DjangoBooks.com

Django in June 2018 Artists

245

Comments

  • Back in the good old days I went to a masterclass with Stochelo at DFNW. While it was interesting to see him play up close, the actual class was a waste of time and money. What with so many levels of student, SR's lack of teaching skills and LOL lack of English I am sure it was very difficult for him too though the money would be good.

    For me the marquis players often don't make the best teachers. They are quite different skill sets. This summer, I had a few classes with Dennis in which he quickly dissected my technical flaws and prescribed some excercises to cure them. Best money I have spent.

    I get the concept that having a Marquis player will generate lots of interest and customers, just don't set your expectation level too high.

    AndrewLawrence
    The Magic really starts to happen when you can play it with your eyes closed
  • AndrewLawrenceAndrewLawrence Northampton, MA✭✭
    Posts: 56
    Jazzaferri:
    All good points. Two things pop to mind in response:

    (1) In my opinion, no teacher, no matter how good, can offer their best to a large (or small) group of players at very different levels. That's why we sort by level and shoot for a student/teacher ratio of roughly 9/1. I teach group guitar lessons when wearing my Community Guitar hat, and I find that a good sized group.

    (2) As a general rule, I think people who are already advanced players are better equipped to learn from those artists whose primary skill is performing rather than teaching. That's why we typically assign headliners to work with more advanced players.

    All the best,
    ~Andrew
  • roch@rochlockyer.com[email protected] new mexico (current)✭✭
    Posts: 91
    Lots here in this thread. I partially agree with jazzaferri about teaching vs playing as we can all cite examples of this...that being said I think these mass start events (I picture the beginning of a marathon or triathlon) that attract a large number of fans and hobbyists will generally be impossible for an A-list player to manage. The majority of participants will want to rub shoulders, and many aspiring players will want to have a story to tell about jamming with such and such person. I won't name drop..there is enough of that going on, but I have had several of the marquee guys tell me they have no clue how to manage the classes and they just do their best to keep everyone happy..that part is very much a job for these guys & why they are paid..It's the music that brings everyone together, but the actual class is more social than anything else (Of course for anyone new to the style the initial classes can be VERY helpful)...They are kind of caught in the middle like any job..they are managing the promoters expectation, trying to give a bit of advice and be friendly to the younger players/fans in a class of peeps that will largely never spend the 1000's of hours required to swim in their rarefied air. DJIJ..I think Andrew does a great job overall...N-hampton is awesome..summertime, restaurants, forest, trails, Smith Campus...what not to like? A couple of very notable teachers from overseas have said they would love to come for the hang and not have to teach LOL. As far as classes..I think the large majority enjoys and gets great value. It is impossible to cover both ends of any spectrum. When I used to go I paid for the awesome facilities, the hang in N-hampton and to participate in the brotherhood of the Djang-bang :)
    AndrewLawrenceBuco
  • AndrewLawrenceAndrewLawrence Northampton, MA✭✭
    Posts: 56
    Hey Roch!
    Nice to hear from you, and congrats on the completion of your recent project. All fair comments...as anyone would expect from you.

    Part of the reason I decided to go with a more "camp" format back in 2007 and move away from the pay-per-class format we started with was because, really, it just costs a certain amount of money to make this event happen: to have performers, teachers, facilities, a nice concert venue, housing, food, etc. available. So everyone pays to have all the pieces in place. Exactly how people want to take advantage of that, and what they get out of it...that's up to them! And I'm a staunch defender of free time in the schedule (like, evenings when we could be putting on profitable concerts) precisely because some of the best things that happen at events like these, happen entirely unplanned.

    Wishing you well, brother!
    ~Andrew
    roch@rochlockyer.com
  • roch@rochlockyer.com[email protected] new mexico (current)✭✭
    Posts: 91
    Thanks man :) Back atcha!
  • swingnationswingnation ✭✭
    Posts: 62
    Just a thought from my perspective about recording after several years attendance (and I'm excited to be back for full week this year!). I common thing we've all seen in all levels is that some/most people have their phones out to record audio/video. As already mentioned, it's great for many reasons. I still have recordings from 2012 that I occasionally go back to.

