FSGW Getaway Program - 2003

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: Ferrara
Date: 11 Oct 03 - 02:27 PM

Jeri, LOL at: "Rita, for crying out loud - there isn't one time slot where there aren't at least 2 and sometimes 3 workshops I wanna go to!!!" ME TOO, Jeri!

Chance, there just isn't any way to avoid frustrating people this year unless we make the Getaway a week long and hold one workshop at a time. I appreciate your leading the Old Time Country. So many people look forward to it, or to any workshop you lead, they're always memorable good times.

I have to schedule some strong workshops opposite "Who's Here" every year,too, for the people who want to get right to the music! You may have noticed I'm not leading it this year. I want the option of attending one of the opposing workshops for a change.

I could have set up roughly a dozen other excellent workshops. Thanks to all the people who volunteered and offered suggestions. As you can see, a LOT of Shellbacks volunteered and also put me in touch with Shellbacks who aren't Mudcatters, such as Stuart and Denise Savage who are joining FSGW's Gail Snider for English Music Hall.

BTW I'm changing "English Music Hall" to "Music Hall" to allow more opportunities for audience contributions, Irish-American music hall or whatever.

Mmmm... Pub Sing may need to be longer just to get around the circle. Don't know where I'd put it! Last year it was so good that we just kept it going an extra half hour into the dinner hour. :-)

Whoops, just realized there's another problem with putting Pub Sing vs the Shellback concert. Darriel and Allan would NOT like to miss the Shellbacks. They are both regulars at the Royal Mile Shanty Sings in Wheaton, MD.

The one thing I haven't done is set up quite as many sing-arounds and jams as usual. I talked to a couple of potential leaders who indicated that there will be plenty of sing-around and jams at night, and they would like to get to more of the special workshops this year.

Makes sense to me. I've actually been worried that one or two workshop leaders might say "I don't wanna do a workshop now that I see what I'll be missing elsewhere!"

Last but not least: Jeri, I've always done the table the way you suggest, type in MS-WORD then save as HTML. But we had a crash and when Bill re-installed WORD some of defaults changed. We don't even know which ones or where to go to change them.

What I'm trying to say is, I can't get the table feature to work the way it used to. Do you really think you might be able to type the tables for me? That would be so nice.

I could send you last year's table, with the text at top & bottom changed for 2003, if you can just add the relevant text to this year's grid! If you would give it a try (once we have the schedule firm) I would be very, very grateful.

Thanks to all for your wonderful support & suggestions,
Rita

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: MMario
Date: 11 Oct 03 - 02:16 PM

yup - we need a workshop in advanced cloning techniques - or a whole pack of mini-disc recorders and duplicators!

Rita - how you even BEGIN to put this schedule together I certainly don't know.

Another vote here for getting shellbacks and pub sing at different hours if possible.

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: Tinker
Date: 11 Oct 03 - 01:09 PM

Thanks Jeri, it worked like a charm once I pushed the magic button !!! Now all I have to do is clone myself three or four times and store a few extra hours of sleep, and get ready for the Shellbacks, and..

Thanks again,

Kathy

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: Bill D
Date: 11 Oct 03 - 12:30 PM

ahh...sure! And there 'should' be a way to tell a decent browser how often to check for cached pages, so YOU control it's habits. Different places in different browsers.

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: Jeri
Date: 11 Oct 03 - 12:22 PM

Click 'Refresh'(MSIE) or 'Reload'(Netscape).

Your browser is defaulting to a page in your cache. (Translation: your browser is a bum and is showing you something it already got for you and is too lazy to look for new stuff.)

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: Tinker
Date: 11 Oct 03 - 11:29 AM

Bill I still bring up the old post

FSGW GETAWAY
ROUGH DRAFT -- LIST OF 2003 WORKSHOPS & ACTIVITIES
Last Updated: September 29, 2003

PROGRAM. A partial and incomplete list of workshops and other activities for the 2003 FSGW Getaway is shown below. Following that are some suggestions that were made but have not been incorporated into the Getaway program as of this date.

Somehow I don't get the updated version, but others seem to be doing fine. I can use Noreen's links THANK YOU !!

