Monthly Archives: October 2022

Even better than Halloween!

Posted on by
4

It’s one of the best holidays – Halloween.  What’s not to like? Little kids in adorable costumes! Your favorite candy – that terrible candy that you’d never admit to liking but is so good (candy corn? Smartees?)! Leaves to kick through! Cooler temps, breezes, sweaters, socks!  All the things!!

Well, I’ve found something even better.  I got to go to Shepherdstown WV and play the harp with little kids and bigger kids.  I spent a lovely morning with 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders and then with Pre-K and Kindergartners!  They had great questions – how long had I played? Had I ever played for anyone famous? Best of all, they really enjoyed getting to play the harp(sicle!).

No photos of course – they are little, and the internet can be a terrible place.  But there, in those schools, they were amazing and fun.  I was grateful for the opportunity to play for them!  Hopefully a couple of budding musicians will emerge.  Or, at a minimum, these children will continue to enjoy the magic of music for the rest of their lives!

I was also delighted to get to play a concert for some incredible people too!  They were a wonderful audience – they also asked great questions and were so interactive!  Special thanks to Judy for setting the entire experience up.  I’m so hopeful that they’ll invite me back again (hint hint 😊).

After I played, I was delighted to have a number of audience members come and give playing the harp a try – they were so game and fun.  Jen and I had a great time playing for her first time

I couldn’t ask for a better weekend!  Have you ever gotten to work with kids?  I’d love to hear about it!  How old were they? What did you do with them? Did you enjoy it? Let me know in the comments!

Sad

Posted on by
18

Recently, a harp friend told me that she was going to move along.  That she was done with the harp.  That she had completed what she set out to accomplish. And now that that’s done, it’s time to move on to something else.

I struggled for what to reply.  The concept of being done with playing the harp is an anathema to me.  I don’t get it.  What?

I wanted to argue.  She’s a good player.  She’s put in so much work.  So much time. So much money!

But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that arguing with her wasn’t the right tack.  After all, she knows her own mind.  If she’s done, she’s done.  No amount of my quizzing her to death would help.  And all those questions surely wouldn’t woo her back and might just push her farther away. 

I just needed to be sad.

Sad because I’m likely to lose a friend.  When your friendship is built on sharing music, will it survive without it?

Sad because the harp gives me such joy (while also being a challenge) that I can’t conceive of leaving it, yet I have to allow her to do just that.

Sad because I felt badly that, although I think she’s a fine harp player, she had evaluated her own harp life and found it lacking.

And I’m still hopeful that it’s just that she just needs a break and that she’ll come back to the harp – and her harp friends.  That she’ll miss playing and just sort of migrate back to it.  That the simple act of playing will remind her of the joys to be had. 

But if that’s not the case, I really hope that she finds something that is a balm to her like I find my harp is to me – in good times and bad, it’s there for me and I want my friend to have that too.  Even if it’s from doing something else.

Because it’s about her and her happiness – and satisfaction – with playing.  If that’s not happening, then she probably should move on. I don’t know what she’s going to do with her time now that she won’t be practicing, going to workshops, playing, and all the other things we do.  It’s a lot of time to fill.  I’m not sure that when we’re in the middle of it, we realize how much time we spend – sometimes it really is more time that we spend with other people (not that there’s anything wrong with that! 😉).

And although I’m sad about all this, I also fervently hope that she is not sad at all.  That her choice to move along is standing her in good stead and that she’s finding something that makes her heart sing.  I’ll get over it.  I’ll play my harp to do so.  Maybe I’ll feel compelled to write a tune about it. Or maybe I’ll just play things that we had played together – as a commemoration of sorts.

I know I shouldn’t be sad – things change.  And I’ll move past it.  But for now, I’m going to be just a little bit sad about it while wishing my friend all the best. 

How are you? Let me know in the comments!

Harp Day 2022

Posted on by
Reply

Harp Day 2022 was presented by Harp Ireland (Cruit Éireann in Irish) which is an Irish charitable organization established in 2016 by a bunch of harpers with a good plan!  They focus on promoting the instrument and its music while attracting more performers and audiences.  They have been busy!

Harp Day 2022 was this weekend with the theme – Harp Together.  It’s one of those activities that makes participation in their activities more accessible to all of us, around the world.  It’s not a hardship – after all Irish music (and Irish culture) is loved around the globe!  And if there’s one thing we learned over the last couple of years – we have enjoy getting together via whatever means is available to us.  I liked what they had on their website about it:

For the sixth year in a row, Irish harpers extend a warm invitation to harpers everywhere to join with them in celebrating the 1000-year-old Irish harping tradition, which is recognised on UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Now you can catch up with all the good stuff.  Harp Ireland has put loads of good stuff online, freely available. 

It was exciting to make a video to be a part of the celebration.  A group of us was gathered for something completely different but decided it would be fun – so we did it!  I was delighted to be playing with Sue Richards, Therese Honey, Donna Bennett, and Martha Hill and we had a hoot playing an American tune – Sandy Boys.  You can see it here, at 1:02:23 – but definitely watch the whole thing.  There are four videos so pace yourself! You can find all the videos here.

I think my favorite part of the finished product – beyond the fun of watching some incredible harping – is that they also put together an interactive map so you can see where everyone was coming from.  Since we made the video in North Carolina, we are represented there even though we’re from around the US.  It’s delightful to see everyone in their locations https://www.harpireland.ie/interactive-map/

Hope you enjoy it – we sure did.  If you want more information about Harp Ireland you can find it here.

