Blues Workshop or Focus Group?

Subject: RE: Blues Workshop or Focus Group?
From: Fortunato
Date: 22 Oct 99 - 09:46 AM

Harpgirl, You have sharp eyes, and good diction to express what you see clearly.

Gargoyle, Are we not constant participants in the changing nature of those around us?

Subject: RE: Blues Workshop or Focus Group?
From: harpgirl
Date: 22 Oct 99 - 12:04 AM

...ah Fortunato...you sound like an "oppositional" learner...quite challenging to forge new neural networks...the students who disagree, see the outlyers, see the opposites, the exceptions, challenge the teacher...another interesting learning style...harpgirl

Subject: RE: Blues Workshop or Focus Group?
From: WyoWoman
Date: 21 Oct 99 - 11:40 PM

When I attended the bluegrass festival in Denver last year all of the workshops were demonstration/performance workshops, with one or two performers at the front of the room doing their thing and attendees asking questions and then trying out the new licks (or yodels, in one workshop). Takes all kinds to make a festival.

ww

Subject: RE: Blues Workshop or Focus Group?
From: _gargoyle
Date: 21 Oct 99 - 10:33 PM

or perhaps discomfort is the stage...just before... Max makes positive change for himself.

Well done Fortunato!

Subject: RE: Blues Workshop or Focus Group?
From: Fortunato
Date: 21 Oct 99 - 10:11 AM

To Max et al Thanks for your thoughts. New ways and new songs and new ideas, yes and new blood are always needed and welcome.

Thanks for being different Max, and my discomfort is usually the stage just before positive change for me. cheers, Fortunato

Subject: RE: Blues Workshop or Focus Group?
From: JedMarum
Date: 21 Oct 99 - 09:20 AM

Max -

It sounds to me like you took the right approach, though I must admit I have never attended an FSGW Getaway. If you were asked to conduct a workshop, you should be the primary contributor to the music played at that workshop. I can't see where a round robin fits at all, in a workshop, and have never seen it done at other workshops.

Subject: RE: Blues Workshop or Focus Group?
From: JedMarum
Date: 21 Oct 99 - 09:16 AM

dani the blues banjoist, and non-virtual person? I guess it should be no surprise that you take coffee with lemonade!

;-)

Subject: RE: Blues Workshop or Focus Group?
From: Dani
Date: 21 Oct 99 - 08:59 AM

Good grief. And this before my coffee.

Of COURSE I *meant* to say LEMONADE. And tasty it was, too.

Dani

Subject: RE: Blues Workshop or Focus Group?
From: _gargoyle
Date: 21 Oct 99 - 12:05 AM

Yep Dani....Max does have a "magic touch" for makin' those.

Subject: RE: Blues Workshop or Focus Group?
From: MAG (inactive)
Date: 20 Oct 99 - 11:18 PM

I've showed up at workshops with my guitar, and they turned out to be lectures, and I've showed up without, where the leader said "How do y'all expect me to teach you anything without your instruments?" Folkie workshops have been all over the map for me.

Subject: RE: Blues Workshop or Focus Group?
From: Barry Finn
Date: 20 Oct 99 - 09:32 PM

Hi Fortunato. As Roger mentioned I did ask Rita to schedule us later so I could get a take on how things were done at the getaway because this was the first time I'd ever seen or did a workshop in this manner. Mostly the workshops I've done or been in, it's usually to present a certain aspect of music weither it's prison songs, shanties or whatever. I'd usually give some backround of the style or the music or what brought about this style, do some songs ask if anyone had questions or maybe a certain song they'd want some info on or maybe throw in a song but I've never seen it as a round robin, not that, that's bad just different from others & it was a lot of fun & it seemed that a good time was had by all. I see a concert or a mini concert as mostly songs with maybe a bit of backround on the songs. So you may have been taken aback by someone doing what they know in a way they know how to present it rather than presenting it in a way you're familar with, that they wouldn't know how to present, it certainly would've been the case with me if it hadn't been for Roger & Rita being in near constant communication with me. For some (myself) they'd prefere to hear songs they didn't know or info they didn't know about songs they knew rather than singing something themselves but I did find everything & everybody far above my greatest expectations. Barry

Subject: RE: Blues Workshop or Focus Group?
From: Max
Date: 20 Oct 99 - 08:56 PM

Yep, never done a workshop before, and I knew it was stretching it when Rita asked me to do it. But, what it was, was who I am and what I do.

