[Bards] The College concept

[Jay Rudin]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Scott Barrett" <barrett1 at cox.net>
To: "Ansteorran list" <bards at lists.ansteorra.org>
Sent: Thursday, November 02, 2006 4:38 PM
Subject: [Bards] The College concept


>
>>
>> Well, here's how I see it.
>>
>> A College or Guild is generally going to have a few "leaders" or at
>> least officers who handle the administrative aspects of such a body.
>> We already have them. We have a webminister for bards.ansteorra.org
>> and we have the Deputy Minister of A&S for Performance to act as an
>> ambassador to other Kingdom and local officers. We could include the
>> Premier Bard in this, which brings us to three administrators whose
>> positions are limited in term and subject to rotation.
>> We have this mailing list as a forum, and if we wished, we could
>> actually convert it to a message board format at bards.ansteorra.org
>> We have a symbol that any performer can display, Or, a mullet of five
>> greater and five lesser points within the frame of an Irish harp sable
>> (The one with the rose is reserved for the current Premier bard).
>> Let's display versions of that in our campsites and at our circles
>> instead of figuring out how to make a blue sash fit with our persona's
>> wardrobe. I've often fantasized about getting one of those butane fed
>> fire baskets that provide great light, one with the space around the
>> harp and star cut out so that they are visible against the fire at a
>> distance. Instant bardic circle.
>> We have a performance track of classes at most Kingdom Colleges, and
>> the Deputy Minister, along with the Premier bard, could start a bardic
>> collegium as a distinct event if they chose to, despite evidence that
>> it likely wouldn't have as much attendance.
>> Further education is only going to come from either attending circles
>> and observing like the vast majority of us did, attending classes
>> taught by more experienced performers in certain fields, or having a
>> bard mentor you as a close friend, which is nothing a college will be
>> able to contribute to, it's far too personal.
>> A community communicates. I say we already have the tools in place. If
>> we want to call ourselves a fellowship or a guild or a college or a
>> grove or an order or a university, that's fine by me, but charters and
>> college-specific officers and college events don't strike me as valid
>> or useful. In fact, they strike me as... well, exclusive and
>> conditional.

That sounds reasonable, but doesn't stand up to the facts as they've been 
presented on this list for the last couple of weeks.

If it were true that all we needed were the tools already in place, there 
would not be a felt need for something more.  I suggested the College 
because this list was *already* talking about how we don't currently have 
what we need.

>> It creates the impression, false or accurate, that there are certain
>> things requiring the approval of the representatives of the college.
>> There is an instant concern as to how the authorities of the college
>> will reacte to a piece or a class. Simple human psychology follows
>> this line of reasoning. If a person has some criticism or distaste for
>> something you've done, and that person happens to be an officer in the
>> college, the entire college is displeased with you by proxy. After
>> all, this a trusted and experienced performer with administrative
>> responsibilities in a "college", who would dare disagree?

This argument is equally good for showing that we shouldn't have guilds, 
households, baronies, circles, peerages, orders, or a kingdom.

All you've shown is that this endeavor, like every other human endeavor, has 
risks.  I accept that fact.  That's no reason not to try.

>> I say we all agree to get out there and encourage people to use this
>> list and the website. That is all the structure we need to my way of
>> thinking.

If I believed that all bardic support should hapen when we are alone at 
home, ...
If I thought that bards who don't have hours to spend on line don't feel any 
need to belong, ...
If I thought that 21st century structure was good for the SCA but medieval 
structure is always bad, ...
If I believed that it was possible for this list to reach dozens of people 
who might become bards with a little encouragement, ...
then I might be willing to believe that computer structure is all the 
structure we need.

But in fact, the list and website will never walk over to somebody who's 
watching a bardic circle and ask her to join us.  It will never set up 
events or projects.  The list is a specific tool.  A college is people.

Robin of Gilwell / Jay Rudin