[Bards] Ansteorran Bardic Website

jerryn at houston.rr.com jerryn at houston.rr.com
Thu Jan 27 10:41:21 PST 2005


I'd like to respectfully point a few things out concerning HL Snorri's reply:

"Just because they don’t *write* doesn’t mean that they aren’t worthy of recognition on the website."

While this might be true, I think that the bardic web site should have take as it's purpose, in effect, to disseminate bardic information.  The pages for songs and such do that.  The recognition a bard receives on the website is due to their contributions of work.  The recognition a bard receives for performance is from the audience themselves.  I would recommend caution in maintaining a "bardic" call page, mostly because such things have a tendancy to have a high noise-to-signal ratio.

"I’d also like to see a history of the Bardic College of Ansteorra somewhere on the website.  Somewhere along the way, we as a community have had good ideas and bad ideas, and I think there’s nothing wrong with a productive discussion of revisiting the good ideas and putting the bad ones to rest."

 AND ....

"Our enthusiasm for bardcraft seems to be inconsistent across Ansteorra, and I’d like to find out why that is, and what we can do to bring that up."

Both of these are excellent topics that already have a venue for discussion; bards at ansteorra.org.  

Where I'm coming from is that I like a web site to contain useful information rather than tons of bells and whistles (I wear bells, play whistles, and have enough of my own dang useless information, thank you very much ;-)) < would that be double-chinned?

I've stated before that an excellent example of a kingdom-wide bardic web site can be found in the ealdomere bardic website (http://www.bards.ca).

Possibly a listing of current Kingdom/baronial bardic champions (and canton, shire, and college, should they be so inclined to submit their champions).  I'd love to be able to do something like Cantaria, but Cantaria's already done that.  Maybe find a way to get sound clips of songs.

In any case, Vivat for Pubear, who did a wonderful job in starting this up, and to Alden, who has taken up the torch.

In service to the dream with a song in my heart, I am
HL Gerald of Leesville
A bard of Stargate
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Every 1000th visitor to the site gets a free copy of the latest version of
Kingdom Law, personally autographed by Their Majesties and the Kingdom
Seneschal!  Just *think* what that would fetch on eBay!

 

OK, seriously, here's something that I think would be useful.  The website
lists bards that have written pieces, such as Pendaran, Antonia and Alden,
for example.  However, I know for a fact that there are a lot more bards out
there than there are websites - there's just a lot more *performers* (like
me) than there are *writers* (like Robin), and the current structure of the
website only allows for the writers to have a page.

 

I've written five pieces in my SCA career - one's a lullaby for a child,
one's a sonnet that was my proposal to my wife, one's a poem for a friend
before she left Ansteorra, one's a story written at a friend's vigil, and
the last is for my late father.  Of all of these, the only ones I feel that
I can release for public use are the vigil story (once I've performed it for
my friend) and the story for my father (once I've finished writing it).  My
point is that I'm not just now becoming a bard; I've been one for some time.
I've held titles for groups, I've taught classes, and I've tried to
encourage a new generation of performers to take the stage in Ansteorra.
But because it's taken me until now to write pieces that I've felt
comfortable sharing with others so that they can perform it, I haven't been
"ready" for a page on the website yet.  I'm not trying to toot my horn here,
but I think that way of anyone who's a well-known performer of other
people's works.  Just because they don't *write* doesn't mean that they
aren't worthy of recognition on the website.

 

I'd also like to see a history of the Bardic College of Ansteorra somewhere
on the website.  Somewhere along the way, we as a community have had good
ideas and bad ideas, and I think there's nothing wrong with a productive
discussion of revisiting the good ideas and putting the bad ones to rest.

 

What I *do* know is this: when I travel to certain regions, I know I can
count on not sleeping much, because there will be much, much bardic revelry
to be had and to be given.  In other regions, it's almost as though the
campfires roll up after feast is done and getting people to attend bardic
circles is like pulling eye teeth.  (I have no idea what they are either;
Mom always said it, so it stuck.)  Our enthusiasm for bardcraft seems to be
inconsistent across Ansteorra, and I'd like to find out why that is, and
what we can do to bring that up.

 

OK, I think I've hit three separate topics, so I'm officially rambling,
which means I should officially shut up.  Next!

 

 

Snorri

 

  _____  

From: bards-bounces+snorri=houston.rr.com at ansteorra.org
[mailto:bards-bounces+snorri=houston.rr.com at ansteorra.org] On Behalf Of
Alden Drake
Sent: Thursday, January 27, 2005 7:46 AM
To: bards at ansteorra.org
Subject: [Bards] Ansteorran Bardic Website

 

Greetings to the list,

A few months ago, I inherited the duties of webmaster of bard.ansteorra.org
from Pubear.  I would like to thank Pubear for the considerable effort he
put into the site, that we might all share our love of the bardic arts
there.  

 

Now that most of the dust has settled from the Ansteorran Bardic Collegium
and the holiday season, I'm turning some of my attention to updating the
site.  I would appreciate hearing from the bardic community to find out what
can be added to the site to make it more useful for you, to include links,
class notes, teacher lists, etc.  Please email me any and all information
and I will begin adding it into the revised website.

 

Yours in service,

Alden Drake

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