well. At our monthly Community Dance we have an open all-comers band (name taken from David Kaynor's occasional dances at the Montague Grange, and philosophy modeled on his and others', such as Lamprey River Band in Seacoast NH - namely anyone with an instrument is welcome to play, even 3 year olds.) We do not mic any of the musicians, partly for simplicity's sake in terms of the hassle of setting up sound for a huge band for a 1 hr dance, and partly to avoid any hierarchy. Works fine since there are usually more musicians than dancers. Two musicians on our committee anchor the band each month, giving stability and focus as well as suggesting some on-the-fly instrumental arrangements, and many of the musicians in a given night are part of another amateur group which plays regularly throughout our region (Belfast Bay Fiddlers). Here's a local filmmaker/tv producer's video of our most recent dance, to give you a taste of the joyous mayhem that is the Belfast Flying Shoes All-Comers Band (39 musicians playing, and sometimes singing, for a bunch of happy dancers, ranging in age from infant to 70s.) http://vimeo.com/34861499 I love open, ad hoc bands for a host of reasons, including the incredible wall of sound and unpredictability of it all -- am looking forward to dancing to the NEFFA Festival Orchestra in April, for example. Chrissy Fowler Belfast, ME

11 years, 8 months

[Organizers] Open Bands

by Jeff Kaufman

Open bands have a reputation for being less enjoyable to dance to. I've heard dancers say they avoid open band nights, or that while they understand the role of the open band in fostering musicians they wish they weren't needed. Now that I'm helping organize them with BIDA, however, I'm not seeing this. In fact our attendance is higher, people have a great time, and I don't hear complaints. Afterwards a dancer wrote that they had "never seen that much positive engagement between the band and the dancers." A video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MENiFoiMq5Y I see two explanations: (1) open bands are not actually unpopular and I was just listening to the small number of people who don't like them or (2) BIDA is doing something right. I don't know which it is, but I figured I would describe what BIDA has been doing in case it's (2). (BIDA has had four open band nights. I've only been involved with the most recent three, so what I have below is about these three.) In scheduling the open band we first find a band leader. We've had Peter Barnes twice and Debby Knight once, both have been great. They both primarily played piano, but also can play other instruments if someone else wants to take a turn on piano. This is the only paid role; everyone else playing pays admission on a $0-$10 sliding scale. We have two rows, sorting people by experience. We mic everyone in the front row and most of the people in the back, though there are often some who don't want to be mic'd or who need to take turns with limited mics. It's helpful that we have a large stage. Everyone plays at once. At our most recent dance we had: (front row) caller, piano, 6x fiddle (back row) double bass, whistle, recorder, fiddle, octave mandolin. Reading through this, nothing sounds very different from other open bands I've been to. Which makes me think it's not actually about how we run the band and instead about the musicians who decide to come. Maybe what's going on is that we're drawing from a different group? I wonder if there's an effect where when an open band has been around longer many of the best musicians move on and you have mostly people who aren't interested in or aren't able to get booked for other dances? If this were happening I would expect that in general open bands that were newer would be better; are they? Jeff ( Also a blog post: http://www.jefftk.com/news/2012-01-17.html )

11 years, 8 months

Re: [Organizers] Open Bands

by mreddig＠theriver.com

I have two possible reasons for your success. 1) Open Bands can help build your community by bringing in new people (stakeholders) with enthusiasm. 2) Peter Barnes and Debby Knight are masters at creating dynamic music from an otherwise disconnected group of musicians. I suggest it is not the quality of musicians in the Open Band, but the quality of the band leaders that gives life to the band. Mike --- jeff(a)alum.swarthmore.edu wrote: From: Jeff Kaufman <jeff(a)alum.swarthmore.edu> To: A list for dance organizers <organizers(a)sharedweight.net> Subject: [Organizers] Open Bands Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:31:10 -0500 Open bands have a reputation for being less enjoyable to dance to. I've heard dancers say they avoid open band nights, or that while they understand the role of the open band in fostering musicians they wish they weren't needed. Now that I'm helping organize them with BIDA, however, I'm not seeing this. In fact our attendance is higher, people have a great time, and I don't hear complaints. Afterwards a dancer wrote that they had "never seen that much positive engagement between the band and the dancers." A video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MENiFoiMq5Y I see two explanations: (1) open bands are not actually unpopular and I was just listening to the small number of people who don't like them or (2) BIDA is doing something right. I don't know which it is, but I figured I would describe what BIDA has been doing in case it's (2). (BIDA has had four open band nights. I've only been involved with the most recent three, so what I have below is about these three.) In scheduling the open band we first find a band leader. We've had Peter Barnes twice and Debby Knight once, both have been great. They both primarily played piano, but also can play other instruments if someone else wants to take a turn on piano. This is the only paid role; everyone else playing pays admission on a $0-$10 sliding scale. We have two rows, sorting people by experience. We mic everyone in the front row and most of the people in the back, though there are often some who don't want to be mic'd or who need to take turns with limited mics. It's helpful that we have a large stage. Everyone plays at once. At our most recent dance we had: (front row) caller, piano, 6x fiddle (back row) double bass, whistle, recorder, fiddle, octave mandolin. Reading through this, nothing sounds very different from other open bands I've been to. Which makes me think it's not actually about how we run the band and instead about the musicians who decide to come. Maybe what's going on is that we're drawing from a different group? I wonder if there's an effect where when an open band has been around longer many of the best musicians move on and you have mostly people who aren't interested in or aren't able to get booked for other dances? If this were happening I would expect that in general open bands that were newer would be better; are they? Jeff ( Also a blog post: http://www.jefftk.com/news/2012-01-17.html ) _______________________________________________ Organizers mailing list Organizers(a)sharedweight.net http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/organizers