Since I was asked to do the workshop, I figured it was meant to be my take on blues. Blues to me is more of an emotional outburst like laughing or crying, rather than a technique, and I not only tried to convey that, but wanted everyone to convey that, because blues is a personal thing.

I knew enough that I was not to just perform in my workshop, and thought it appropriate that I only played 3 songs. I asked if I was missing anyone who wanted to play, and no one spoke up.

Well, lesson learned. Should I ever have the opportunity to do it again, I will learn for this, my first attempt. I am sorry that you had discomfort and annoyance, twas not my intent. Was it different? Yes. Am I different? Yes. For that, I am not sorry.

Subject: RE: Blues Workshop or Focus Group?
From: Roger in Baltimore
Date: 20 Oct 99 - 07:32 PM

Fortunato,

The Getaway has developed through tradition a double approach to its program. The first is the "mini-concert" where the primary focus is for participants to listen (and perhaps, sometimes, to sing along). The second is the "workshop" where the primary goal is to share songs in the particular genre or centered on the particular topic. The leader of the workshop is there to "kick things off" and keep the ball rollin' if it slows down too much.

Gee, I remember playing two songs at Max's workshop on "Blues", and I guess that was what I was expecting to do. At the Getaway I am somewhat embarassed if my contribution does not include "audience participation" which is clearly what many come to do. Sometimes I am just sharing a song that I hope most have not heard. That's because I like to hear new (to me) songs.

Max had never been to a Getaway, so I expect he had no idea what was expected. I know Barry told me he had asked Rita to do schedule his workshops later in the weekend so he could learn "the customs".

However it is, if you attended a lot of the workshops, you would have noticed others with patterns outside of the mold, not just Max's discussion group.

My limited experience with the Getaway is that the audience is pretty tolerant of whatever you want to do. Last year, I went to a blues workshop where the guy taught a few blues licks. I learned some and went away very happy.

Roger in Baltimore

Subject: RE: Blues Workshop or Focus Group?
From: Dani
Date: 20 Oct 99 - 06:51 PM

I think the 'round robin' works best when the group is made up of musicians who play that particular style. I thought I'd be one of the only non-guitar players there (I am an aspiring blues banjoist), sort of a non-virtual lurker, but found the group to be mostly like me. What to do?! A group leader is at the mercy of the crowd.

I think Max made lemons, though I would have been perfectly happy if the guitar players had gone on about their business and ignored the rest of us.

Dani

Subject: RE: Blues Workshop or Focus Group?
From: Bert
Date: 20 Oct 99 - 04:34 PM

Fortunato, I was surprised that the 'other' workshops were round-robins. It was the first time I had seen that format in a workshop and I was expecting that the leader would 'teach' the group. Not that it was a problem, I like both approaches.

Bert.

Subject: RE: Blues Workshop or Focus Group?
From: Allan C.
Date: 20 Oct 99 - 04:15 PM

I suppose that a round-robin approach works well for many kinds of workshops. But I have been to workshops where nobody besides the one conducting the workshop played at all. I think there are many, many styles of leadership for workshops. This one went well, IMHO, and helped unlock at least a few mysteries for me.

Subject: Blues Workshop or Focus Group?
From: Fortunato
Date: 20 Oct 99 - 04:08 PM

At the recent FSGW Getaway I attended the Blues Workshop led by Max. It differed greatly from 'workshops' I had attended at FSGW events over the years. Max performed most of the few songs done rather than a 'round robin', and non-players were encouraged to express feelings they had about 'The Blues'. Further, despite my discomfort and annoyance, the workshop was well received. Did anyone else who attended have a problem with this? Or did you enjoy this focus group approach?