Acoustic Heritage Band Competition

Kids Band Contest!

The contest will be held in two stages: The playoff qualifying rounds, held at:
Shelton Bluegrass in the Forest: May 13-15, 2011,
Sacajawea Bluegrass Festival: June 10-12, 2011,
and Goose Creek Opry, Wilbur: July 29-31, 2011.
The top two bands in each qualifying round will qualify to play for cash prizes in the finals at the Newport Music Festival in Newport WA, Sept 10th, 2011. Each band in the finals must play and qualify at one of the sanctioned playoff rounds. The qualifying round winners are automatically registered for the finals, and do not need to re-register.

Here are the Finalist Prizes, awarded at the finals at the Newport Music Festival September 10th, 2011:
First Prize: $500 Cash plus trophy.
Second Prize $300 Cash plus trophy.
Third Prize $200 Cash plus trophy.
We're hoping to add more sponsor-supported prizes for the finalists on top of the cash prize, but that's still in the works. (The winning band will perform onstage at the Saturday Night Show).

The contest is run and sanctioned by the non-profit Northwest Acoustic Music Association, which is a group of dedicated volunteers whose goal is to preserve the heritage of acoustic american music. The contest is not limited to bluegrass players. Song selection may be bluegrass, folk, celtic, Irish, oldtime, or even pop tunes, as long as they are played with acoustic instruments. Drum sets and electronic instruments are prohibited, but hand-held percussion, like bohdran or tamborine is allowed. Music stands and music is allowed in the contest. Judging will be by a panel of local musicians and is based on song difficulty, timing, and quality. Points are also awarded for stage appearance and dress..

This is the second year for the contest. We had 4 contestants at last years Newport Festival, and it went over so well that this year we decided to expand it region-wide and have the playoff rounds at the 3 bluegrass festivals listed. Spread the word! Thanks, Jim C

The contest is the creation of Richard Eich, a music teacher and music store owner in Republic, WA. (Be sure to visit www.eichsmusic.net). Richard is also the president of the Northwest Acoustic Music Association. The concept is twofold: Get kids interested in playing acoustic music, and give them an incentive to play publicly. A lot of the momentum of the program comes from the idea that kids can improve their lives by connecting with other people face to face, rather than spending their time texting and playing video games. Acoustic Music is an important part of our American Heritage. Our goal is to get more kids interested and involved in playing music in the American Tradition! If you have questions or need more info, you can contact Richard at 509-775-2846 or email eichs@rcabletv.com.

Download the rules and signup sheet here.