OSAS 45th Anniversary

Posted on June 26, 2023 by Jen

OSAS has started for the 45th year! It’s a very exciting time and I’m thrilled some of you are here! It is such a pleasure to be teaching with Corrina Hewat, Haley Hewitt, and Allison Miller! And it might go without saying what a privilege it is to teach such fun, motivated, engaged and engaging students!

As usual, I have taken no photos, but Therese Honey has graciously shared some she took today. Now to be fair, we’ve only been at it for one day, so maybe I’ll have more later. But you know me – I’d rather be playing and laughing then taking pictures – so maybe not.

Here are the classes – and we’re just getting started!

The Novices might be small, but they are mighty!

Apprentices take on the tunes…

Journeymen are expanding their horizons….and their repertoires.

Masters are always ready to take on another tune!

It is not possible to ask for a better group of people to teach with.

I am so very lucky to do this work. If you are even slightly waffling about coming next year – just do!

Getting back to OSAS…Finally!

Posted on July 11, 2022 by Jen

Eventually, scientists will prove that each day of a covid year is longer than a normal day and that each covid year is multiplicatively longer than a regular year. Until then, let’s just say that it was amazingly wonderful to be together for Ohio Scottish Arts School this year!

After two years online (in and of itself enough of a feat), it really was brilliant to be together making music, seeing old friends, making new friends, hearing pipers piping (especially at 7am!), drummers drumming, fiddlers fiddling, having snacks in the evening, playing (and winning!!!!) silly games, being cared for by Thistles – the whole sheebang! Wow was it great to be back!

Our new “home” has similar but different interesting architecture – perfect to explore.

Better still, we f-i-n-a-l-l-y got to move to our new “home” at Baldwin-Wallace University. We have a whole new world to explore – to find the nearest and best ice cream, to acquire the closest coffee, to spot the special architecture, and to suss out the mind-clearing walks – and boy, did we!

Although we’re not very far from our old home, everything is different in Berea

As usual, I was fairly busy being in the moment, but I did do my best to take some photos. I was just delighted to not be doing screen captures – and this year the OSAS photo is a real photo of all of us, together and laughing – having fun.

We revived some previous activities including learning to waulk fabric and sing the work songs with Seumas (and later weave that fabric into a beautiful cloth we could share. We held tight to some traditions – like Tuesday Tea. We thought we saw Nessie but it was just a stick.

I cannot thank my consociate teachers – Corrina Hewat, Sharon Knowles and Seumas Gagne – enough. They did heroic work being amazing musicians, phenomenal teachers, and acrobatically flexible. We even had captivating artwork for our lesson day when Corrina illustrated our names on the signup board.

And everyone together made the week into a bumper sticker –

If you were at OSAS this summer – let me know what you liked best in the comments (but for complaints, send me a private email ). If you weren’t there – I hope you’ll join us next summer!

What Will You Do on Your Summer Staycation?

Posted on April 19, 2021 by Jen

With all this pandemic-ing going on and on and on, it’s easy to let planning for summer to fall out of your head. But that would be a mistake! While not everything will be happening this summer, there is a not-to-be-missed harp event that I would commend to you –

The Ohio Scottish Arts School will be online again this summer!

Now, you might think that it might not be as fulfilling as the in-person experience. You’d be wrong. Ask last year’s attendees – we did many of the same things we do when we’re in person. There were notable exceptions, but these were slightly ameliorated by being things we would have had to replace anyway.

Why would we need to replace things anyway? Because next year (fingers crossed) we will be in our new location at Baldwin Wallace University. We are very much looking forward to this change…and not just because it is air conditioned against those June-in-Ohio heatwaves! We will have to find new things to replace singing under the tree, wandering Gibson’s and the Ben Franklin, and going to the Bead Shop. And we will – we will have a new place to explore and enjoy!

But first – this summer.

This summer we have are so fortunate to have an amazing collection of teachers. Rachel Hair and Rachel Clemente will be with us again. And I’m so excited that we will also be joined by Sharon Knowles too! Oh, and me!

We are all excited about seeing everyone from near and far. We were so excited to have students from as far away as Europe but we can try to break that distance record! We’ll be like the Brady Bunch again with happy faces in small windows. And the tunes we’ll be teaching – Ace! (as we have learned to say from Rachel Hair). We will have teaching sessions and lecture sessions and fun sessions. There will also be opportunities to learn from the other arts (Pipes, Drums, Fiddles, and Dance). The evening activities will include the Instructor Concert as well as some new goodies the Thistle Family are cooking up. And – we will get to start each day as we traditionally have – with the piper!

If you’ve not been to OSAS, you have missed a treat! But you can fix that! OSAS is intended to provide students with comprehensive instruction in their chosen traditional art – Harp in our case. All the instructors in each art are nationally and internationally recognized. You will learn theory, skills and technique, and new material.

You do not need to be a significantly accomplished harper, but OSAS is not pitched to rank beginners – you should have some knowledge of harping. However, if you are comfortable learning and playing, come join us!

OSAS will be Monday, June 28 – Friday, July 2. Registration is now open – go to https://ohioscottishartsschool.com for all the details.