11 years, 8 months

[Organizers] Ralph Page Dance Legacy Weekend 2012

by Chris Weiler (SW)

Hello everyone! Once again, this weekend is the Ralph Page event at the University of New Hampshire in Durham, NH. Once again, many of us will be there. Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend this year, as I have for the past several years. I sincerely hope that all of you that are attending will continue the SharedWeight lunches on Saturday and Sunday during the festival. Would someone like to step up and volunteer to push tables together for everyone? Maybe this year someone would like to coordinate a potluck? I'll miss seeing everyone and all of the wonderful dancing and conversations that happen every year. Have a blast! Thanks, everyone, for your participation on these lists in 2011. You make these lists the valuable resources that they are. Looking forward to an even better 2012! Happy dancing! Chris Weiler Craftsbury, VT

11 years, 8 months

Re: [Organizers] cancellation policy

by Donna Calhoun

Like other communities we use Facebook and phone calls to notify the community that a dance is cancelled. The determination is made by our board, it is typically based on other area closings, particularly the cancellation of classes at the nearby University of Tennessee. If we have scheduled out-of-town talent for the evening, they will be paid, however our local talent is not paid for a cancellation; since we dance on Monday evening it is unlikely that we have knocked the out of another gig. Sent from my iPad On Jan 4, 2012, at 12:00 PM, organizers-request(a)sharedweight.net wrote: > Send Organizers mailing list submissions to > organizers(a)sharedweight.net > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/organizers > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > organizers-request(a)sharedweight.net > > You can reach the person managing the list at > organizers-owner(a)sharedweight.net > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Organizers digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Re: cancellation policy (Chrissy Fowler) > 2. Re: cancellation policy (Donald Perley) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2012 10:47:57 -0500 > From: Chrissy Fowler <ktaadn_me(a)hotmail.com> > To: "organizers(a)sharedweight.net" <organizers(a)sharedweight.net> > Subject: Re: [Organizers] cancellation policy > Message-ID: <COL113-W66A7DDD80C3CCAE54F0FF8D970(a)phx.gbl> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > > > Suggestions for objective qualification(s) to cancel the dance that's in a non-urban area (wherein town doesn't declare states of emergency, no public transport to shut down, etc.)??? > > And by objective qualification I mean one that entails no in-the-moment discussion for coming to consensus among committee members, whose individual senses of safe/unsafe may vary widely. > > By the way I'm loving this thought-provoking exchange on this list. Thanks all for weighing in and opining/sharing. Look fwd to more. > > Chrissy Fowler > Belfast ME > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Wed, 4 Jan 2012 10:58:03 -0500 > From: Donald Perley <donperley(a)gmail.com> > To: A list for dance organizers <organizers(a)sharedweight.net> > Subject: Re: [Organizers] cancellation policy > Message-ID: > <CAMKNU+_RGHDj56MgVF4iHJn_XYo80D4qzb_Wz5Nh+qsK4kkA-Q(a)mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 > > Sometimes it's a problem with venue availability rather than weather. > In one case there was some event the next day that needed setting up > and we ended up agreeing to take care of that which kept us there a > while at the end. > > Other times locally there's been a short notice change of venue but > the dance went on. Good to have some alternates up your sleeve (with > contact numbers) in case the need arises. > > > ------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > Organizers mailing list > Organizers(a)sharedweight.net > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/organizers > > > End of Organizers Digest, Vol 34, Issue 4 > *****************************************

11 years, 8 months

[Organizers] House Parties - Seattle Subversive Square Dance Society: A documentary

by Mark R Dobyns Jones

Another angle on growing your local dance community. House parties to make it possible for people who would never have anything to do with music or dance or dance halls, to become interested in participating, and bringing their friends along. Seattle Subversive Square Dance Society - A documentary by Doug Plummer http://www.nwfolklifefestival.org/folklife/northwest-stories-seattle-subver… A short documentary Doug Plummer produced for the Northwest Folklife Festival about the resurgence of square dancing and old time music in Seattle, and the rise of the Seattle Subversive Square Dance Society. Will Mentor has been doing squares house parties for the last couple of years in Vermont. Doug Plummer's Blog: http://dougplummer.blogs.com/ Old Time Seattle - Seattle Subversive Squaredance Society http://www.oldtimeseattle.com/ssss.html Puttin' on the Dance http://www.puttinonthedance.org

11 years, 8 months

Re: [Organizers] cancellation policy

by Chrissy Fowler

Suggestions for objective qualification(s) to cancel the dance that's in a non-urban area (wherein town doesn't declare states of emergency, no public transport to shut down, etc.)??? And by objective qualification I mean one that entails no in-the-moment discussion for coming to consensus among committee members, whose individual senses of safe/unsafe may vary widely. By the way I'm loving this thought-provoking exchange on this list. Thanks all for weighing in and opining/sharing. Look fwd to more. Chrissy Fowler Belfast ME

11 years, 8 months

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Musicians January 2012