Re: [Harp-L] SPAH Elections etc

[Michelle LeFree <mlefree@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Listening to the pre-election interchange, I am struck that there are 
two different basic ideas floating about. One seems to cling to the 
tradition that SPAH has worked long and hard to cultivate, and the other 
seems to bring in new ideas to make the organization more appealing to 
the up and coming generation of harmonicists.

I'm really on the fence here because I count the SPAH meetings I have 
had the good fortune to have attended amongst the best musical  
experiences of my life. The friendships, the willingness of all to 
share, and the great opportunities to learn are all incredibly beautiful 
things about SPAH conventions. Yet I do sense that continuing on the 
current course will not bring the kind of meaningful change that would 
appeal more to the younger harpers as us "oldies" continue to age.

I myself have felt the sting of the cost of attending. I've never been 
able to afford to stay in the convention hotel. I've always had to find 
a "cheapy" hotel within reasonable driving distance of the convention 
location. This means that I've not been able to witness or take part in 
many of the unorganized jams and gatherings after convention hours. Thus 
hurts because those impromptu gatheings are one of the great things 
about attending a SPAH meeting. The total outlay has also prevented me 
from attending all but a few cherished meetings. Basically, they have to 
be within driving distance for me as I've already explained my need for 
transportation both to and from and at a meeting.

I'm too old and decrepit to camp much anymore and going for a week or so 
without modern conveniences would take some of the fun out of a meeting 
for me at least. On the other hand, a camp-out style meeting (such as 
many bluegrass festivals offer) do promote a very special camaraderie 
that can only happen within a group of people who share an intimate 
living situation. I've also reaped the benefits of such a rich social 
gathering closely associated with a sumptuous musical experience.

The only other time I have experienced such a combination of close 
living conditions with an intense learning experience was associated 
with a scientific organization I used to belong to that hosts annual 
"summer schools." What this organization did was to organize their 
meetings around college campuses that are largely vacant for the summer 
anyway. They pick a broad topic of interest to the membership and invite 
world-class experts to give "masterclasses" and mediate forums. They 
"rent" one of the college's vacant dormitories for a week and gain 
access to it's facilities, including all its living facilities like 
having all meals prepared in the dorm's cafeteria and access to its 
various areas for socializing and such. They would also have use of the 
various teaching facilities found on college campuses like selected 
classrooms and auditoriums. These meetings become a sort of intellectual 
"bootcamp" and the attendees share an intense immersion into the chosen 
academic topic as well as getting to know each other more intimately 
through the close living experience.

It seems to me that novel ideas like this one could have great benefits 
for a group like SPAH, being equally inviting to all age groups. College 
campuses that are largely gathering dust in the summer are a natural 
gathering place for people young and old, having all the facilities to 
house, feed, and teach large numbers of people like a group of 400 
harmonica enthusiasts. Though I never had any direct involvement in 
organizing one of these gatherings, it seems perfectly logical that a 
college administration would find hosting such a meeting an appealing 
way to recruit revenue from facilities that would otherwise just be 
costing them upkeep. There is always lots of grassy space for tents and 
ample access to facilities like showers and cafeterias for those who 
prefer a more "rustic" living situation (read less expensive) as well as 
those of us who require more creature comforts and are willing to pay 
for them.

I realize that it is far easier to come up with ideas like this than it 
is to implement them. But at the same time it seems that clinging to the 
current SPAH convention model will ensure that the organization will not 
change to accommodate a broader population for its membership. Young 
people love to gather, but an expensive hotel is not their preferred 
meeting place. If we wish to encourage younger people to join, we are 
going to have to "think younger." When we think like retired Caucasian 
males (as someone suggested), that's the group to whom we will continue 
to appeal.

At least that's the way I see it. :-)

Michelle