BAND DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS
10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Saturday October 27, 2007

Getting The Most From Your Band Membership & How MBOTMA Books Bands (10:00 AM, Room A).
MBOTMA now has more than 120 member bands. There are several services that MBOTMA offers, but many groups fail to take advantage of them. MBOTMA Executive Director Jed Malischke will describe what MBOTMA offers and also the procedures for how MBOTMA books bands for its various festivals, concerts, and other events.

Care and Feeding of Your Instruments (10:00 AM, Room B).
Discussion about stringed instrument care including, cleaning, maintenance, easy repairs, setup, humidity, insurance, problems and solutions for guitar, mandolin and violin. Ross Vaughan will be the moderator. Guests will include Lloyd LaPlant and others.

Microphone Techniques For Live Stage Performance (10:00 AM, Main Ballroom). David Tousley and Chuck Millar of Tangled Roots and Doug Lohman of Armadillo Sound will discuss issues you are confronted with using someone else's PA, such as at a festival or when opening for another act. What are the best techniques for using the onstage equipment to your best advantage?

Producing Your Own Shows (12:00 PM, Room A). Why wait for the phone to ring to fill your gig calendar? From choosing a venue and promoting the show, to taking tickets and cleaning up afterwards, this will be a presentation and participatory discussion led by MBOTMA Executive Director Jed Malischke to talk about putting on your own concert for your band or for others.

How To Conduct Productive Band Rehearsals (12:00 PM, Room B).
With band members sometimes living many miles apart, how do you practice? Alan Jesperson of the Middle Spunk Creek Boys will host a discussion about making best use of a band's rehearsal time. Calvin Leport and Jeff Hardin or The Rarely Herd will participate. Creating Set Lists (12:00 Noon, Room C). Mary Henderson and Geoff Shannon will host this workshop and contribute their insights into what goes into creating set lists for your gigs.

Financial & Legal Issues For Musicians (2:00 PM, Room A)
Michael S. Wallin, CPA and Chuck Roulet, J.D. will be giving a presentation on the accounting and legal issues facing musicians. Michael will be covering new tax law changes along with record keeping requirements, governmental reporting requirements, tax planning opportunities and entity selection. Chuck will be discussing the legal issues relating liability issues, contracts, agency law, copyright law and entity selection.

Promoting Your Band (2:00 PM, Room B).
Barry St Mane of Tangled Roots will host this brainstorming session on ways to get the word out about your band and make it better known. Jim Stack of The Rarely Herd and Phil Nusbaum of The Bluegrass Review will also participate.

Studio Techniques For Recording (2:00 PM, Room C).
Ross Vaughan will host Grammy Award winner Steve Hodge in this session about how to get the most out of going into a studio to make a recording. As an engineer with Flyte Tyme Productions, he has produced records by Janet Jackson, Maria Carey, Rod Stewart, and many other notables.

Personal Practice Techniques (4:00 PM, Room A).
How do you practice your craft, whether it is an instrument or vocals. Here is a chance to talk with Chuck Millar, an accomplished teacher and performer, about good practice techniques for the individual musician.

Stage Craft & Showmanship (4:00 PM, Room B).
Marty Marrone of Tangled Roots will lead this discussion on making your show entertaining and how to improve your stage presence and connection to your audience. Jeff Weaver of Rarely Herd will join the discussion.

Home Recording Techniques (4:00 PM, Room C).
Ross Vaughan will host Grammy Award winner Steve Hodge in a discussion about techniques for home recording and the positives and negatives of using this type of facility. Steve maintains a high quality home studio and is an engineer with Flyte Tyme Productions.