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 Begun in 2007

· Focus will continue to operate as a non-profit organization under the Folk Alliance 501©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.