pennsicdance: (no subject)

[katriana]

Tibicen, I think you caught my meaning and rephrased
it very well.

> I both agree and disagree with this.  I think the
> basic issue is
> right, but I don't think it breaks down along paid
> vs. unpaid,
> "professional" vs. "unprofessional".  I think it's
> stable bands and
> skilled musicians With A Good Thing Going vs. random
> unaffiliated
> musicians just looking for *someone* to play with.

Organized and unorganized is a MUCH more appropriate
way of describing what I was thinking.  Too many reps
of Sellinger's round in my life...

> * If the random pick-up band musicians can't tell in
> advance which nights they're welcome to play in, 
> rather than  schlep their stuff over
> to the Barn/Tent to see *if* they're welcome,
> they'll punt, and go out drinking or shopping or 
> dancing instead.  And erratic and (from the
> perspective of pick-up players) unpredictable
> play-in schedule will result in a drop of pick-up 
> musicians.

Very good point, and one I should have made.  Another
is that there will usually be a need for the "late
night" version of the pickup band after the officially
scheduled activity.  Balls and parties are fairly
intense from a music standpoint, and most of the
musicians who work the Event will be too tired to stay
up and play late night.

> * Established bands can be brittle.  (much else
clipped)
And hopefully it would be known at least the day
before that a band was needed, so we'd all show up.

> * Pick-up bands are a primary way how new musicians
> are brought into the dance-music fold.  The 
> tradition of having a pick-up band at  Pennsic is a 
> great goodness, if we can make it work,  because it 
> will increase the number of people in the Knowne 
> World who think playing for dancing is great fun, 
> and maybe go home and start their own bands.

And this is one of the reasons I would like to avoid
burning the musicians out by expecting 4 hours of work
every night of the war.  Geez, *I* was tired of
playing dance music after 2 weeks :-) 

The parties are my big concern here, they are
essentially mini-balls.  If we have a night where not
enough skilled musicians show up, most dancers natural
inclination is to get recorded music and that is a BAD
thing.

> > B.  Receives notice of interest and keeps track of
> > all musicians interested
> > in directing the band and/or playing in the band.
>> 
>>Having a general email list and a note on the
webpage
>> of where to send requests to, fine.  Maintaining a
>> list of everyone who stops by the barn at the right
>> time to get their name on the list, not so fine.  
> ?? Katriana is what you are saying here: "Keeping in
> touch outside of Pennsic, good; trying to track who
> shows up at which night, bad?"

It's more akin to disliking "put your name on this
list that only this person has or you aren't really a
part of this group."  When we have a bookcase, a
notebook can be an attached part and people can sign
up at their convenience.  When you have to find the
one person who holds the magical key, it becomes more
difficult.  Yahoogroups will allow multiple moderators
so several people could take names, the address could
be on a handout (and/or in the pile) and a link could
be made from a Pennsic Dance webpage.

>Sure.  But we can *also* have a Head Evangelist, to
>tell people who show up that the list exists, and
>he'd be happy to subscribe them if they'd like. 
>Expecting people to remember and subscribe themselves
>post-Pennsic will be Attrition City.

Oh yes.  My objection is to that being the ONLY way to
get on or off the list.  It is also subject to a piece
of paper being lost (although I know that never
happens to any of us.)  And you should be able to sign
up if you think you *might* go to Pennsic and play
dance music, not just if you have been there (and
found the person with the list.)

> > E.  Recruits band members in appropriate numbers 
> > for each of the events.
 
> Oh, I definitely think the Master of Musicians and 
> Bands should be evangelical about playing on the 
> bandstand, and should definitely seek out bands in 
> proportion with available gigs (and (need it be 
> said?) never, EVER, just promise every band you meet

> a gig, with the cavalier attitude "If they all say 
> yes, well, we'll find *some* time slot for them to 
> play"; double-booking time slots, or shorting time 
> slots, is Very, Very Bad Musician Karma.)

> However, an important point of protocol: Whomever is

> running a party is entitled to book a band, 
> themselves.  The Master of Musicians and Bands can 
> *offer* his services to find them a band, but they 
> can do it themselves if they want.

I think I'd like to see a little more emphasis on the
person running the party booking the band.  Getting
back to the fighter references, if you run a private
tournament, you (or your group) are responsible for
either providing waterbearers or informing the Pennsic
waterbearers that you will need them.  If informed the
Pennsic waterbearers will do their best to provide,
but the official battles tend to get more volunteers. 
If you neglect to either organize waterbearers OR to
notify the Waterbearers Point that you need them, they
will mount an emergency effort to help you, but it
will be a strain.  

A note to Ryan, nowhere did I propose that any monies
for food, musicians, decorations for a hosted party
should come out of Pennsic Dance funds.  A host
provides, guests attend, musicians work.  Before and
after the party, the host either arranges for set up
and clean up or does a heck of a lot of work
themselves.  

Am I putting more work on the person "hosting" the
party? Yes, that is part of the responsibility of the
host.  If hosting a party is a matter of putting your
name on the board and the dance machinery does
everything else, why bother?  Just say we're having
balls every single night of the second week.


> In other words, it's not the musicians who need to 
> be organized quite so much as *musician resources* 
> that need to be organized *for* the musicians.

Beautifully said.  Yes, most of the "bad" years were
because of poor "support stuff" (lack of music, lack
of direction)  

Tibicen, the rest of your letter was very to the point
and eloquently stated.  I may save it for posterity
:-)

katriana
not TRYING to be a problem person and I'll be quiet
for a while. (after one more post)

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