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Welcome to Donate to Clarence's Cajun Accordion Loan Program |
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Hi, this is Clarence the Cajun DJ in Baton Rouge and www.cajunradio.org About "Clarence's Cajun Accordion Loan" Program In an attempt to pass our Cajun music heritage to the next generation, Clarence has been running "Clarence's Cajun Accordion Loan Program". An accordion is loaned free of charge to anyone in the Baton Rouge, Louisiana area for 3 months at a time. Due to a backlog of people wanting to loan an accordion, preference is given to college age persons in the Baton Rouge area since they usually have the hardest time affording one. Please contact Clarence the Cajun DJ in Baton Rouge to participate in the loan program by sending an email to me at cajunclarence [type the at sign] gmail.com Cajun instruments available for Loan: 1) A "Michot" brand handmade in Louisiana cajun accordion (currently loaned to Mark L.) 2) Fiddle #1 (currently loaned to Johnny L.) 3) Fiddle #2 (currently loaned to Glenn L.) 4) A cheaper chinese produced Hohner Cajun Accordion which is harder to play (currently used for "Clarence's cajun music for kid's program" during the spring festivals) 5) Hopefully, another handmade in Louisiana cajun accordion soon... Learning Aids: I host a monthly cajun jam session at my house that any aspiring cajun musicians are welcome to attend. Also, I have some "learn to play cajun accordion" videos and you can also search "cajun accordion" on youtube for lessons. There are also individuals in the Baton Rouge area that teach the cajun accordion one on one. View bands playing Baton Rouge Cajun Dance Schedule. View a complete list of cajun jam sessions in South Louisiana at Cajun Musician Practice Jams. You can view the list of cajun accordion builders at Cajun Accordion Builders. How you can help: 1) Consider making a money contribution. Any financial contribution will be used to buy another handmade cajun accordion to be loaned out. Since a good quality cajun accordion can run from $1600 to $2500, many people would like to try out a good one for a few months before investing in one. I have a backlog of people who are on the waiting list to borrow one, so I would like to get a second one to loan out. People who know me, know that this does not benefit me personally and that I have contributed many thousands of hours over the years to promote our unique culture and music. A financial donation towards the purchase of another loaner accordion combined with my networking in the cajun community would be a great way for grassroots cultural efforts to succeed. To make a contribution, please click the donate button on the right section of this webpage. I can be contacted at cajunclarence [type the at sign] gmail.com 2) Have a cajun accordion you would like to donate to the cause? Maybe you have one and gave up on learning it. Or, perhaps you inherited one from a relative that you would like to pass on to further future generations of cajun accordion players. Please send an email to me at cajunclarence [type the at sign] gmail.com and I will contact you to set up the donation. 3) Do you build cajun accordions and would like to donate one of your accordions to the cause? Please send an email to me at cajunclarence [type the at sign] gmail.com and I will contact you to set up the donation. Additional details Once enough donations are made, I will purchase an accordion and loan it out to persons wanting to play the cajun accordion. I will not personally benefit from donations. All money will be applied to the effort. For those of you who know me, you know that I do this out of love for our cajun music, culture and heritage. By day, I am a computer programmer and the radio show, website and cajun activities are non-paid hobbies of mine. Together, we can help create the next generation of cajun musicians in south Louisiana, but I need your help to make it work. Background on Clarence's Cajun Music Activities: Clarence the Cajun DJ has been hosting the free "Clarence's Cajun Music For Kids" event at various festivals and events. I bring my cajun accordions, fiddles, froittoir (washboard) and triangles for the kids to try out and have fun making a lot of noise cajun style. This is always a popular event and it helps to get the younger generation involved with the music. I also host a weekly cajun radio show in Baton Rouge Louisiana as a non-paid DJ and I host a community service website at www.cajunradio.org Additionally, I host cajun music jam sessions and serve as a community networking person for the cajun culture. Hopefully every little bit of effort will contribute to keeping our music alive for future generations! Merci beaucoup cher! :) Clarence the cajun DJ. email to: cajunclarence [type the at sign] gmail.com This is located at www.cajunradio.org/donatecajunaccordions.html |