Kathy

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: Noreen
Date: 11 Oct 03 - 10:41 AM

Saturday schedule
Sunday schedule

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: Bill D
Date: 11 Oct 03 - 09:50 AM

what DO you see at that link, Tinker? It's the 4th line down for me...and then two links to the grids themselves

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: Tinker
Date: 11 Oct 03 - 09:42 AM

Okay I admit I'm technologically challenged... I can't find a paragraph labeled "2003 Schedule Grid" I've read and reopened this link about 10 times... even shut down the computeur and tried again. Well, I guess I'll get back to work and try again later.. Sigh

Tinker

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: Jeri
Date: 11 Oct 03 - 08:02 AM

See, that's why RITA does the schedule! The problem with the two acapella workshops is that not just the leaders but the vast hordes of potential attendees. Me, at least.

Rita, an Excel worksheet would be easier for you, but more difficult to web pagify. If done as a table in MS Word, you could save it as HTML. You want one, I can help.

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: Noreen
Date: 11 Oct 03 - 07:40 AM

Can't flip that Jeri, or Barbara would have to be in two places at one (and I don't want to miss her ballad w/shop with Judy Cook).

Might be best to let the pub sing start WITHOUT the Shellbacks, so the rest of you get a chance...?!

:0)

But as you say, I don't want to miss *anything*!

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: Jeri
Date: 11 Oct 03 - 07:14 AM

"Who's Here This Year" is gonna conflict with anything else, but it can't be helped unless it's scheduled when nothing else is going on. (Fat Chance, right?) Mining & Miners and Heather Wood are just too good to miss!

Sunday, you've got the Shellbacks overlapping the Pub Sing. If it were me, I'd flip them with Country & Western so the fans of English mostly-acapella music weren't torn. Folks could just stay put for Gail's English Music Hall workshop. It would also allow the Shellbacks to sleep a little later. ;-)

Rita, for crying out loud - there isn't one time slot where there aren't at least 2 and sometimes 3 workshops I wanna go to!!!

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: GUEST,Fortunato, over...
Date: 11 Oct 03 - 07:00 AM

thanks, Rita, looks good. I'll miss some good things, but there you are. Your hard work is appreciated.

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: Ferrara
Date: 11 Oct 03 - 05:46 AM

Well, I've already had to rearrange Saturday afternoon workshops in the Theater Barn and TV Room. Don't think most people had time to look yet, so no harm done.

Sea Songs (aka Nautical&Maritime) was against Rousing Choruses, which was going to bug a lot of people; and Occupational Hazards was immediately before Problematic Change, a very similar workshop. Problematic Change has been moved to Sunday.

Thanks to Nancy King for the heads-up on Sea Songs conflicting with Choruses.
- Rita

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: Ferrara
Date: 10 Oct 03 - 10:17 PM

HELP, Please. One of the Shellbacks PM'd me and offered to help lead Miners & Mining, said he was from a family of miners. Would love to have you lead it with Keith Baldwin, but can't find your name in my notes. Please PM me again?

Thank you,
Rita the Disorganized Organizer

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: Ferrara
Date: 10 Oct 03 - 09:40 PM

Dani, how nice. What I want -- is to get to the Getaway in a moderately rested & healthy condition for a change, and to get to actually go to a bunch of the workshops I've set up....

Anyway, go to Program and look at the "2003 Schedule Grid" paragraph and you'll see my ROUGH draft, hand written layout. (You're right Dani, anything has to be better than MS-WORD, but it was in WORD when I inherited it 5 years ago and I've never experimented with anything else.

This is not as crowded a schedule as I thought. I'll be looking for feedback and for people to identify conflicts. I'll also be open to setting up more workshops -- but, you either have to be willing to be scheduled in one of the spaces that are blank right now, or find someone who really wants to change their workshop time and location.

It takes me about 2 minutes to access each page of the grid, and the hamsters are panting pretty hard by the time it loads....

It's also a little hard to read because I used a lot of abbreviations. I never dreamed I'd be putting those little sticky-note workshop titles up on the web.... Good Though.

Rita

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: Dani
Date: 10 Oct 03 - 09:27 PM

Rita, you probably know way more about this than I do, but I find Excel SOOO much easier for chart things. Even if they are text, it seems easier to move cells around and handle rows and columns.

I'm lifting a glass to you tonight, in honor of the hard work you do to try to give everyone everything they want!! Hope you find what YOU want, too!

Dani

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: Noreen
Date: 10 Oct 03 - 07:45 PM

It's only a week away....

