Registration Information and Instructions

To register for workshops, concert tickets, housing, RV camping, and meals, please read the information below and follow the instructions on the Registration Forms PDF.

For more information about housing and meals at Zimfest, see Housing and Meals.

Summary of Fees

  • Afternoon concerts and the marketplace are free. There are no tickets or registration; just show up.
  • There is no ticket for the whole festival. You need to register separately for workshops, evening concerts, housing, and meals.
  • Workshops cost $13.00 per hour and require registration — except presentations, which are offered by donation and without registration.
  • Teacher Track workshop students must also pay a $25 materials fee.
  • Evening concert tickets:
          Purchased before the festival:
               $12 for each concert ($6 children 6–12)
               $30 for all three concerts ($15 children 6–12)
          Purchased during the festival:
               $15 for each concert ($6 children 6–12)
               $35 for all three concerts ($15 children 6–12)
          Children 5 and under are free
  • There is a $10 festival registration fee (not required if purchasing concert tickets only).
  • If you pay online by credit card, a 3% surcharge will be added. (There is no surcharge if you mail us your payment, but we cannot accept credit card payments through the mail.)
  • We ask all festival participants to volunteer at least two hours during the festival.

General Registration Information

You may register by mail or online. If you register by mail, please include payment along with your registration. If you register online, you can pay by credit card (online only) or by mailing in your payment. All payments must be in US funds.

Before you choose your workshops, be sure to read the information about Participant Skill Levels below. Out of courtesy to the teachers and other class participants, please do not sign up for any workshop that is beyond your skill level.

When registering for a workshop, you may list a second choice for each workshop. If you don’t get your first choice in the workshop lottery, you usually will get your second choice. When registering for Intensives, please fill in both time slots that the class meets.

A randomized workshop lottery will be run to ensure that everyone has an equal chance to receive their first or second choices. Several days after the lottery, registration will reopen and participants may continue to register for open workshops. You may make changes (add or drop workshops) as many times as you wish until registration closes. However, payment for workshops must be received by the close of registration in order to remain registered for those workshops.

If you do not get into a workshop for which you have registered and paid, you will receive credit that may be used towards another workshop. You may do this while pre-registration is still open (see Important Dates below) or at the festival. You may also request a refund of any unused credit.

Teacher Track Registration Information

The Teacher Track program is designed for public, private, or independent school music teachers who are:

  • currently teaching Zimbabwean or Zimbabwean-inspired marimba music in their schools
  • currently teaching Orff instruments within their schools and would like to explore Zimbabwean marimba repertoire for their programs
  • interested in establishing a marimba program within their schools
CLOCK HOURS/ACADEMIC CREDIT

Zimfest will offer registered Teacher Track participants clock hours through the Washington Music Educators Association (WMEA). In lieu of clock hours, Zimfest will offer academic credit through Western Washington University. There will be options for variable clock hours or variable academic credit to allow teachers to choose workshops and concerts within both the Teacher Track and the general Zimfest workshop selection so that they can find the best fit for their interests and classroom needs.

Required elements for all Teacher Track participants include participation in workshops, attendance at concerts, as well as some pre-reading (mailed to participants) and listening assignments to set the cultural context for this music. The Friday morning workshop Cultural and Teaching Context is required for all teachers seeking either credits or clock hours. Those applying for academic credit will also be required to write a short reflective paper or lesson plan addressing how they might use what they learn at Zimfest 2008 in their classrooms.

PLEASE NOTE: Information on enrolling in the Teacher Track program for academic credit or clock hours will be forthcoming. We are waiting to finalize the costs, number of clock hours, and number of academic credits offered. Check the Corrections & Changes and Teacher Track web pages for updates. For additional questions, contact our Teacher Track Coordinator at teachertrack [at] zimfest {dot} org.

Important Dates

  • April 18: All mailed-in forms and payments must be postmarked by this date to be included in the workshop lottery.
  • April 23: All online registrations and payments must be completed by this date to be included in the workshop lottery.
  • April 24: Workshop lottery will run.
  • Beginning of May: Everyone whose registration was included in the lottery will receive an e-mail or mailed registration confirmation showing their workshop schedule and other items registered for (housing, RV camping, meals, concerts).
  • June 9: Mailed-in payments for housing and meals must be postmarked by this date to be processed before the June 14 deadline.
  • June 14: Registration will close for housing, RV camping, and meals. All payments must be received by this date or your housing and meals reservations will be canceled.
  • June 17: Mailed-in registrations for workshops and concerts must be postmarked by this date to be processed before the festival.
  • June 23: Online registration for workshops and concerts will close at midnight.
  • June 24: Payment for all workshops must be received by this date or your workshop registration will be canceled.
  • June 24 to July 2: Registration will be closed. Everyone who has registered either by mail (postmarked by June 17) or online (completed by June 23) will receive a final registration confirmation showing their workshop schedule and other items registered for.
  • July 3 to July 6: Zimfest! Registration will be open every day (see the Daily Schedule for times). When you arrive at Zimfest, please check in at Registration to receive your packet.

Workshop Change and Cancellation Policies

No cancellations or changes to workshops are allowed at Zimfest. (The only exception is when the workshop teacher or content of the class has changed.) However, participants may add workshops and pay the additional fee or use credit that they have in their Zimfest account.

Workshop substitutions will only be allowed through trading with other workshop registrants. An informal “workshop swap” request sheet will be kept at Festival Registration.

Zimfest reserves the right to cancel any workshop that does not have enough participants. Those who are registered for cancelled workshops will be offered the opportunity to enroll in other open workshops or to apply for a refund.

