Mandolin Orchestras

[Adam Sweet]

The South Hadley Mandolin Orchestra had its first rehearsal on 2/21/14.

The orchestra consists of 5 mandolins, a mandola and a mando cello.

We are actively seeking other musicians who would like to volunteer.

There is no cost to be a member of the orchestra.

The orchestra meets at the Sweet Music Studio in South Hadley third Fridays of every month.

To find out more and register, visit http://shmo.adamrsweet.com

Thank you!

[Jim Garber]

I truly wish I lived closer, Adam. It is not so easy to organize such a group. Good luck.

[Adam Sweet]

Thanks, Jim! Yes it's been difficult. There are hundreds of mandolinists in the Pioneer Valley of western MA, but very few who can read music, or would like to play in an orchestra.

There is an ensemble which is mostly acoustic guitars, run by Michael Nix out of Greenfield. I've been in touch with them, but they are not interested in joining forces.

The Providence Mandolin Orchestra has been very supportive and helpful, as has August Watters from Berklee and Kevin Collins of the Red Barn Music in Amherst.

I think the most important thing is consistency. At this point people haven't heard of us so they don't know what to expect. Once we get going and have more regular rehearsals and concerts hopefully the word will start to spread in the community.

[Jim Garber]

Hi Adam... maybe organize a concert even with a few folks to promote the orchestra. People sometimes have no clue as to what these ensembles sound like until they experience it firsthand.

[Beanzy]

Best of luck. You're spot on about consistency, it counts for so much (same with jams) just keep on keeping on and enthusing about it to all and sundry and the numbers will grow. Build it and they will come kind of thing. Also don't be shy about borrowing violinists etc from local orchestras and leading them to the wrong side of the tracks by sticking a pick in their hands.

[John Goodin]

Adam, I wish you good luck in getting a mandolin ensemble organized. As a long-time member of the CMSA (Classical Mandolin Society of America) I would encourage you to join.

Two practical benefits for you would be access to the membership list (so you can see who might be in the neighborhood) and access to the nice mandolin orchestra starter collection of sheet music. I think there are about 20 pieces there waiting for you to explore.

As a CMSA member you might consider taking out a small ad in the Mandolin Journal looking for new members for your fledgling group. Every year at the CMSA convention I am amazed at the number of people who have carefully read their MJ issues but seem to be almost completely unaware of people and news that I have followed on the Cafe and the Internet in general for months. Bottom line is that there are a lot of mandolin players (and not just geezers either) who don't follow the Cafe, Facebook, etc. An ad in the MJ, along with your local paper(s), music store bulletin boards, local college music departments (I understand there are a few schools in your part of the world), etc. might help.

One or two of the old-fashioned, "golden era", mandolin orchestra arrangements at the CMSA member site could be very useful for a beginning group, partly because they are stylistically dated. They were crafted for mandolin family instruments (with guitars as supporting instruments) and they aren't cool or hip so no one is tempted to show off their super bluegrass or jazz chops while playing them.

Finally, joining CMSA gives you another support group (along with the great folks here at the Cafe) to help you remember that you aren't alone. There are hundreds of us with an interest in mandolin orchestras and the great sound of lots of mandolins playing together.

Finally, there are a number of "golden era" mandolin music collections and some of my original music for mandolin ensembles freely available at my own Mandotopia website (http://mandotopia.com/). You can check them out too.

Again, good luck. I admire you for putting some effort into this.

John G.

[Mandobar]

If you notice the larger mandolin orchestras are in and around large urban cities: New York, Northern NJ (I believe Bloomfield is looking for members also),etc. It's a wonder no one has organized one around Boston.

[Adam Sweet]

That's a really good idea. A series of small public concerts this spring and summer might do the trick! Thanks for the suggestion

[Adam Sweet]

I've been to the website and tried to contact the owner many times. For some reason, he doesn't accept emails from Gmail, so you have to send it to a generic "webmaster @cmsa.org" address, but I have not received a reply. The website also has empty sections that have stated "coming soon" for a couple years. I'd like to join and be an active member, but they make it extremely difficult!

[Adam Sweet]

Perhaps the Providence MO is enough for Boston?

[August Watters]

There are hundreds of mandolinists in the Pioneer Valley of western MA, but very few who can read music, or would like to play in an orchestra.

People sometimes have no clue as to what these ensembles sound like until they experience it firsthand.

And there's the problem: it's just a matter of getting the momentum so that folks understand and want to be part of it. The ability to read music doesn't have to be a big obstacle, but we have to somehow get people to stop identifying as non-readers and realize it's easy to learn.

