Belknap County 4H Fair Performer’s Showcase The Belknap County 4H Performers Showcase will be open to musicians of all ages and is an opportunity for local musicians to show your stuff. While performances will be judged by other musicians, the organizers don’t want this to become competitive, and we will, at all times, enforce the Number 1 Rule of the showcase- To Have Fun!!! Guidelines for Performers
Performers must have fun!! Not having fun can earn you a nasty look
Performers must play Stringed Acoustic Instruments – such as guitar, banjo, mandolin, steel guitar, fiddle, dulcimer, etc. Electric instruments are not allowed.
You can also sing if you feel like that enhances your performance
We will provide a sound system, and all instruments must be played acoustically through the our microphones. We won’t let you use effects boxes or your own amp.
You can have backup musicians, however, the primary focus of your performance must be on you, and not the backup. You can use our backup band if you want, as long as the song(s) are fairly simple in structure and you provide chord charts.
You can participate as a duo, trio, or quartet. Larger groups will be allowed at the discretion of the judges and are subject to the logistical limitations of the venue (e.g., stage size, sound requirements, etc).
If you participate in a duo, trio or quartet, you will not be eligible to then perform on your own or in other groups (except as a backup).
Songs/tunes can be either traditional or modern, but must be in a traditional style, such as Folk, Bluegrass, Old-Time, Celtic, Blues, Country, Country Blues, etc. The judges will be the final arbiter of what is or is not allowed. No preference will be given to any style of playing over another.
You will be limited to two or, (if the number of signups allows) three songs/tunes. Your total time on stage will also be limited based on the number of registered performers. There is no minimum time.
We suggest performers select at least one high energy song/tune for their performance.
Registration……
…….. will begin at 6pm and close one-half hour after the showcase has begun, or when the registrar determines all slots are full. We’ll pull names from a hat to determine the order of performances.
Late signups- signups prior to the start of performances will be guaranteed a place in the showcase. Late signups will be placed at the end of the performance time and at the discretion of the organizers.
There is no registration fee for the showcase. However, performers and all visitors will need to pay fair admission fee ($5) to enter the fairgrounds.
JudgingPerformers will be judged based on a two major factors:
Presentation - The judges will be looking at how effective you are in bringing your songs/tunes to life. This is the entertainment value of the performance; the art of the performance. To do well in this category, make sure you put some life in your performance in non-musical ways such as interacting with the audience, moving, smiling, and basically, making the audience like you.
Musicianship – Good musicianship is an important part of your performance. The judges will be looking for you to show some uniqueness to your songs/tunes while still maintaining tone, intonation, rhythm, and timing. Your ability to drive your songs/tunes will be important.
Judging will be done in 2 rounds:
In Round 1, three local musicians will act as the initial judges, and, based on the above criteria, will select 3 finalists.
In Round 2, each of the three finalists will be asked to perform one more song, and the audience will be asked to determine a winner from the three.
If there is a tie, you may be asked to play one additional song/tune to resolve the tie. Prize$150 in total cash prizes will be awarded ($100 for first place and $25 to each of the other two finalists) at the conclusion of the contest. Winners must be present to collect their prizes.