Please note that the class sizes are limited, and registration closes June 11^th. Don’t delay – get your spot! We were pretty full last summer. Have harp specific questions? Planning to be there this summer? Let me know you’re coming in the comments below.

OSAS is here! OSAS is here!

Posted on June 29, 2020 by Jen

This has been a year of upheaval and I know many of us are feeling it keenly! But we’ve all mustered on, doing what we can – for ourselves and for others – trying to live in what is laughingly called the “new normal” rather than being dragged down by “what might have been”.

I LOVE the Ohio Scottish Arts School! It has been pivotal in my life as a musician and as a person – some of my dearest friendships have grown from this one week in the summer. In addition, I probably wouldn’t be playing the harp at all if I hadn’t found OSAS. I am not exaggerating – as much as I love orchestral music (and the harp for that matter), I am confident I would not have endured playing solely from that repertoire. OSAS helped point me in the right direction and I haven’t looked back!

And I LOVE teaching at OSAS, so I was excited to be doing so again this summer! But when the pall spread across the earth, I was sad that we would all miss out on it. The fun. The friends. The great students. The great tunes. Sigh.

Enter the Virtual Ohio Scottish Arts School! When the decision was made to go virtual, I was delighted and excited! (but you knew that from my earlier post). Virtual OSAS – a new twist for slightly twisted times!

We had meetings to figure out how we were going to do this.

And we kept saying, “It’ll be great. It’ll be easy. It’ll be fine”, and Debbie Doty – our beloved director, leader, Mom would agree, while making this face:

But we kept planning and we kept preparing and we worried (a little) that people wouldn’t come. But we pushed on, learning how to Zoom, polishing up our tunes to share, working together to figure out how everything would work together. You know, being the OSAS family!

OSAS Alumnae who are known for their hi-jinks and wicked senses of humor made thoughtful, heartfelt testimonials to encourage previous students to return and potential students to come along. And come along they did. Being virtual means that people who previously couldn’t get to Ohio can be a part of the week! And many students from previous years are also coming! So exciting! Even more exciting? The Harp Class filled before the registration deadline hit!

HARPHARPHARPHARP!

This week, OSAS will go on. We’ll be TogetherApart – playing our harps, sharing great tunes, learning, and laughing – social distancing by entire continents or oceans!

And looking forward to having a whole set of new tunes to play together when we can be together.

We’ll still be having our Tea –

And enjoying many of the traditions that help make OSAS the event we love!

I am confident that, as usual, I’ll be busy being there and won’t take nearly enough pictures (screenshots?) to share here – but we’ll see what comes of it. If you’re going to be there – yea! Can’t wait to see you and catch up. And if you’ve missed out, it’s not too early to start planning for 2021… OSAS is always the last week of June running up to the 4^th July holiday (in 2021, that will be 26 June – 2 July….go put it on your calendar now, because you don’t want to miss out twice in a row, do you?).

* All photos ripped from the OSAS website

OSAS 2020 is coming!!

Posted on June 1, 2020 by Jen

If you’ve read my blog for more than about 15 minutes, you know that one of my most favoritest harp events each year is the Ohio Scottish Arts School. I have participated as a student and as a teacher – and I can tell you the view from either window is just marvelous! The instructors, the students, the Thistle Sisters and Thistle Brothers – all outstanding!

And you also know that this spring has led to a lot of cancellations. A lot of cancellations.

BUT NOT OSAS!!! OSAS is going ON LINE.

It’s taking some planning – and creative thinking (I’d say “out of the box thinking” but clearly, as you can see in the picture below, we’re each in a box!)

OSAS planning – things you learn in a COVID world.

If you’ve always wanted to come to OSAS but haven’t been able to – this is your chance! Live too far away? Live so many timezones away, we’re upside down? All no problem this year! OSAS CAN STILL BE A PART OF YOUR HARP LIFE!

You will have the opportunity to study with the inestimable Sue Richards, the incredible Rachel Hair, the wonderful Rachel Clemente, and the incalculable me.

The fun of working together to learn a tune and play it! PS, do not sit like this when you’re playing your harp (like I am – sidesaddle) or you’ll be calling me for an Ergonomics Lesson to fix all your injuries and pains!

From Monday, June 29 to Friday, July 3, 2020, we will have 3 – 4 sessions per day. In the morning, we’ll learn tunes. After lunch, we’ll gather to review the morning, learn more, and participate in group lectures and/or one-on-one sessions. More specific details will be coming (as we firm up and finalize everything).

Tuition for this special week is $250 (includes $200 non-refundable deposit). Please note that class sizes are limited. Registration deadline extended to June 8, 2020. Here is the link to the online registration form.

I am very passionate about this event (as you can tell by the plethora of exclamation marks throughout this post) – because I know how much you have the potential to learn, from incredible tutors that you won’t find all together in one place in any other workshop. In addition, over time, OSAS has lead to many lifelong friendships, collaborations, and happy memories.

You should join us this summer at OSAS ONLINE. No, we won’t be all in one room, but we will be all in one space – we’ll be TogetherApart! If you have any questions you can go to the OSAS website or you can leave them for me in the comments below. Hope to see you there!

