Frederick Acoustic Music Enterprise

The purposes of Frederick Acoustic Music Enterprise are:

1. To nurture, promote and preserve original and traditional acoustic music of all genres in Frederick and Frederick County through live music, education, and community outreach;

2. To educate aspiring musicians and the general public about all aspects of original and traditional acoustic music of all genres via workshops, open mics, showcases, and concerts;

3. To reach out to the community via workshops and concerts, especially through schools and youth organizations, and the setting up of mentoring opportunities for young and aspiring acoustic musicians.

Our vision is to include ALL forms of acoustic music including (but not limited to) bluegrass, Celtic, traditional, singer/songwriter, gospel, a capella, choral, classical, jazz, children’s, – in short, anything that does not require amplification!  We are not averse to electric/electronic music – some of our members play that as well!  We feel that acoustic music is often overlooked, short-changed, or down-played in our community.  Therefore, we are focused on acoustic music, recognizing it as part of a larger tapestry of music that energizes our community.

F.A.M.E. was started on July 14, 2010.  Rick Hill, a newcomer to the Frederick area, gathered several other singer/songwriters to talk about ways that we might organize ourselves to promote and encourage acoustic music in the Frederick County area. Meeting at the Frederick Coffee Company, Todd Walker, Tomy Wright, Ron Goad, and Rod Deacy, along with Rick, came up with the concept of an umbrella organization that would benefit acoustic performers, venues, and folks who just loved the music.  The emphasis would be on acoustic music since that is what we all played.

We wanted to have an educational component to that concept so that newcomers could learn more about the music and the instruments.  We developed the idea of presenting workshops using the talents of Frederick area musicians.

It took a few years, but we finally got our 501(c)(3) status, so we are an official tax-exempt non-profit.