Swannanoah no fun

[Guest]

The problem with that is the first part is always played TWICE then the second part ONCE.

it is not my, nor any sensible person's, place to be telling folks not to do what they want to do.
Follow your muse Sir, thats what I believe.

Maybe they were following their muse.

Mukade

Hardly, since they neither live nor lived in Ireland.

[mukade]

The problem with that is the first part is always played TWICE then the second part ONCE.

it is not my, nor any sensible person's, place to be telling folks not to do what they want to do.
Follow your muse Sir, thats what I believe.

Maybe they were following their muse.

Mukade

Hardly, since they neither live nor lived in Ireland.

What has living in Ireland got to do with it?

Mukade

[Guest]

error

[Guest]

[mikk]

Its typical of 'organised' Irish stuff that it kills off the little bit of authenticity left from the old ways.

Today with people learning from the likes of Peter Cooper - an Englishman born and bred, and who does not have a word of Gaelic - and other blowins taking over, the idea of traditional is fast becomming totaly inaccurate.

Whatever it is, it ain't traditional.

So you can expect the situation to worsen not improve.

I have had the pleasure of meeting Pete at a few sessions in recent years and have found him to be an excellent player and campaigner for many types of fiddle music. He shares his enthusiasm for the traditional music of England, Ireland and Scotland, as well as Old Time, Scandinavian, Eastern European and other styles. He is a true gentleman and an excellent fiddle player. He has encouraged many a young fiddle player. Just because he is not a Gaelic speaker is absolutely no reason to make the above comments. What have you done towards “the tradition” in keeping it alive and fresh !!!!

http://www.petecooper.com/home.htm

I can expect the situation to improve not worsen !!

[Cathy Wilde]

Well, as we all know, the best sessions aren't always under the official auspices anyway, right?

Play well, and y'all have fun!

(and Amen, toasty, from a tiny lot who's desperately doing their best to hold up Paddy O'Brien RIP in an itty-bitty corner of Kentucky!)

[Cynth]

I think you need to provide verifiable evidence when you make statements of that sort. If you could be identified, you might well have a lawsuit on your hands. By verifiable, I mean evidence taken from a source that others have access to, i.e. not your brain.

[feadogin]

I feel like I've heard this before...Hey toasty, are you Seamus Tansey?

J.

[mikk]

Edit - let me simplify this mess - If Yurgitz yodeling were trendy Mr Cooper would be posing as an expert on that, instead he is posing as an expert on what is popular, ie Itrad. IOW he 'IS' a lie, a fake, a conman, a poser, a crook.

I think you need to provide verifiable evidence when you make statements of that sort. If you could be identified, you might well have a lawsuit on your hands. By verifiable, I mean evidence taken from a source that others have access to, i.e. not your brain

I don't really think any verifiable evidence will be forthcoming. I certainly don't want any more access to the slanderous brain of toasty !!

[Cynth]

[Guest]

[quote="mikk"][/quote]

All a pom can do when they haven't a clue?

Whinge whine whinge!

[LeeMarsh]

The word is going around that the powers that be, at Swannanoah, have been very irritated that some good musicians have come to the campus after the classes are over and dared to play music without signing up for classes. From my own experience I received dirty looks and remarks from management last year even though my wife Cathy was taking lessons.
They also got pissed that Tommy Peoples, Martin Hayes and David
Power, invited me to perform with them at the concert that night even though I was doing it for no fee.

Now the word is that they are going to charge a fee to anyone appearing on campus... it will be $100.00 for a "buddy" pass. This policy will do little but spread bad feelings.

In my opinion this is an injustice and moronic thing to do. Students need to hear good sessions and musicians should be able to play as long as it does not interfere with the programs.

By the way, the pay for teachers at Swannanoah is far from adequate;
downright cheap.

All the best,
Pat Sky

I was a student at this years Celtic week at Swannanoa. I find my experience throughout the week does not match in any way Pat Sky's assertions.

Swannanoa is not an open Irish festival, its a teaching camp. At the staff concert I wanted to hear the staff, the folks we would be learning from, not outsiders coming in to play with famous players. Staff concerts ran 2 evenings as it was to give all the staff time to perform. Every seat in the auditorium was taken by paying attendees. But the magic of the concert, was these were our teachers, folks that were committed to teaching us how to play. It wasn't a performance, it was an encouragement. An outsider would not have that commitment to sharing the tradition.

I didn't want to "hear good sessions" I wanted to be in good sessions. I came to play until my fingers blead, my wind was spent, my arms lay useless at my side. If an outsider shows up, that's a seat a student can't have. If the outsider came with the true spirit of sharing and teaching the music to others, I would suspect that he or she would be welcome by all, staff and student. If he came to show of his chops, well, I can get that at home in some sessions in DC, or at many Irish Festivals.

I took a week off (The first time in over 10 years) to spend with these excellent musicians. My wife saved for months to give me tuition as an anniversary present and I saved for months to afford the room and board. And I'm supposed to 'appreciate' a local musician filling in who has no commitment to the students, just because he or she plays well?