Did you participate in Harp Day 2022?  How many people do you know that are in the videos?  Let me know in the comments!

Celebrate!

Posted on by
2

I got to be at the Scotland Connecticut Highland Games this weekend – and I had a fantastic time!  There were loads of harpers there and we got to spend the entire day doing harp-y things.  As usual – although I promised myself that I’d take loads of pictures – at the end of the day, I fell asleep that night thinking, “oh phooey, I never took my camera out!” (again). 

One of the things I enjoyed so much about being there was the wonderful energy that everyone brought.  Some people came to compete again.  Some came to compete for the first time.  Some came to be part of the group, enjoy the time, learn a tune, and share in a beautiful event. All that good stuff got me thinking about our harps events as the celebrations they are.

Celebrations?  Yes – we really were celebrating nearly continuously – we learned, we played, we shared music – all of those are celebrations of sorts.  But we don’t normally think about it like that – and we probably should.  We make advances (large and small) each day that we get to spend time at the harp.  We need to find a way to celebrate each of those achievements! 

What kind of achievements do I mean?  Well, how about:

  • Learned a new tune
  • F-i-n-a-l-l-y got a technique element we were learning (or we “ironed it out”)
  • Practiced one hundred days in a row
  • Or, practiced five days this week
  • Remembered to trim our nails – before we started practicing!
  • Accomplished all our weekly practice goals
  • Performed in public (for the first time?)
  • Conquered a tune that had been resisting being played (or am I the only one that sometimes feels like that?)
  • Actually remembered to use dynamics while playing

So, how should we celebrate? How about:

  • Tell your closest “harp friend”
  • Play a fanfare to your success…on your kazoo
  • Post a video to Facedegram
  • Make yourself a sticker chart (like when you were a kid)
  • Wear a tiara or crown while practicing the next day
  • Have a cookie!
  • Go to a harp event (and have a great time)

It doesn’t really matter how you celebrate – as long as you DO celebrate your little wins.  It will help keep you motivated and remind you that you get to play the harp!  What could be better than that?   

I am sure you have more/better achievements!  What would you like to celebrate?  What would you choose as your reward?  Let me know in the comments!

Composition Competition!

Posted on by
2

You know how I’m always encouraging you to improvise and to try composing? I know some of you are reluctant to agree with me.  And believe me, I get it!  I spent a great deal of time telling myself all kinds of stuff:

I can’t do this

Even if I did do it, it would be garbage

No one will like it, not even my mother

But eventually I did start up and keep at it.  And I’m still bashing away at making music for myself and for others.  Do I suffer from comparisons?  Of course!  Do I still find every flaw? Obviously!  And do I do it anyway? Darn tootin’!

So, I’m excited to pass along that the Scottish Harp Society of America just announced a tune writing competition to celebrate it’s 40th Anniversary!  It’s hard to believe that since 1982 SHSA has been around, encouraging people to play Scottish music on the harp.  So, what an excellent way to celebrate than by adding to the music and sharing it with others?

The theme for the tune writing competition entry is “Celebrate SHSA!”  The judges are all noted composers, arrangers and performers including Corrina Hewat, Jo Morrison, and Martha Hill.  Entries should be a piece for solo harp (of course!).  There are some rules and guidelines you should follow and you can find them on the SHSA Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/ScottishHarpSocietyofAmerica

Entries are due 1 November so there’s plenty of time to create something wonderful and perfect for the harp.  And there’s a prize – $500 for the winning entry.  So it’s worth reading the rules and getting started!

If you’ve not composed before (or if you’re feeling a little faint at the idea of writing a tune) here are some tips to help you get going:

1. Give yourself some quiet time – it’s hard to hear the music inside you if all around the outside you is noisy!

2. Give yourself some more quiet time – it’s hard to hear the music inside you if inside you is noisy!

3. Use your trusty recorder – just sit behind your harp and play the strings.  Let your hands wander.  If you hit on an idea you like, explore it.  Don’t be afraid to make mistakes – there’s nothing there yet, so it can’t be wrong and it’s a “throw away” recording to be used only to capture ideas and then pitch out.

4. Be your own safe space – tell your inner critic/harridan to take five and give you a minute.  Of course it’s not great yet – you’re just getting started!  It will shape up as you develop it.  And you don’t need that kind of negativity anyway!

5. Change things up – if you only come up with stuff you don’t like, change it.  Change the key you’re in.  Or change the mode.  Or randomly set levers and see what you get.

6. Don’t forget to laugh – you’re meant to be having fun, so have some laughs (probably at your own expense, but so what).

7. Start over and over again.  I can’t tell you how many ideas I have come up with that were just pointless.  Or variations of the same great idea I had before.  No worries, you’re endlessly creative, you just might not know it yet.  Just start!

8.  Be like a “real” writer (or composer).  You’ve probably heard it said that everyone has a novel in them, but a real writer actually does the work to put it on paper!  Don’t just think about it. Allocate some of your practice time each day to generating ideas (and capture them). Once you’ve got a little traction, you can put the ideas together to make a tune.

You have it in you! You can do it!  And it’s wonderful to celebrate a momentous event like 40 years of shared love of Scottish harp music.

Are you going to give it a go?  I’d love to hear about it – whether you enter the competition or not.  Let me know – compose a comment!