[Harp-L] Re: Largest harmonicaworkshop ever?

[Bobbie Giordano <bobg@xxxxxxx>]

At 11:28 AM 7/13/2005 +0200, Harmonica Jervis wrote:
>does anyone have an estimate of the largest harmonica workshop ever held?
>I'm planning a big one here in Holland, and I'm just being curious....

We are so naive over here in the States, and even other countries as well.
Firstly, SPAH convention attendance is habitually 350 or more, over 400 in
Dallas, I think; which is greater than others thus far mentioned, so far as
I'm aware.  But, I understand the Yellow Pine Harmonica Festival in Idaho now
probably has the largest US attendance yearly now, numbering in the
thousands, [something like 6,000, last I seem to recall hearing.]  However, I
gather it's not ~entirely~ harmonica-oriented, despite the moniker.  [I'd
LOVE to be shown wrong, of course! ;)]

[And please note my other post today on the "largest gathering" of harpers.]

But, forget all that... nothing compares with the numbers of attendees and
players involved in the Asian Pacific harmonica festivals!  Trust me on this
... Nothing!!!  For proof and to ponder, read this from the website for the
All Japan Harmonica Federation, URL:  http://ajhf0.at.infoseek.co.jp

"The 4th Asia Pacific Harmonica Festival Atsugi 2002" 

 Period July 30th, 2002 thru August 4th, 2002
 At Atsugi Culture Center

 Number of audiences: Total 16,219(2,703/day)
 Number of contestants: Total 1,067
 Aminity tent village Total 10,800(1,800/day)
 Grand total: 28,086

Note:
 Volunteer members      about 700
 Audience from abroad   about 500

1996 1st: Taipei, Taiwan
1998 2nd: Petaringjaya, Malaysia
2000 3rd: Seoul, Korea
2002 4th: Atsugi
2004 5th Hong Kong

TRUE!!  1,067 playing participants and over 28 thousand attendees!!!  Wow...
what SPAH could do with 700 volunteers!!  [We can't even get some who come
join the festivities and promote themselves to actually "join" SPAH or just
fairly pay their own way to the convention like everyone else!!  Also true.]

That was the 4th annual festival, BTW.  Last year's 5th annual A-P festival
was held in Hong Kong, which reportedly drew around 40,000 [the total for 6
days, I'd guess] attendees and participants!!!  Don't believe me?  Just check
out this website by the sponsoring organization, the Hong Kong Harmonica
Association, then "click" to enlarge the images of the facilities they held
the thing in!!  http://www.hkharmonica.org/aphf2004/en/venue.php

The concert hall seats over 2,000 and the grand theater seats over 1700...
these venues were filled for the concerts presented there, and there were
THREE main concerts, plus opening and closing ceremony concerts!

Over recent years, I've had contacts and insights to these Asian festivals
and I assure you, they take harmonica educationally to another level than we
do here, or even in Europe.  The respect for the instrument, BECAUSE of [not
in spite of] its "humble" universality, is quite high, by the sheer fact that
it is an easy instrument on which to introduce and teach the art of music.
Gee... what a concept, eh?

Students all over China, Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, etc.,
often begin their musical instruction coincidentally with the harmonica; they
are also, therefore, much better notation readers using the harmonica than
the large majority of players, for instance, here in the US.  To be clear,
I'm not saying either side is better; but both approaches, [musical
expression first or musical knowledge first,] that we might see as the major
difference in ideology between the camps, have much to offer the other... and
SHOULD!

Idealistically, I hope the harmonica players of the world can learn to cross
such silly barriers and share, in fact, embrace this diversity in order to
elevate the instrument to its rightful place in the general arena of music
appreciation.  Music evolves only when open minds inspire open hearts... or
vice versa.  And the lifeblood of music is evolution.

Peace and Music,
Bobbie