Don't panic, Rita!

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: momnopp
Date: 10 Oct 03 - 07:29 PM

Oh, how cool that Heather will be there! We (Dylan and I) met her in August in NY and my 14 year old kid was completely enthralled with her. Dylan will be tickled to learn that she'll be at the Getaway.

I can't wait I can't wait I can't wait I can't wait... :)

~jumps up and down~

JudyO

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: Ferrara
Date: 10 Oct 03 - 07:19 PM

Well, I laid out a schedule -- still have to type it though, which could take a couple of hours due to the perversity of MS-WORD....

Please note: usually, one or two or even three people help me do this -- they tend to catch some of my worst mistakes -- so I'm gonna post it but --- I suspect there's gonna be a few comments of one kind or another.

The worst problem is that there are people who volunteered to lead workshops and I don't have their names on the list.

That's because I lost your PM's and my notes are too confused to read... AFTER I get the schedule up I'll check my notes again but IF YOU DON"T SEE YOUR NAME and you thought you had a workshop, Please let me know!

The second worst problem ;-) will be if I have you scheduled to be in two places at the same time.... If so, you probably should mention it.

Rita
Who is Signing off for a bit so I can tackle typing this thing....

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: Bill D
Date: 10 Oct 03 - 04:21 PM

soon...your preferences are noted and decisions are a-making....maybe by tomorrow evening, Rita says, we can have a picture of it all. (Martyn Wyndham-Read has sung and is gone, and life is back to whatever passes for normal..*grin*)

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: Fortunato
Date: 10 Oct 03 - 03:21 PM

BillD/Ferrera is there a tentative schdule somewhere?

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: Bill D
Date: 10 Oct 03 - 12:22 PM

dern! is it "play or BE played"?

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: jbailes
Date: 10 Oct 03 - 10:03 AM

here is some description of the barrelhouse piano participatory workshop (which last i heard was saturday at 4). i will be at the piano with pearl bailes on mouthharp, doing old folk blues, jug band, primitive jazz, and primitive gospel. every number is a song with words (as opposed to "let's jam in E"). many have choruses, often a repeated line or lines. anyone with a song to lead to barrelhouse backup is welcome to come up to the piano and do it. we should cluster around the piano for critical mass as opposed to sitting in a big wide circle.
    the vocalist belts out a verse (and chorus if there is one) and then there is an instrumental solo or maybe a couple of them. vocals and solos alternate. vocalists (if they wish) are in charge; we follow them, try to back them up, and they designate the soloists by pointing, nodding, or calling.
    there'll be duets or trios on some of the solos/breaks. you'll hear things like: "reeds!" "harmonicas!" "washboard!" "guitars!"
"horns!" "fiddle and harmonica!" "mandolin and washtub bass!" "clarinet, recorder, and hurdygurdy!" "Bill Day!" etc. nonsoloists play supportively behind the soloists and vocalists.
leadfree corn whisky will be available.

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: Fortunato
Date: 09 Oct 03 - 03:15 PM

See you there, Mike. I'll be there on Saturday Morning, I expect unless Rita's moved our jam session to Sunday. chance

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: Alaska Mike
Date: 09 Oct 03 - 09:57 AM

Well the Getaway is only a week away. My wife and I are flying out to New York tonight and look forward to meeting so many of you Mudcatters next weekend. I will try to log on whenever possible to keep up with the latest. See you in Darlington.

Mike

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: Ferrara
Date: 07 Oct 03 - 10:51 PM

Thanx Jeri.

Can you believe that Bill and I agreed to have a house concert here on Thursday? A week before the Getaway? I'm losing what little remains of my mind, between getting the house ready and trying to get the program nailed down.... But -- It's Martyn Wyndham-Reed, how could we say no? :-)

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: Jeri
Date: 07 Oct 03 - 10:42 PM

"...formerly of The New Tradition" - Rita meant YOUNG Tradition. It's probably DADA, which means 2/3 of a chord.
Hey - we're gonna have 66.6% of Poor Old Horse! This is going to be a GREAT year!

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: Dani
Date: 07 Oct 03 - 08:58 PM

Sounds like the Iron Folkie to me.

Dani

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: Ferrara
Date: 07 Oct 03 - 08:53 PM

Well, this is going to be an incredible program but -- the bad new is, I suspect EVERYONE is going to feel frustrated at not being able to clone themselves.

