Interest Groups List

Purpose: exchanging experience and information on the basic concept of what a Folk Marathon is/can be, and what is needed to run it:

• minimum amount of people in a core team to make it comfortable for yourself
• venues and conditions
• finances
• ...

We will also give some context on who we are (actually just some people who have been in an organising team of previous FMs), what we're trying to work towards in order to be able to support future organising teams, and how we can support you now. (edited)

For whom: anyone who's interested in hosting a Folk Marathon either next year or sometime in the future.
Furthermore, you're welcome if you're curious about the future of FM, if you have good ideas, or if you don't want to host one yourself but do want to help.

What we would love is if all potential organisers also get to know each other, it can be a wonderful opportunity to exchange information and experience. If you're interested in hosting, but maybe in a year or two, you could shadow the process of next year's organisation and already gain inspiration.

Interest group for swapping songs that can be sung for people to dance to (or while the singers themselves are dancing).

let's have a look at our variety of percussion instruments.

bring your djembe, daf, bodhrán, cajon, tambourine, wood blocks, spoons, homemade percussion or whatever you feel is fitting.

how do you play it? what's your favorite rhythm?

let's improvise a rhythm or two together!

(At the moment just in German, translation will follow)

Was ist Shape-Note Singen?

„Shape-Note-Singen“ ist eine Gesangstradition, die ursprünglich aus den Südstaaten der USA stammt, mittlerweile aber auch in sekulären Gemeinschaften in Europa gelebt wird. Menschen aus verschiedensten Umfeldern finden zusammen, um die vierstimmige, aber in ihrer Einfachheit gut zugängliche Musik anzustimmen – nicht für ein Publikum, sondern miteinander und füreinander. Beim offenen Singen wird 4-stimmige shape-note-Musik aus den Büchern "Sacred Harp" und "Shenandoah Harmony" gesungen, musikalische Vorkenntnisse sind keine notwendig. die Teilnahme ist kostenlos.

We’ll get together to share tips and tricks for using music to help get stuff done.  Sea shanties, cow calling, wood chopping, fishing, farming, hiking, cooking, jogging…. Anything thing that benefits from a song or tune played while the thing is happening.

About me:
I have been using music as a way to aid my work as a garlic farmer, woodlot owner, home-cook, old-boat rower and sailor, and jogger for almost 30 years in Maine, USA, a worksong hotspot.  I’m a researcher, having traveled to over a dozen countries to meet people who also practice musical labor- an effort I call “The Worksong Project.” And I run a community chorus in Maine, USA called “The Mighty Worksong Community Chorus” which is an outgrowth of that project.  We do community projects like farming, stacking wood, planting daffodils, cooking, and cleaning while singing.  Looking forward to meeting you, who sings while you work or wishes to, and sharing with each other what we know about helping make work a little bit more like play.