Re: [Harp-L] SPAH Demographics?

[Tony Eyers <tony@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Winslow: thanks for your insights on SPAH and other festivals.

My 2005 SPAH visit was a major highlight of my harmonica life. Friendly, 
informal, with an astounding array of top grade players. I'd love to go 
again.

My interest in festival demographics addresses the question: what will 
the harmonica community be like 25 years time? What will SPAH be like 
then? The answer lies in the current 10-25 age group. There are some 
great players amongst them, to be sure. However, judging from my young 
adult sons and their peers, knowledge of the harmonica and its music is 
very low. When I was their age Bob Dylan was on the radio. For the 
generation before mine, harmonica groups were popular. However, the 
harmonica appears absent from the culture young people now inhabit.

In recent years the Internet has unleashed a wealth of harmonica 
information, harp-l an example. There is now an abundance of good 
teaching material (almost nothing when I started), harmonica companies 
are providing great new products, customisers and niche craftsmen are 
providing additional tools. In short, a golden age.

My concern is that, in the West, the future generation of players will 
be sparse. I hope I am wrong. The next generation of Asian players is 
already in place. I met them last weekend.

Tony Eyers
Australia
www.HarmonicaAcademy.com
...everyone plays