About OTSMA

The Old Town Saginaw Music Association (OTSMA) is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting traditional acoustic music and related arts in the greater Saginaw area (now known as the "Great Lakes Bay Region").

OTSMA was formed in February of 2003 by local musicians and other members of the community in Saginaw, MI, who love music and think people should enjoy making music as well as listening to it. Those founding members saw the need for a grassroots effort to keep traditional musical styles alive in the region. OTSMA members and the larger community are now benefiting from that founding vision.
We encourage people of all ages to come out and join in the fun of making music.

A little OTSMA history:
Initially, we got together in public places a couple times a month for "round robin" jam sessions. We began been meeting at Fuzzy’s Ice Cream Parlor on Court Street in Saginaw, then held open mic sessions at the Jerome School, then at a school in Zilwaukee, then at the White Crow Conservatory, and have met regularly for basement sessions at various churches. We have bounced around from here to there as members have arranged for the various performance and jam locations. We are presently holding regular Tuesday evening sessions in the basement of the First Presbyterian Church, in Saginaw, MI. They have a great music program there and have graciously allowed us the use of their facilities. See our Calendar of Upcoming OTSMA Events for current information.

The Saginaw River Log Jam:
Beginning in June of 2005 we began to take live music into senior care facilities and other elderly residences, as well as other public venues. We continue to do that today, and rotate the location so that we cover as many places as we can within our area. For these performances, we are presently calling ourselves the “Saginaw River Log Jam”. We ask that elder-care residence managers, or folks with family or friends who live in an elder-care residence please contact us if you would like to see a residence included on our “Saginaw River Log Jam” circuit.

Other public events:
OTSMA schedules various other kinds of public events, indoors and out of doors. Sometimes we are in a park, somtimes in a coffee shop, or are the entertainment for a fundraiser, or are singing children's songs at a children's museum, etc. These OTSMA events have varied formats and standards for performance, depending on the venue. Sometimes OTSMA sponsors public events where you can enjoy well-rehearsed performances by some of OTMSA's most expeienced performers. More often, our events are a combination of "open mic" sessions, intermixed with periods of open-format "round robin" sessions. Sometimes the "Saginaw River Log Jam" performs a rehearsed and planned-in-advance set, other times the Log Jam is more casual and is built entirely around a "round robin" format. It takes all kinds of events to accomplish OTSMA's mission, and to offer opportunities for musicians at all skill levels to enjoy jamming, rehearsing and performing. We are always looking for new opportunities.

What we do on Tuesdays:
OTSMA Tuesday evening sessions consist of members of OTSMA who get together to make music, simply for the pure love of making music. The number of musicians at these events varies from 10 up to 25, and we are an ever-changing and dynamic ensemble.

These sessions take the form of a "round robin" session, where we sit around a circle, and form a spontaneous ensemble of whoever is there, with guitars, basses, fiddles, mandolins, bouzoukis, dobros, banjos, drums, bodhrans, pipes, whistles, ukeleles, harmonicas, kazoos, etc. The musicians range in skill from beginners to professionals with extenseive performance backgrounds. There is often a lot of sharing going on, sharing of musical techniques, tips on how to make the music sound good, etc. One can see a lot of growing going on at these Tuesday evenings, and that goes for folks at avery level.

We never know in advance exactly what will happen on a Tuesday evening. We never know exactly what tunes we will be playing. We do have some favorite tunes we love to play, and therefor play often, but the repertoire keeps changing, as people bring in new favorites every week. It is really true to say that every session is a new experience.

If you like family sing-alongs around the piano or campfire, accompanied by good instrumental skills, covering a wide ranging repertoire, then OTSMA Tuesday evening sessions are for you. EVERONE IS WELCOME. You can take a turn leading a tune. Or you can follow. You can play along or sing along. Or you can just tap your toes and enjoy the experience.

Membership:
We warmly welcome anyone, young and old, who enjoys playing or listening to a variety of traditional music. All levels of skill are welcome. Just bring your favorite songs, your instruments, your voices and your ears. And if you wish, you can become a member of OTSMA.

Styles and Musical Influences:
Music played at OTSMA sessions has included celtic, bluegrass, blues, gospel, cajun, zydeco, chanty, children’s songs, and folk ballads, and more, including old favorites from pop, country, folk-rock, alternative and reggae, all played on acoustic instruments (including some that need minor amplification, such as electronic keyboards, finger-style guitars, acoustic bass guitars, etc.). Some members perform original songs. Other members keep us well rooted with their knowledge of traditional musical forms.

Team, if you want links updated or items added to this page,
please click this link to send