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<DIV><SPAN class=483091411-28102006><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>Brian,
here's a question; will you fight in Queen's Champion, even if you don't feel
that you're up to it for whatever reason? Why not compete in
Eistedfodd? The experience of being up against the best in the kingdom is
knowledge gained.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=483091411-28102006><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=483091411-28102006><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>This
goes for many who might say, "Well, I just don't think I'd do the job justice."
or "I'm not at my personal best." I can promise you that, at the end of
their term, each Kingdom Bard has come away from the position with the phrase "I
wish I could have done ...." on their lips. All do the best they can in
that position.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=483091411-28102006><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=483091411-28102006><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2>Haven't done anything new? Still the same old stuff? Doesn't
matter. I've used those same excuses in the past, but my good lady drove
them all away with this argument, "How can someone with as many songs in their
head, as many tunes as you can play, and as many stories to tell, think that
they wouldn't make a good Kingdom Bard?"</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=483091411-28102006><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=483091411-28102006><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2>So. If you've got a repertoire that has more than a dozen pieces to
it (I entered my 1st Eistedfodd with four), why not consider pushing outside of
a comfort zone and enter Eistedfodd?</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=483091411-28102006><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=483091411-28102006><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>Just
my two pence worth.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=483091411-28102006><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=483091411-28102006><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>i
<P><FONT size=2>In service to the dream with a song in my heart, I am,<BR>HL
Gerald of Leesville<BR>A bard of Stargate </FONT></P></FONT></SPAN></DIV><BR>
<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader lang=en-us dir=ltr align=left>
<HR tabIndex=-1>
<FONT face=Tahoma size=2><B>From:</B> bards-bounces@lists.ansteorra.org
[mailto:bards-bounces@lists.ansteorra.org] <B>On Behalf Of </B>Brian
O'hUilliam<BR><B>Sent:</B> Friday, October 27, 2006 2:39 PM<BR><B>To:</B>
Ansteorran Bardic list<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re: [Bards] Bardic college
Events<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>My friends, </DIV>
<DIV> To this I must add my words. I am a bard. The
Loch/Stargate area knows me fairly well and knows that I'm always up for a
performance at a circle or at feast. I do compete in local competitions
every chance I get, but I do not have near the catalog or experience that I feel
I need to compete in Eisteddfod. Like Robert, being Kingdom bard is a goal
of mine, just like being Queen's Champion is a goal of mine as a rapier fighter,
but I will not compete in Eistedfodd until I feel I am ready and that means
lots of practice and expansion of repertoire on my part. I suppose (as I
speak for no one other than myself) that many people feel the same way, or
perhaps they just don't want to compete, they only wish to perform. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> I am reminded of some conversations I've heard about Steppes
Artisan versus Kingdom Artisan and Steppes Artisan always having more entrants
and more prestige. Same issue. Now I am not suggesting that we make
Steppes limit entrants or stop having Artisan, that's ridiculous. What
needs to happen is Kingdom A&S needs to be promoted more. Same thing
with Eisteddfod. We must promote Eisteddfod. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> I also feel that the competition needs to travel. Why
couldn't we piggy back Eisteddfod onto another highly successful Kingdom event,
like Queen's or even Coronation? There is always some dead time (provided
the circles do not take hours.) It seems to me that this would THRUST
our art onto the Kingdom with out being "attack bards" and would allow all
to view the bardic arts in out Kingdom. Or even tack onto a big Baronial
or Shire event. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> Why couldn't we have a Bardic Event? Have a Bardic
Collegium with Eisteddfod. We could encourage fighters to come out and
have fields for practice (not a tourney) and an A&S display (not a
competition). This would be a primarily Bardic event with classes on music
& bardic and some activities for the non-bards. Also, if we could
arrange a Laurel's Circle there like Crown always has a Chiv Circle and Queen's
always has a WS Circle, I think that would greatly benefit the bardic community
and make some money for the Kingdom. <BR> </DIV>
<DIV> I apologize for the length, but I feel very strongly about this, as
I know all of you do too.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Brian O' hUilliam,</DIV>
<DIV>Cadet to Don Brian MacCael</DIV>
<DIV>Bard of Graywood<BR> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=gmail_quote>On 10/27/06, <B class=gmail_sendername>Robert
Fitzmorgan</B> <<A
href="mailto:fitzmorgan@gmail.com">fitzmorgan@gmail.com</A>> wrote:</SPAN>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=gmail_quote
style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid"><BR><BR>
<DIV><SPAN class=gmail_quote>On 10/27/06, <B class=gmail_sendername>Simone
Ui'Dunlaingh</B> <BR></SPAN>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=gmail_quote
style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: rgb(204,204,204) 1px solid"><SNIP><SPAN
class=q><BR><BR>When participation at Canton shire and Barnial bardics are
greater and <BR>more prestigious than the Kindom Estinfodd. we might want to
look ast<BR>ourselves and not outside our selves. I have seen Local Bardic
<BR>competions sport 30+ participants regularly when we cant get that
many<BR>to show for kingdom..WHY? What is the diffrence? Why would a bard be
<BR>willing to compete at a local level and not kingdom? these I think
are<BR>the questions we should
ask.<BR><BR><BR></SPAN>Simone<BR><BR><SNIP></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><BR> I think it's a valid point. I certainly can
think of several local competitions that have more participation than Kingdom
Eisteddfod. So what do we do to make Kingdom Bard something
that more people want to strive for? <BR> For
myself, I haven't entered in several years. At this time in my life I
couldn't be the Bard that I think Ansteorra deserves, and I don't believe that
I should enter if I can't do justice to the position. Being Kingdom Bard
is still one of my unfulfilled goals, but I won't go for it until I feel I can
do the job well. I'm not entering local competitions either.
<BR><BR>Robert<BR> </DIV><BR> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=e id=q_10e8b25fe7e31781_3><BR clear=all><BR>-- <BR>"If you
haven't found something strange during the day, it hasn't been much of a
day." John A. Wheeler<BR><BR><A
onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)"
href="mailto:Fitzmorgan@gmail.com"
target=_blank>Fitzmorgan@gmail.com</A><BR>Yahoo IM: robert_fitzmorgan
</SPAN></DIV><BR>_______________________________________________<BR>Bards
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