Great work, Adam, you're making it happen!

[Mandobar]

Perhaps the Providence MO is enough for Boston?

My thought was that the density of the population supports the required membership. Western Mass is not as populated.

[August Watters]

My thought was that the density of the population supports the required membership.

Yes, and there's a lot of interest in mandolin! And Boston is a place where ideas develop, so stay tuned. Meanwhile, western Mass. is also a great place because of the artistic climate there.

[Adam Sweet]

Thanks, August. It's been a long time in the works...this year was the first year it made sense to start up. I'm happy for your advice and counsel over the years. I hope we can collaborate in years to come

[John Goodin]

Adam, I just want to let you know that I have alerted my friends on the CMSA Board about your troubles with our website. This kind of thing happens when you have an all-volunteer organization that operates on national/international (counting Canada) level.

I suspect that you'll be hearing from someone soon who can help you with your concerns. I can assure you that, even if our virtual presence is sometimes spotty, the underlying organization is vibrant and full of really nice folks who are dedicated to playing the mandolin and keeping a great tradition alive.

If you don't hear back from someone in the next day or two (there's no office being staffed 24/7 at CMSA Central) please PM me here or email me through my website and I'll see what I can do.

Again, what you are doing is great and is exactly what CMSA intends to support.

John G.

[Randi Gormley]

Sounds intriguing -- but I'm 2 hours away from you, alas. wish you the best, though

[Adam Sweet]

Sounds intriguing -- but I'm 2 hours away from you, alas. wish you the best, though

We only meet once a month. You might reconsider. We have people driving east from Boston, which is about a 2 hour drive, and west from Albany (same).

Hope you can make it!

[Jim Garber]

Hmmmm... I am also 2 hours away. I didn't realize you met only once a month. Is that enough? I see that the next one is Friday, March 21, 8-10pm.

[Adam Sweet]

@Jim Garber "Is That Enough"

No, it's never enough!

But, my philosophy is that people should practice/learn the parts at home and come to the rehearsals to work on ensemble playing!

[Mandobar]

It's going to depend on the overall musicianship of the group and their dedication. The mandolin orchestras of the teens and twenties were actually social activities for some. It was a way for young ladies of the times to go out in mixed company. It added additional motivation to attendance and participation.

[Beanzy]

At MOoD (Mandolin Orchestra of Devon) we are a once a month group too and it works well enough.
We add an extra practice on the odd month where there's a concert looming. A higher frequency of rehersals could cause attendance issues due to transport costs etc. As we only based in Okehampton (pop. 5,700) and draw people in from all over Devon and even me from Cornwall. With people participating in many other activities (Folk groups / morris sides etc) things could actually fall off a bit if it was more. The main thing is to engage people outside the rehersals with e-mails or Facebook type pages so they are reminded of what's happening and subtly prodded to focus on the next rehearsal.

One useful thing we do among ourselves is to meet up in small groups of 4 or 5 when time allows and practice other aspects of playing as well as running through some of the more tricky passages in the main groups repertoire. Tea and cakes always help too.

[Adam Sweet]

At MOoD (Mandolin Orchestra of Devon) we are a once a month group too and it works well enough.

One useful thing we do among ourselves is to meet up in small groups of 4 or 5 when time allows and practice other aspects of playing as well as running through some of the more tricky passages in the main groups repertoire. Tea and cakes always help too.

Fantastic idea...

I've offered more frequent rehearsals, but the out-of-towners would not be able to attend more frequently, whereas I can get more of a commitment for a monthly thing.

It's a 2 hour rehearsal with a string clinic before, so people can come early, eat some pizza, chat with the members, get someone to look at their instrument if there's a buzz or whatever, tune up and be ready to go by 7:30

[Mike Steadfast-Ward]

All the best Adam, I wish your venture every success.

I used to be part of an inter church choir (singing bass, deep down in me boots)
Also used to meet together once a month, but in smaller groups each week, people coming from
up to seven different towns for a choir of over 175 singers. Distances are probably a nuisance
there though.

[Adam Sweet]

@John Goodwin

Thanks for the suggestions. I finally was able got this email

___
Below the PayPal instructions in my last reply is the address to mail a check to. The amount is $35. For your convenience:
Please make your check payable to: Classical Mandolin Society of America and return it to:
Classical Mandolin Society of America
c/o Vicki Chouinard
3925 30th Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55406-3108
USA
Regards,

David Betts
CMSA Webmaster