As my fellow chapter member Andy voiced, we have a dedicated leader here in Tampa.
We also have many different musicians and songwriters who play and write at different levels. I think everyone needs to ask themselves what do I want from JPF and music in general. With few exceptions most can not go it alone in this industry without help from other players, writers, etc. I have watched this chapter grow and network and I believe it's because we have learned to like each other and share our abilities. We have more people helping each other on their songs than we can keep track of. Many were hesitant at first to share the stage, consider a re-write, play back-up for someone else. Now we do it all the time. Our JPF backing band stays very busy learning each others music.
We didn't say from the get go "what's in this for me", however, we found there is alot in this for me. Getting to know each other takes time. When that happens, networking and support for each other grows at an astounding rate. I personnally know at least 20 or more songs of our members and several of our members know that many and more. We back each other up for many occasions outside the meetings and showcases all of which would not have been possible had we not spent the time to know each other. When we get lax in that department our leader Al knows what buttons to push. As Andy said we can improve more in our meetings by spending less time playing and more speakers, etc. I do think the showcase brought us together in the first place and keeps us growing. The greatest gift you can give someone is your time.
Dan