Conference Coordinators
Rick and Linda Custer
2026 Conference Links
Rick Custer writes:
Going forward, the Conferences will:
1. Focus on the overall education of accordionists, regardless of their musical skill levels.
Objective (and incentive for accordionist to come, participate, learn, and benefit) is to contribute to the success of the musician as they mature and publicly perform.
2. Train basic musical skills such as basic theory, building treble chords, building bass chords not built into the existing rows, playing by printed charts and by ear, sight reading, improvisation, and other basics. We would encourage physical development by using finger exercises.
3. Teach and briefly demonstrate successes in these areas, then give the musicians time to practice in an immediate follow-on session.
Musicians will have the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned in the classroom setting, an open-mic environment, with out any fear, nor condemnation.
Musical styles include – not necessarily in order of emphasis:
Western, Tejano, Conjunto, Country, Religious (sacred hymns and campfire type choruses), standards, ballads, movie soundtrack, polkas, and waltzes from different ethnicities, and dancing.
Workshop education topics – again not in order: basic theory, major and minor keys, chord construction, reading charts and benefits of learning how, playing by ear and benefits of learning how, expression, bellows control, fake books, negotiating performances, professional courtesies in band settings, and other classroom type topics.
Source: The Way We Operate
