Re: [Harp-L] SPAH and Clubs

[Larry Marks <larry.marks@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I have not been involved in any local clubs. Since I can think of only a 
couple of serious harp players in the great rural expanse of Northern 
California and Southern Oregon, we are unlikely to be able to form a 
club in our area. (Northern California does not include Central 
California communities such as San Francisco and Sacramento, and 
Southern Oregon does not include Eugene.)

If SPAH wants active members even here in the West, where the SPAH 'con 
rarely comes (but thanks for Sac'to,), if SPAH wants members who are 
active even if they can't afford to go East or, like me, just don't like 
traveling any more, then SPAH must empower individuals.

You don't need a club to go out to events ad put up a SPAH table or 
distribute SPAH literature, only one committed individual. You don't 
need a club to create events, only the willing efforts of a few 
committed people. And you don't need a club to have Special Interest 
Groups (SIGs), only someone willing to act as moderator of an email 
and/or telecon group.

But even with willing individuals, there is a need for SPAH to act. SPAH 
needs to provide its activists with banners, literature and a set of 
guidelines covering what to do and not do at SPAH sanctioned events. 
This can all be accomplished with little expense and little Board attention.

As an experienced political activist and organizer, I can tell you that 
empowering the individual works and can go a long way towards refreshing 
and growing the SPAH membership. It will work for SPAH because our 
members are so strongly committed to their art and their instrument. I 
believe many of us will act if given the opportunity.

Some immediate activities that could start the ball rolling:

1. Make SPAH literature available to members who want to tell the SPAH 
story to others..
2. Start creating some SPAH SIGs. I would be willing to host or 
participate in a harp teachers' SIG.

  -LM

  -LM
BTW, my aim is not to deprecate clubs, only to activate members who 
can't or don't want to be part of a club.