In the Bleak Mid-Summer…8 ways to stay Motivated

Posted on July 17, 2019 by Jen

It is the Bleak Midsummer – that time of year when it might as well be winter for all that you intend to go outside! It’s predicted to be about 100^o tomorrow – ugh. And raining. The remnants of a tropical depressed (yes, I meant that).

Of course, it will be pouring while I try to load my car to head to Somerset Folk Harp Festival. Why does it always rain when you need to load your harp into the car? It’s just a law of nature I supposed.

But that’s the thing about the Bleak Midsummer (you might call it the Summer Doldrums, but that’s not bleak enough for me) – the heat, the humidity, the knowing that it will last another eight weeks – all gang up on you and sap your strength and motivation! Who wants to play when you know you’re going to sweat on your harp?

Ugh.

So, how do you stay motivated? Here are 8 ways that might work for you:

Go to summer harp events! I’m delighted to be going to Somerset Folk Harp Festival and I’m missing all the fun we had at the Ohio Scottish Arts School, and I’m really looking forward to Harp Quest! I wish I was able to fit more in, but these events (and others like them) really help you break out of any rut you might be in, let you catch up with old (but distant) harp friends, make new harp friends, and learn a lot in a relatively short time. Best of all, you come home with new tunes, cool tricks and tips, and usually a bounce in your harp-step! [BTW -There only a few remaining spots in Harp Quest and registration will close soon, so be sure to get in while there’s space! More info here or contact us here]
Use the long days to your advantage – if you normally practice in the evening, you can use the early light to get a new view on your playing. Never gonna happen that you get up at 5 to practice? No worries – enjoy practicing in the late afternoon or early evening – here too the light is so bright and the sun still so high that it feels like you’re practicing much earlier than you are. Or wait until the lingering sunsets of summer to enjoy the feel of playing the evening in. No matter what, you can use the longer days to get a fresh perspective on your playing.
Don’t let the short nights get the better of you – be sure you’re still getting enough sleep. Getting enough sleep will not only help you play better but will also help stave off the blues. Those long nights will be upon us before we know it (even if it feels like they’ll never come) but you can still arrange to get plenty of rest.
It’s VACATION TIME! You can take this a number of ways. You’re going to go away and have a frabjous time somewhere else doing nothing (including not playing). Or you’re going somewhere amazing and taking your harp with your time away. Either way – use the down time to rest and recover. And maybe devote a few quiet moments to reminding yourself of how much you love playing the harp and that the work is just a path to enjoyment. [And if you want to plan ahead – you could never go wrong spending your vacation on a trip with us! Harp the Highlands and Islands 2020]
Use those long sunny (hot) days to spend time in your favorite chair with your favorite libation thinking about how lucky you are to play the harp! That should perk you up and make you want to play (and maybe even to practice?). Of course, that libation should be part of your hydration plan – it’s so easy to get dehydrated in the summer and that will throw you off your game, sap your motivation, and probably give you a headache – all no fun.
Think about Christmas – every year Christmas comes racing up and we’re never really ready, so give it a little thought now. Maybe plan out your cold weather strategy while it’s still nice and hot. When will you start? What tunes are you going to add this year? What have you played in the past that needs more work (and inevitably, more than you think)? Where are you going to play? What non-holiday tunes will you keep in the rotation to avoid boring the socks off your listeners? See, there’s loads to think about, while you’re sweating and not wanting to play.
Just sit for 15 minutes. Promise yourself that you’ll only play for 15 minutes – after all, it’s hot and you won’t be able to concentrate for too long, so don’t think you will – just do it in bite sized chunks throughout the day.
Have ice cream. Really? You’re going to question this? Fine, I’ll have yours.

Power through – it’ll be autumn soon and before you know it, we’ll be complaining about how cold it is! There’s eight ideas – do you have others? How do you stay motivated throughout the summer? Leave me a comment and share!

OSAS 2019 – Having a blast!

Posted on June 26, 2019 by Jen

Teaching, learning, having fun and more fun! Just a little photo montage (some phots unceremoniously swiped from Ruth Pearce’s facebook page – she’s taking some great photos when I was in the middle of something and wasn’t able to capture it!). I am so fortunate to be teaching some incredible talent – Sue Richards, Rachel Hair and Rachel Clemente!

If you aren’t here – you’re missing out – start planning for 2020!

Off to Ohio

Posted on June 19, 2019 by Jen

Is not a tune title (although it could be!).

I’m so excited to be leaving for Ohio soon. I’ll be teaching at the Ohio Scottish Arts School! An entire week of tunestunestunes and funfunfun! I have some cool tunes, some new lesson items, and a crazy idea that just might work (a la McGiver).

Loads of excellent people, wonderful music, and lots of learning – can’t wait! Oh, and snacks 🙂

And before that, the US National Scottish Harp Championship^TM. It’s going to be a jam-packed week!

And a long drive – what a great time for a variety of types of practicing. There’s listening to music, rehearsing in my head, “tapping out” the melody against the steering wheel, and my favorite – listening to something completely different looking for new ideas for arranging.

How do you use your car time? Let me know in the comments.

Next week – scenes from OSAS!

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