Some people who are considering registering for the class have asked some questions recently. Here are some answers.
Start time on Wednesday, October 13: 11am. In order to accommodate participants who are coming from out of the area, we will not be doing any building until 11am. Starting at 9am, we will set up and distribute materials. So if you would like to help with set-up, you are welcome to appear any time between 9 - 11. Otherwise, we will expect everyone to be there at 11.
Payment: to me. I realize it might be awkward to be asking people to make checks out directly to me. Normally, I would have had people pay NLAA (our fiscal agent for the Donald Gardner grant), but Cecelia is on leave from now until the end of October, and there are class expenses I will need to cover before then. I am keeping meticulous records, and they will be available for anyone to look at after the class. Please email me for my address. If anyone doesn't feel OK with this arrangement, please feel free to make the check to NLAA.
Playing class: no extra charge. I am also advertising a players-only class for Saturday afternoon. This class might be for people who already have a kantele and don't know how to play it, or it could be for people who are thinking about ordering a finished one from Gerry, for people who are too busy to attend the building workshop, or for people who just want to try it out. For those of us who are building, we will incorporate playing classes into the building workshop (for example, we might play while we wait for glue joints to dry). So by Saturday afternoon, you will already know everything we plan to teach in the "Intro to playing" class. You might use this time to take a stroll in the woods or we might be stringing our newborn kanteles! At any rate, the builders are not expected to attend this class, and you certainly don't need to pay extra even if you choose to sit in on it. Feel free to spread the word among your friends. The $15 fee will also include a light meal between the class and the concert, so it is really a pretty good deal.
Open house and Concert: You may have seen on the posting that we are planning an open house. Don't let this scare you away! We are thinking of it more like a party, with refreshments, just like they would do in Finland. Gerry will play, and I think I have convinced Eli to grace us with his presence and play the jouhikko (the kantele's companion ancient instrument) which he built. I would like it if those of us who build kanteles would play an easy tune or two, but this will by no means be the centerpiece of the concert, and I don't want anyone to feel intimidated. A friend of mine says, if we don't celebrate what we have done, we minimize what we have accomplished.
Lunches: Just a reminder, lunches will be provided. If anyone has dietary restrictions or preferences, please let me know.
Evenings: One of our class participants is Duluth-based singer-songwriter Robi Meyerson. Weather permitting, she has offered to facilitate an evening campfire singalong. Very Finnish, it seems to me! (Songs will be in English). We are planning this for Thursday evening, but we will keep an eye on the weather forecast as the time gets closer. Should be a fun time!
Please keep those questions coming -- I am happy to answer.
LynnAnne
lavesper@gmail.com
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