    The difficulty is having more than one person stoping class and asking instructor to re-do something (slower or different angle, etc.) Totally fine, but whenever this happens, all of a sudden everyone takes out their phone, and everyone has to record, which inevitably leads to many requests to redo it because it didn't record or whatever. You can see the annoyed look on peoples faces (and sometimes the instructor) as class slows to a crawl. I've been in a class, where a guy came in late, interrupted everything while he set up his camera and then asked if instructor would repeat some of the ideas. Several of us asked "Really man? Can you wait until end and we'll show you". His response- "I don't care what you think, I paid a lot for this camp and I'll record it now." Wow.

    A possible idea:
    As usual, ask instructor if they mind if the lesson is recorded (always good to be courteous and respectful, but I've never seen an instructor refuse). At start of class designate only 1-2 people to record video (when needed), but those persons would be responsible for sharing that video with others in class (via email or dropbox or whatever). Recording audio doesn't have same problems but would be good to again have designated person to share with others.

    Cheers,
    Jayson
  • AndrewLawrenceAndrewLawrence Northampton, MA✭✭
    Posts: 56
    Hi Jayson:
    "Wow" is right...hard to prepare for the jerk factor, isn't it? I'm sorry you've had that experience at DiJ.

    On principle, I like your idea a lot. I wonder, though, whether you envision that being somehow managed by DiJ (25 or more classes, three times a day!) or something more anarchic (in the best sense) and decentralized.

    ~Andrew
  • swingnationswingnation ✭✭
    Posts: 62
    No apologies needed. I've only had great times at DIJ! You just kinda have to anticipate and accept that everyone has their own way of being and learning.

    While a DIJ managed approach would be great, I see so many logistical problems (someone to do it/edit it, how to release it, is it DIJ owned content, do you prevent non-DIJ participants from viewing it, etc).

    No, I was more thinking more anarchic and community/class governed thing. The great thing about DIJ is that it is a community and we all do a pretty good job of connecting,sharing, and respecting already. Maybe a few comments by you at the intro meeting about trying this idea. If 1-2 people are willing to do it, great. But if not, and everyone wants to record, that's fine too as long as we remember to be respectful of the instructor, students and the vibe of the class. Maybe have a sheet at each class where you sign up with your name and then the recording person has a list of who to send it to?

    J
  • Hi Jayson:
    "Wow" is right...hard to prepare for the jerk factor, isn't it? I'm sorry you've had that experience at DiJ.

    On principle, I like your idea a lot. I wonder, though, whether you envision that being somehow managed by DiJ (25 or more classes, three times a day!) or something more anarchic (in the best sense) and decentralized.

    ~Andrew

    I think you all who organize this have enough on your plates. I see this being policed by the campers under general appropriate guidance suggested by DiJ. Audio is easy and there should be no limitations on that in classes.

    For the record, no one person's experience at the camp is more important than any others.

    Hope to see you all again this year.

    Jim

    AndrewLawrence
  • AndrewLawrenceAndrewLawrence Northampton, MA✭✭
    Posts: 56
    Maybe a few comments by you at the intro meeting about trying this idea. If 1-2 people are willing to do it, great. But if not, and everyone wants to record, that's fine too as long as we remember to be respectful of the instructor, students and the vibe of the class. Maybe have a sheet at each class where you sign up with your name and then the recording person has a list of who to send it to?

    Totally doable. Feel free to remind me before orientation if I haven't already addressed it elsewhere. Seems like the more ways we find to sensitize people to these issues and elicit cooperation, the better.

    ~A

Sign In or Register to comment.
Home  |  Forum  |  Blog  |  Contact  |  206-528-9873
The Premier Gypsy Jazz Marketplace
DjangoBooks.com
USD CAD GBP EUR AUD
USD CAD GBP EUR AUD
Banner Adverts
Sell Your Guitar
© 2024 DjangoBooks.com, all rights reserved worldwide.
Software: Kryptronic eCommerce, Copyright 1999-2024 Kryptronic, Inc. Exec Time: 0.014501 Seconds Memory Usage: 1.008797 Megabytes
Kryptronic