  Contests & Activities
This week: Drum Up the Interest! Edited by: THANKFUL SONALI Library Class!  
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| I was at a drum-jam on Saturday, and I noticed how the facilitator got each participant involved. Maybe we could pick up a tip or two from him. |
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Dear Reader,
Bright and early on Saturday morning, my Dad and I set out ... he was going to participate in a drum-jam for seniors, and I was going to accompany him and take photos. Dad is eighty-three years old and I'm fifty. The group defines 'seniors' as being fifty-five and above, so I thought I didn't fit in.
Except that when I got there, the organisers promptly registered my name, too, saying they'd be happy to have me join in. I was handed a djembe.
(Hint #1 -- follow the rules, but by the spirit, not the letter. Be flexible or firm as required.)
So there we were, about thirty of us -- me being the youngest -- with our djembes. A motley crowd when it came to musical knowledge or expertise. I have none whatsoever. There were those who sang, and those who played other instruments there.
Our teacher started with the basics. The deep bass tone in the middle, with a flat palm, the treble on the side. (Hint #2 -- cover the basics, especially if there are beginners involved).
Then, he asked each of us our name, in turn.
He asked each one to interpret her or his name as a beat on the djembe.
And he asked everyone in the group to repeat each one's rhythmical interpretation ten times (apiece).
At the end of this round, each one felt special, felt we had contributed something, and we felt like a cohesive group.
(Hint #3-- make each one feel important, and, if you can, get participants to interact with each other in some way, too.)
We then went on to follow him in various combinations of bass-treble and left hand-right hand beats. It was easy and fun. (Hint #4 -- keep it simple)
His son then kept rhythm on a drum, and groups of us joined in, adding something to the beat. (Hint #5 -- Mix it up where necessary.)
Finally, he asked for volunteers who wanted to sing and dance. The group accompanied them on the djembes. (Hint #6 -- let particular talent shine out.)
At the end of an hour, even yours truly, who has been told since the age of eight that she has no musical ability and no sense of timing -- felt more confident. I had actually drummed with the group. I could drum! Not brilliantly. Not even reasonably well. But well enough so I wasn't embarrassed.
And it was purely the smooth way this session had been organised that had done it for me.
Now, I know it's a bit simplistic to try and apply the techniques he followed to activities on WDC. They're two different things, after all. But take another look at the hints I've gleaned and greened.
Firm yet Flexible -- I think I'll take the example of the way iKïyå§ama  runs "Project Write World" . The rules and guidelines are clear, but she's willing to make exceptions where necessary. If something isn't unfair to other teams and it increases overall participation, she's willing to consider it.
Covering the Basics -- Tell people what a bitem link is. Tell them how to make a forum post. There are newbies who want to enter contests and are baffled by these requirements.
Making Everyone Feel Special -- Respond to entries, either by email or by forum posts. Some hosts even go as far as to award GPs or Merit Badges for every qualified entry. You need not spend extra gift points if you can't ... but just an email saying 'thanks for your entry' goes a long way.
Getting Participants to Interact with each other -- We at WDC love to bond with other members of the community. You only have to look at the active in-and-outs on site to confirm this. If you could have something in your contest or activity which has participants interacting with one another, it could be fun! (Review each other? Respond to the previous entry in the forum post with your entry? Think up ways!)
Keeping it simple -- This varies, actually. On the whole, the simpler, the better. But sometimes the activity demands that things don't stay that simple, in which case, keep the steps that participants have to follow as clear as possible.
Mixing it up -- Here, I'll take the example of "The Writer's Cramp" . It's a daily contest, and there is usually a prompt which has to be followed. However, sometimes, the hosts mix it up. I guess there will be something different going on there for birthday week, which is around the corner. Maybe there will be a daily genre. Maybe prizes will be increased ... let's see! Mixing it up keeps it fresh.
Encouraging various Talents -- I know this is a writing site. But how about something thrown in for a participant who makes a drawing to accompany her / his entry? Something like that, to bring out other talents in people, without losing focus. Um -- different strokes for different drums -- er -- folks.
These are just some points to think about. Not everything will work for every contest or activity ... I just felt so pleasantly surprised after the drum-jam that I thought I'd analyse why and try to share this with you!
Here's a video:
https://www.facebook.com/silvertalkies/videos/468648620317843/
Thanks for listening!
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willwilcox
Excellent, it's time somebody said something to the community concerning feedback.
Jellyfish
Sometimes I do send feedback comments to newsletters - but I rarely get a response! So I don't really know whether the comments have been read and how they have been taken...! I think it's good when people feature the responses in their next NL and tag you in, so you know!
Editor's note: Yup, yup, that's what we do -- feature the feedback in our next newsletter and tag the member. The thing is, Newsletter tags don't result in notifications, so you need to look at the Ask and Answer section! Thank you!
dragonwoman
It's good to see our newsletter editors want to hear from us, so I will make a point to comment more often.
eyestar~*
Thanks Sonali! This enthusiastic article is really helpful and encouraging--a great idea to share some tips on gving feedback. I like the details of how, and where to ahve our say! Adding your trinket is generous. Thanks for your contribution.
gemofftheshelf
Thank you for your insightful newsletter this week
the Wordy Jay
LOL. I know editors love feedback (heck, anyone who writes anything loves feedback!), but readers are usually loath to respond because they (we) don't think they have anything particularly brilliant to say other than "great newsletter"! 
Anyway, interesting newsletter, Sonali! (See what I mean?  )
Tinker
Thanks, , I'm late responding but like many I have limited time and energy so I try to read email from known sources first. By that I mean people with whom I've already communicated or newsletters that I've read before and recognize. Others such as this one I save until I have some extre time to read,and think about.
I appreciate your answering the where.? I have thought to respond to others but wasn't sure where? In "reply" or "feedback".? So I've hesitated. I have used both but uncertainly and then I've simply decided against posting a response. At all because of my uncertainty.
Thanks again for opening the door. ~~ Tink
LMs❤️BrewinMagic
Thank you Sonali, Very informative. I will be keeping this on file. It had alot of great ideas. I believe it is always better to have feedback. So you can improve and grow. I didn't know about the newsletters on FB. I will be checking them out. Thanks again, keep up the great job y'all Girl with a Heartbeat
Dartagnan
I don't know why, but I have really enjoyed collecting these trinkets. Whenever I gi to someone Portfolio I have to check out the Trinkets they have collected. I know that might sound silly, but its something I enjoy.
The book that has been posted has more than I could imagine. Pretty cool. Thanks for posting it.
gingerlyme
Thanks so much for the friendly reminder that editors are people, too. We all benefit from feedback of some sort to know that our work is engaging people instead of just collecting cyber dust.
I learned from this newsletter that WdC has a Facebook page - it had never occurred to me.
I also spotted this little typo "We went to know what you want to know", think it may be a test to see if people are reading (or else I'm overthinking it).
Editor's note: Nice catch!!  |
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Contests & Activities: August 22, 2018 Issue [#9065]
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