Convention Coordinator

Convention Links

• 2024 Daily Schedule and Floor Plan
• 2024 Hotel/Convention Registrations
• 2024 Daily Workshops
• 2024 Music and Handout Materials
• 2024 Evening Concerts
Vendor and Dealer Information

Rick Custer writes:
Going forward, the conventions 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.

Students need to have familiarity with the instrument itself: posture, straps, etc.

3. Teach and briefly demonstrate successes in these areas, then give the conventioneers time to practice in an immediate follow-on session.

Conventioneers 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:

Tejano – Conjunto, Country, Religious (sacred hymns and campfire type choruses), standards, ballads and movie soundtrack, polkas, and waltzes from different ethnicities (including sounds of Alex Meixner), and line 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

2024 National Accordion Convention Party

2024 Convention Planning Team Members:

Norman Seaton, Sharon Seaton, Rick Custer (Chair), Gordon Kohl, Elijah Clements, with Jim Rommel and Tom Jordan serving as advisors.

2024 Presenters

Dick Albreski, Barbara and Dick, Mary K Archuleta, Bob Basciglia, Lori Brooke, Elijah Clements, Mary Ann Covone, Max Frauenthal, Dr. Ian Fries, Roy Helsing, Gordon Kohl, Alex Meixner, Sharon Seaton, and Mitch White.