Heather Wood (of Poor Old Horse, formerly of The New Tradition) phoned yesterday to say she's able to make it. One more terrific talent....

For the people who asked for a "Follow The Leader" sing-around: I decided not to do that because I hoped Heather could come and do her "Songs from a Hat" workshop, which is similar.

She will have a hatful of themes and types of music, eg "Love," "Murder," "Sea Song," "Animals," don't know what all, and the next song has to be on that topic. People loved it when she did it a couple of years ago.

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: Ferrara
Date: 07 Oct 03 - 08:48 PM

Marymac, can you read/download the registration form in Acrobat format that is shown here?

It's probably a lot safer for you to read it for yourself than for me to try to tell you what's what, given that my mind is as full of holes as a colander these days (it's that Age-Assisted Attention Deficit Disorder...)

I've e-mailed your parking permit request to Charlie Baum.

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: GUEST,Marymac90
Date: 06 Oct 03 - 09:09 PM

Hello Rita and Bill D!

My partner and I would like to come, but we are both out of work! He lives in Wilmington, so it's not terribly far away.

What is the fee to come for a day if you bring your own food? How do we get a permit to drive around the site because of disability? Do we need to go through the whole registration process to just come for a day? How can we get directions to the camp?

Please respond to me off the thread, because I have been out of the habit of checking Mudcat (tho I hope to get back INTO the habit sometime!) The best email address to use for personal mail for me is [e-mail], or instant message me on Yahoo at Marymac90.

Hope to see you all soon!

Love to all,

Mary McCaffrey/Marymac90

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: Ferrara
Date: 06 Oct 03 - 08:46 PM

Kendall, You don't have to worry about doing all the talking in an FSGW comedy workshop! If this year is like all other years, you'll have plenty of would-be contributors -- possibly an excess! -- both to the discussion and to the music.   

FSGW "workshops" are really excuses to make music together, hopefully with some intelligent and interesting discussion to hold it all together. Sounds like you are giving some thought to making the discussion part as interesting and enjoyable as the music. Nice.

Rita

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: kendall
Date: 06 Oct 03 - 07:35 PM

I'd like my part to be in the form of a workshop, or an interactive type thing. My voice is still not up to snuff, so, I wont be able to do all the talking. I want to explore humor in some depth, what makes us laugh and why. We can explore the different types of humor from slap stick to tall tales to really dry Maine humor.

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: Jeri
Date: 06 Oct 03 - 07:31 PM

Snuffy, why I was sputtering up there was this (and it's a whole song, but I'll spare you the rest):
My willie hangs below my belly
And where it lies I do not know
For many long years I've been constantly wond'ring
If I'd ever again see my willie-O

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: Alaska Mike
Date: 06 Oct 03 - 07:24 PM

What about "Wally" songs? I think "Wallys" can fit in with "Willys" don't you? I'll practice up my "Wally" song just in case.

Mike

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: Snuffy
Date: 06 Oct 03 - 07:21 PM

"It's been three years since I saw my Willie-o"

Must go on a diet.

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: Bill D
Date: 06 Oct 03 - 05:29 PM

public caning? ..no, but some of the private ones were interesting ;>)

"WILLIE's fair, and Willie's rare, An Willie's wondrous bonny" so there might not be as many songs as you'd think, as fair and bonny Willies are busy elsewhere, thus accounting for the rarity.

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: momnopp
Date: 06 Oct 03 - 02:28 PM

Jeri --

What you said! LOL

I've been wondering that very same thing, but I hardly thought that it required an entire workshop -- I rather thought it was a private matter.

Uh-oh, thread creep!

LOL

I can't wait to see you all,

JudyO

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: Jeri
Date: 06 Oct 03 - 07:31 AM

Who-boy... "Where's Willie"... yesiree, Bob - oughtta be interesting.
Has there ever been a public caning at a Getaway? Just wondering.

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: Ferrara
Date: 05 Oct 03 - 11:58 PM

Thanks, Mick. Actually, Kathy is leading a workshop called "Where's Willie?" in which you can sing any song about Willie or William. Or Bill, I guess.... There should be no shortage of songs.

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: Big Mick
Date: 05 Oct 03 - 09:38 PM

Rita, Kath Westra stayed with us this weekend while visiting her father. I believe she mentioned this one. Seems like it anyway.