Festival Refund Policies

Cancellation Refunds: If you have registered and are unable to attend Zimfest 2008, refund requests for workshops will be accepted NO LATER than June 23 unless there are extenuating circumstances. Refund checks, minus a $25 administrative fee (in US funds), will be sent several weeks after the festival. Payment for meal plans may be refunded only if requested before June 14.

Workshop Refunds: There will be refund request forms and a box at the Registration area during the festival. If you choose to mail in your refund request, it must be postmarked by July 14 in order to be processed. Checks will be mailed several weeks after Zimfest. You may also choose to donate your credit to Zimfest 2008 (tax deductible).

Online Registration Instructions

  • On this web site, click a link to Online Registration. Follow the instructions to create your user name and password. If you’ve registered for previous Zimfests, your user name should still be in the system.
  • After you are logged in, the online system will allow you to control your registration choices for workshops, housing (dorms or RV camping), meals, and concert tickets. Follow the links for each section of the registration process.
  • Please go to the volunteer page and check the volunteer jobs that you are interested in. We ask all festival participants to donate at least two hours during the festival.
  • If you are interested in child care, fill out that section.
  • Please consider making a donation to sponsor one of the Zimbabwean teachers at the festival.
  • Online payments can be made with a credit card using PayPal (PayPal charges 3% for this service). If you choose to pay by check or money order, include a Payment Voucher. All Zimfest payments must be in US funds.
  • If you make any changes to your registration after the lottery and you owe additional money, the extra payments must be postmarked by June 17 if mailed in or completed by June 23 if using PayPal.
  • Please be aware of payment deadlines (see Important Dates above) to ensure that your registration for workshops, housing, and meals is not canceled due to lack of payment.

Mailed-In Registration Instructions

  • Print the Registration Forms PDF. (The PDF also includes these instructions.)
  • Fill out Workshop Registration Form A (one form per person, please).
  • If you are registering for Teacher Track workshops, fill out Teacher Track Registration Form A1 instead of Workshop Registration Form A.
  • Fill out Housing and Meals Reservations Form B if you want on-campus housing (dorms or RV camping) and/or meals. Payment for housing and meal reservations must be postmarked by June 9.
  • On Volunteer Sign-Up Form C, check volunteer jobs that you are interested in. We ask that all festival participants volunteer a minimum of two hours during the festival.
  • If you are interested in child care, fill out that section.
  • Fill out Registration Payments Form D. Include the Festival Registration fee of $10 per person (children under 5 are free) unless you are only purchasing concert tickets.
  • Please consider making a donation to sponsor one of the Zimbabwean teachers at the festival.
  • Double check all figures and total the amount (US funds only).
  • Mail all forms and payments to Zimfest 2008, P.O. Box 30037, Bellingham, WA 98228-3037, USA.
  • Please be aware of payment deadlines (see Important Dates above) to ensure that your registration for workshops, housing, and meals is not canceled due to lack of payment.

Teacher Track Registration Instructions

  • To register for Teacher Track workshops by mail, fill out Teacher Track Registration Form A1 instead of Workshop Registration Form A. To register online, follow the Online Registration Instructions above.
  • All participants in the Teacher Track program must register for the Session #1 Teacher Track workshop on Friday morning. For all other sessions, you may pick a Teacher Track or a regular Zimfest workshop.
  • To determine program requirements and register for clock hours or academic credit, follow the links in online registration.
  • To complete the registration process (housing, meals, volunteer sign-up, concert tickets, and registration payments), follow the Online Registration and Mailed-In Registration instructions on this page.
  • NOTE: All Teacher Track participants must pay a $25 Materials fee to Zimfest 2008 (included on Registration Payments Form D).

Participant Skill Levels

Signing up for a workshop that is beyond your level creates major problems for the teacher and the other students. When choosing your classes, please refer to the following guidelines.

Introductory/Beginning: Appropriate for those who have never touched the instrument through those who have studied less than one year.

Advanced Beginning: Those who have played the instrument for at least one year. For marimba, can play a couple of parts on at least five songs. For mbira, can play at least two songs.

Intermediate: Those who have played at least three years, have good technique, can catch cues and understand how to move through sections, and understand the rhythm, form, and structure of the pieces. For marimba, can play a few parts on at least 10 pieces. For mbira, know at least five songs and can play in both the kushaura and kutsinhira positions.

Advanced: Those who meet the intermediate criteria, PLUS learn quickly, are comfortable playing fast, have a strong sense of rhythm, and have played for at least three years at performance level. For marimba, understand concepts such as kushaura and kutsinhira. For mbira, know both kushaura and kutsinhira parts to 10 songs, can play confidently in both positions on each song, and can learn a kushaura and kutsinhira part in one workshop.

How to Contact Zimfest 2008

(You will need to put together the pieces of the following email addresses. We’re taking this measure to reduce the amount of spam we receive.)

General questions by e-mail: 2008 [at] zimfest {dot} org
Registration questions (workshops, meals, etc.): registration [at] zimfest {dot} org
Housing questions: housing [at] zimfest {dot} org
Volunteer questions: volunteers [at] zimfest {dot} org
Marketplace questions: marketplace [at] zimfest {dot} org
Concert questions: concerts [at] zimfest {dot} org
Prefest questions: prefest [at] zimfest {dot} org
Teacher Track questions: teachertrack [at] zimfest {dot} org
Zimbabwean Guest Coordinator: zimbabweans [at] zimfest {dot} org
MySpace: www.myspace.com/zimfestus
Phone messages: 360-321-2075
Postal Address: Zimfest 2008, P.O. Box 30037, Bellingham, WA 98228-3037, USA