Rural and Community Art Project Grant

Our goals are to: 1. help our participants expand their artistic skills by listening to and playing with fellow old time musicians 2. provide constructive feedback for our contestants via the comments and scores on the judges score sheets 3. provide a high quality, live performance experience for the contestants, with the opportunity to qualify for the National Old Time Fiddle Championships in Weiser, Idaho 4. bring high quality Old Time music to the under served residents of the Iron Range communities We will measure our success by 1. having an audience of 200 between the preliminary and final rounds 2. holding expenses to $9,000.00 3. having at least 30 contestants with 5 of them in the non-fiddle category 4. providing an enjoyable, high quality performance for the audience 5. providing a rewarding performance experience for contestants that will inspire them to continue pursuing excellence in their playing 6. providing an opportunity for participants to sharpen their musical techniques and expand their Old Time repertoire Audience count will be based on ticket sales. Contestants will be recorded by categories (Junior-Junior, Junior, Intermediate, Senior, Senior-Senior, Non-Fiddle and Twin Fiddle), but will not be counted twice if they enter more than one category. We will keep records of income and expenses to assure the budget is met. Audience enjoyment will be a subjective judgment based on observing the audience during the performances and by gathering feedback informally as we talk to people during the event. We will ask contestants and judges to complete a post-contest survey rating their experience and identifying areas for improvement. We will have a follow up meeting of all contest volunteers to get their feedback on what went well and what needs improvement.