Mission Statement:

The mission of Focus is to bring folk and acoustic music to a growing audience through performance, education and participation in the musical folk arts.

FOCUS ACCOMPLISHES ITS MISSION BY:

• Presenting regularly scheduled performances of folk and acoustic music.

• Providing a virtual center for folk and acoustic music performance and education, involving our members and audience in the creation, performance, preservation and evolution of this music.

• Encouraging the career growth of new and emerging folk and acoustic music artists while maintaining opportunities for performance and preservation of the traditional folk and acoustic forms.

IMPLEMENTATION PLAN FOR 2007

·         Focus will continue to operate as a non-profit organization under the Folk Alliance 501(c)3 umbrella.

·         Focus employs a broad definition of folk and acoustic music that includes music commonly referred to as singer-songwriter, blues, Americana, bluegrass, world, Celtic and swing, among others.

·         Focus concerts are open to all ages and are currently presented in intimate and comfortable spaces in order to foster a link between the musicians and the audience. In the future, performances of this nature may be augmented by events in larger venues, outdoor festival settings, and selected community facilities.

·         Focus will actively seek to present performances and other Focus activities on a regular basis, serving an ever-widening audience throughout the Washington metropolitan area and suburbs.

·         Focus will continue to maintain and seek out dedicated locations for concerts, educational events and other activities. Focus also will work toward presenting a full-time schedule of events.

·         In order to build membership and audience, Focus will emphasize the presentation of high-level touring musicians and developing talents from the United States and other countries. In addition, Focus will maintain its commitment to developing and nurturing the local musical arts community, presenting deserving local talent on Focus stages, hosting events such as open mics and educational workshops and providing support for member performers at national and regional conferences.

·         Focus will seek to increase media exposure for folk and acoustic music, and in accomplishing this, will investigate the feasibility of various broadcast technologies as well as exploring recording performances for the benefit of its performers. These broadcast technologies may include targeted pod-casting, micro-power radio, community cable television, and other similar mass media formats.

·         Focus will seek grant funding to help accomplish goals such as sponsoring educational workshops, special events, etc.

Board Members:

Steve Gnadt

Kay Coyte

David Spitzer

Cindy Broome

Karen Tupek

Emeritus:

Jerry Bresee

Past President

Tom Cardarella

Liz Dulaney

To contact a board member, click on their name to generate an e-mail.

Board Business: 

Annual Report, Minutes, Accomplishments and Announcements

Focus Meeting – Annual Board Meeting and Elections

1/31/2010

Scott called the meeting to order at 2:25. 

·       Introduction – Scott gave an overview of what Focus is since there were many new faces present.  The current board members in attendance were introduced, followed by everyone else introducing themselves. 

·       2009 Accomplishments

• Focus presented more than 30 shows and came close to breaking even. 

• The Focus March show with Holly Near and Emma’s Revolution raised more than  $1000 for the nonprofit group RPJ Housing.

• Focus was a coordinating sponsor of two concerts in honor of Vic Heyman.  Over $5000 was raised for the Heyman Foundation and for Parkinsons research.

• Focus co-sponsored the Grove Stage at the Takoma Park Folk Festival.

• Focus presented three nights of campfire showcases at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival.

• Focus presented two nights of showcases at the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance conference, featuring Focus members/performers and other performers that have played at Focus venues. 

• Venue change – after five years of presenting at O’Brien’s  BBZ, Focus began the transition to a new venue, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Rockville. 

• Goals for 2010:  We want to increase the audience size.  We have an average of about 35 people, with the high attendance of 86 and a low of 12.   Another goal is to spread tasks to others and not overload the board members. We would also like to increase the visibility in the communities, for example having more fliers available, and spread to a wider audience.  We would like to do more in the educational arena, presenting workshops on songwriting, performance, etc. 

• Board member elections:  the current board members were re-nominated.  Additional members nominated – Steve Gnadt, Paula Moore.  The proposed board was elected unanimously by voice vote. 

Scott Moore, president

Steve Gnadt, vice president (skg17@aol.com)

Herb Cooper-Levy, treasurer

Paula Moore, secretary   (paula@mooremusic.org)

Kevin Bennett, membership

Kay Coyte, Alexandria venue mgr.; publicity chairman

David Spitzer, Rockville venue mgr.

Cindy Broome, internal promotion/emails

Karen Tupek, website

Scott adjourned the meeting at 2:50. 

The next board meeting is tentatively 2/13/10 11am. 

A song circle followed, continuing to about 5:00pm

Many attendees also took advantage of this time to fill out membership forms.

President's Messages:

January 2010

Well, 2009 was a busy year for Focus Music. This organization exists primarily to support acoustic and folk music -- and to bring top-quality nationally and internationally touring musicians to the Washington area. That we did, and more.

In addition to presenting some 30 concerts in Rockville and Alexandria, here are some of our accomplishments for the year:

* The Focus concert in March featuring Holly Near and Emma's Revolution raised more than $1,000 for the nonprofit group RPJ Housing.

* Focus was a coordinating sponsor of two concerts in honor of the late Victor Heyman; all together, the effort raised more than $5,000 that are going to sponsorships for folk musicians and funding for Parkinson's research.

* The Focus Facebook page provided pictures and videos of a number of shows, and linked fans to samples of upcoming performances.

* Focus co-sponsored the Grove Stage at the Takoma Park Folk Festival. Look for the Focus banner in the concert clips that air on local cable throughout the year.

* Focus presented three nights of campfire showcases featuring dozens of performers at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival.

* Focus presented two nights of showcases at the Northeast Folk Alliance conference, featuring Focus members and performers who have played Focus concerts. We also hosted an open-mic-style showcase of up-and-coming performers who might soon grace our stages.

* Former Focus president Jerry Bresee hosted monthly song circles at the Cascade Library in Sterling, Virginia.

* After five years of presenting at O'Brien's BBQ/Branded 72, Focus began the transition to a new venue, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Rockville. The first concert was held at the church Jan. 12, 2010. That show and a Jan. 10 concert in Alexandria raised a combined $450 for the local organization Hungry for Music.


We plan to just as busy in 2010. And we'll hope you'll join us -- in the audience, on the stages and behind the scenes -- as we keep alive this terrific music.
 

Scott Moore
President, Focus Music
 

June 30, 2008

January 1, 2008

Previous Messages from the President - stay informed

December 21, 2007

September 25, 2007

June 13, 2007

January 15, 2007

December 17, 2006

October 1, 2006

September 1, 2006

July 24, 2006

April 25, 2006

Click here for previous Concerts - performers, information, photos