Mick

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: Ferrara
Date: 05 Oct 03 - 06:47 PM

Hellllpppp please!

Who offered to co-lead Mixed-Up Melodies with Laura Sailer of FSGW? I can't find your PM (par for the course... for those of us with AAADD).

I want to call it "Looney Tunes," but the idea is still the same. I need to have it at either 4 or 5pm Saturday.

Rita

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: GUEST,Ferrara - Different browser, no cookie
Date: 03 Oct 03 - 02:20 PM

Yeah Fortunato it was that great sing-around with Jed Marum at your house that I was really thinking of. Wait a minute- -- this is thread creep -- but fun.

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: Fortunato
Date: 03 Oct 03 - 02:12 PM

MMario sits on stairs very well, and sings a good ballad. He does give good audience, as well.

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Oct 03 - 01:58 PM

Naemanson, PM me with your full name (again!) and I'll forward to Dennis Cook. I believe you'll qualify for a full refund.

Jim, Tinker volunteered to help with homemade instruments -- I lost track! Many apologies to you both. You can PM Tinker directly. I've just made a note to add her name on the schedule, let's hope I remember to read my note....

Is there anyone out there who HASN'T seen the definition of Age-Assisted Attention Deficit Disorder? (AAADD) :-)

MMario, you don't get full credit for doing good "audience" unless you're a non-participant. And I have SEEN you actually PARTICIPATING and not just at the Getaway, either! Okay, I'll give you half credit for effort....

Rita

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 03 Oct 03 - 01:20 PM

hey! I do good "audience" !!!!

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: GutBucketeer
Date: 03 Oct 03 - 01:15 PM

I would welcome a co-leader on the homemade instrument workshop. If anyone would like to volunteer just PM or email me. My email address is "jabunch @ umich . edu" (remove spaces).

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: Ferrara
Date: 03 Oct 03 - 01:11 PM

I have received so many PMs and e-mails volunteering to lead workshops that don't have leaders listed. Almost everything is filled except someone who could co-lead Fiddle Styles.

There is always so much talent at the Getaway, but what I'm thrilled about is people's response to my requests for help.

The Getaway is a local, informal, participatory, grass-roots festival that has always been very good, musically, and keeps getting better since it expanded to an international informal grass-roots festival!

This year I have an embarrassment of riches, both in topics and in potential leaders.

I haven't been able to take advantage of all the offers of help or suggestions for workshops.

Better than the opposite problem, but in an ideal world -- there would be folks coming who wanted to be "Audience." As it is, we're almost all participants in one way or another.

That's what makes it so glorious though. Sharing music really brings people together.

Rita

Subject: RE: FSGW Getaway Program - 2003
From: Ferrara
Date: 03 Oct 03 - 12:06 AM

I just sent the following comments to a workshop leader via a PM. I decided it's applicable to a lot of workshops.

Most workshops are one hour. Attendance varies but 26 people is a likelier number than either 6 or 66. Most have 15 to 30 people.

A few concerts and workshops are what I call "Blockbusters." They tend to be very heavily attended and I make sure they're in a larger space. Country & Western is a good example.

But you never can tell what will be popular. And sometimes people drop in and out of several workshops in an hour because they're so afraid of missing something! If they drop in and leave, believe me it's no reflection on your workshop.

I guess you all realize that our workshops are participatory? Unless I've specified otherwise, the leader(s) can do a song at the start, one in the middle and one at the end, or if it's really crowded you may decide to skip the one in the middle and/or at the end.

You can make it a straight sing-around or skip around, but do try to make sure that people who get there at the start of the workshop get to sing if they want to. You can ask, "Who has a song?" but try to make sure most people get a chance before anyone sings twice.

If it's what I call a "Workshop-Concert," such as the Mountain Songs & Ballads, or the Irish Unaccompanied Songs, sometimes I want the leaders to have a chance to showcase their special repertoire. In this case, each leader may do two or even three songs/tunes at the start, with additional ones during the workshop. I'll try to let the leaders know when this is the case.

If you're doing a workshop on a theme, the leader has to decide whether it's a topic that needs any kind of discussion. Some things work better if you just start making music!

Unless something is labed as a Mini-Concert, I can't think of a single workshop that is not participatory. Some are jams, some are sing-arounds or less structured Song Swaps, as described above.

Rita