I did a quick count of costs and I would be suprised if the college made any money on the week. With what they charge, and the services they provide, I am suprised they could get my tuition to stretch that far. Of course an outsider, comming in for just the sessions, wouldn't see those services.

My understanding of the $100 charge was so that non-irish music spouses and family could accompany the student and attend some of the events. The whole concept of the college is about being in residence, staff and students. Again to advance the idea that the music is something folks can share, perhaps finding that this year's "buddy" is next years student, not to make money, but because they got hooked on the music. They were touched, as I was with the genuine spirit of the staff and students to share and build traditions into a new generation. If your wife attended, why couldn't you spare the $100 to support her and freely attend the events?

Pat, your play was not missed, I heard teens and preteens play some fantastic things. I saw old folks, like myself, find that joy in amatuer play. Your comments seem to infer that I missed something because your "Tommy Peoples, Martin Hayes and David Power" caliber of play wasn't there. But it was there, and I saw that confirmed, not in my own judgement; but in the judgement of the staff. I saw a lot of those excelent musician on the staff watch in awe and respect as some of the new players got lost in the music. I didn't see them do this in a class, I saw it in the 1:00 a.m. session on some steps where they were just part of the by standers like me. I also saw the intermediate players who got chances to fill-in on the pick-up sessions, to make the music their own, because those same talented students and staff, asked them to pipe in.

Being a part of the music is not just a commitment to note and beat, its a connection to the players: young and old, beginner and expert, amatuer and professional. The experience isn't only what happens in the classroom, I could have taken classes from world class teachers in DC. Swannanoa is living the music from breakfast until I collapse in bed in the wee hours of the morn. An outsider can't just join in after classes, because the whole experience is the class, there is no after.

Pat, perhaps "dirty looks" and "remarks from management" were because you are a good musician. For you to play and not see the true meaning of the camp, works against the spirit and purpose of the camp, works against what they want to nurture at Swannanoa.

It not good music because of the way it sounds, its good music because of where it comes from.

My week was great, because all the folks were learning to connect to one another and ...

[leremarkable]

Pat, your play was not missed

I missed having Pat Sky there this year, Kathleen Conneely missed him, and James Keane said someone like Pat should be there, just for the depth of knowlege he has about Irish music and characters of the past.

David Power

[LeeMarsh]

Pat, your play was not missed

I missed having Pat Sky there this year, Kathleen Conneely missed him, and James Keane said someone like Pat should be there, just for the depth of knowledge he has about Irish music and characters of the past.

David Power

David, that's good to hear. Knowing Pat only from his post, I miss judged, and for that I apologize to Pat. I don't remember meeting you, but I do remember spending time with James and Kathleen. Seeing their commitment to the students gives me more than just blind trust in their judgment. Having Pat there to share that knowledge with the students, would be missed. However, from my point of view as a student, I still disagree with his inferences and wished I could have seen that commitment to the students in his post more clearly. That commitment was evident in all the staff, teachers and 'powers that be', that I came in contact with at Swannanoa.

David, I'd also like to thank you for your comment; because, it provoked me to re-read Pat's original post in a different light, independent of the subsequent posts. Trusting in your judgment, I can see that perhaps he wasn't complaining about commercialism but suggesting that the whole experience was not about money but about the music. I can see where he may have been frustrated with not being able to contribute. I hope he and the 'powers that be' can come to a better understanding and the Gathering can benefit from his contributions next year.

I spoke with a number of beginning and intermediate player while at the Gathering and found similar situations to mine. I've been to a number of sessions in my area to play, learning the tradition by participating. Some sessions are very inclusive; however, I have also found sessions where the more talented or advanced player exclude those joining the tradition. Intentionally or not, this occurs because, they take the music to a place that the intermediate player can't keep up. They then keep the music at that level until the intermediate play gives up trying to play. If this continues for a few weeks, the intermediate player quits coming, and the opportunity to draw another person deeper into the tradition is missed. Having been through that process a few times, I may have been overly sensitive to Pat's statement about students needing to hear good music, without his including a comment about their need to be part of the making of good music not just hearing. I could hear good music at home, what I wanted in my Swannanoa experience was the on-going opportunities to make good music. I wanted a week filled with play to improve my skills and take those back to my home, back to share with the folks who have included me in their sessions.

Last week gave me more than I'd hoped for in terms of making music and growing in the tradition. I deeply appreciate of all that the staff, teachers, and my fellow student gave to make this one of the best weeks in my life. I came back with more knowledge than I can use; but also, with a lot better use of the knowledge I have. Swannanoa, my not be perfect but it more than met my needs.

I think its a great place to learn more ways to ...

[leremarkable]

I think one of the other things that needs to be remembered is that we, as instructors, don't really make any money from participating at these events, by the time you go home and figure out how much you've spent, there is precious little left.

One of the main reasons we turn up at these things, especially week-long events is to meet, fraternise and play with characters, friends and musicians that we otherwise wouldn't meet, maybe for years.

In the last two years at Swannanoa, I got to meet and become friends with a veritable who's who of Irish music, and Pat Sky was part of that. Along with that, I taught hard, played hard, performed hard and certainly socialised hard.

It's got to be fun for the instructors too, or else why would they come?