Well, we organized an October workshop and brought in an instructor who promptly signed up people WE had found, for lessons... cost me a month of effort, some seed money, and for no return other than a learning lesson I didn't really need... we had discussed lessons being held at our house but now we were being passed by... I was not quick enough on the uptake to convert the workshop to lesson bookings. (This time.)

But once I thought it over I was glad it happened that way.

It amounted to a close encounter with the bluegrass kind-- not a folk workshop-- and we never set out to compete with them or enlarge what they are doing, although we welcomed their participation if they desired it. So we are refocusing on song circles and bringing good folk talent into the area, which is still lacking. ANd looking for a more broad-background type intructor.

But for a long, painful minute there I felt all the awful feelings you feel when someone scoops you, and cuts you out of the opportunities YOU generated-- and I could have competed as a reaction. Then I realized, wait minute-- this is NOT even what I set out to do, at ALL!!! I am sure the wider folk biz can be pretty cut-throat, too, but by golly, if I am going to give my house over to music, it's going to have to be ALL music, and the bluegrass people can be there or not....

The main thing I learned was-- when someone tells you they teach beginner ANYTHING, ask more questions-- if their view of music is narrowed to any one genre, they are not the right person for a beginner to work with, or for me to promote in this learning community. People are going to have have tunnel vision like that-- but that's not MY vision.

~Susan