Jenius Creations

Category: Teaching and Learning

  • Looking ahead –

    It’s already April – so it’s already time to be thinking about what you’d like to be doing this summer!

    There are so many activities available in the summer that planning is definitely required. You have limited resources – both time and money. In addition, there are only so many places available in these events. So, to help you plan, this month I’d like to share some of my favorites.

    First up is Harp Camp. This is our 21st year! Harp Camp is very exclusive with only 10 spots each summer. This summer it will be August 19th-21st in our lovely, idyllic setting in South Central Pennsylvania.

    Kris Snyder and I work hard to create an easily accessible, highly personalized, fun-filled, supportive environment where harp players can extend their technical skills regardless of the current level of accomplishment.

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    Kris and I have a lot of fun planning and teaching Harp Camp – you should join us!

    Harp Camp is only open to Lever harp players. We encourage participants to try new things while building an understanding of the skills necessary to reach individual performance goals.

    We have put together a format that is tailored to our identified participants. We are careful to assure you feel no frustration. While you’re learning, there’s no stuff you aren’t ready for and no waiting for people with less experience to understand what is being presented.

    Each workshop is geared toward each individual’s proficiency and comfort level. We have three days full of creativity and fun, covering diverse topics from learning to performance to improvisation. In addition, we have Creative and Directed Ensembles, games, and age appropriate activities to round out the days!

    For more information, check out the additional information here.

  • What are you afraid of?

    It’s nearly spring which means that it will very soon be competition season! Competitions are a great way to push yourself to learn, to grow, to be a little bit daring, to find out something about yourself.

    I know a lot of people (especially adults) are very quick to say that competition is not for them. And that is true for some people. But for most people, it really is a great opportunity that shouldn’t be missed.

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    Really – where else will you have such a good chance to make great strides in your playing? What holds you back? There are plenty of reasons – some of them good. Many people are afraid of the potential pain of stretching. Some have a running list of questions – What will the other harp players think? What if I don’t play perfectly? How will I walk away without dying of embarrassment?

    But competitions are a great way to collect the answers to these questions! What will others think? Well the ones you’re competing against are typically focused on what they will play (or asking the same questions of themselves) to worry about what you’re thinking (and it’s likely that the people who aren’t playing are wondering “what if”  and how great you’re doing). What if you DO play perfectly?!? Did you ever think of that? And typically you cannot be too embarrassed to walk off the stage – and it’s hard to be embarrassed when all those people are applauding to show their appreciation and enjoyment of your performance!

    It’s not about winning – in fact you learn so much more when you don’t take first place. You learn more about yourself, you meet new people, you get great feedback and specific actions to make yourself better, you become better, and you know it. So, I would strongly encourage you to push yourself, just a little, to get out there, to enter a competition, and enjoy answering your own questions!

  • I’m off to Oberlin!

    I’m not going to try to kid myself that I’ll get a post off this week – I’m at the Ohio Scottish Arts School – learning from amazing tutors including Wendy Stewart, Haley Hewitt, Ann Heymann, Charlie Heymann, Sue Richards, and from my fellow OSASers who are incredible harpers in various stages of development – why aren’t you here?!?

     

  • Time to tune up

    In the summer, there are so many camps, workshops, programs and they all suggest that you start early to get your fingers toughened up because you’ll be playing more than you usually do.

    GREAT SUGGESTION!

    But what does that mean? How can you get ready for these events? Here are seven ways to tune up for a workshop so you can get as much out of the last session as the first: Picture1

    1. Make a schedule – you know you have a finite amount of time to prepare, so plan to use it – each day increase your time on the bench a little (add no more than 10% each week – just like running).  A small increase allows you to build up without adding too much at once, which will help you stay on track). Be sure in also increase the number of times each day that you sit at your harp – the workshop might be 8 hours a day but that won’t all be on your bench so you might want to practice sitting to your harp 3 times a day rather than one really long stretch!
    2. Work your plan – it’s all well and good to make a plan but then you have to actually use it! Be sure that you actually do the things you set up in your plan
    3. Be realistic – if you never have time to practice on Sundays (for example) – build that into your plan, don’t think that suddenly the time will appear. This is especially true if you are working around your current schedule – if you only have 30 minutes a day to practice, do not think that suddenly you will find 3 hours a day to practice.  However, if you are so strapped for time that you can only practice for 30 minutes a day – know that you will need to modify what you expect to get out of each day of the workshop.
    4. Remember your braces: when you had braces, you didn’t expect all the movement at once – it was gentle progress you were after – same thing here – gentle positive progress will not only allow you to feel better about your work but will result in a noticeable benefit.
    5. Warm up – this is not the time to skimp on the fundamentals – do plan to spend a little time warming up (and when you get to your workshop, don’t forget to do this!)
    6. Stretch – just as you know that a good warm up is essential to avoiding injury, a good stretch at the end of your time at your harp is also important while you are increasing your time on the bench. And when you are at your workshop, stretching will also be important – you will be working hard.  In addition, workshop participants are often a little stressed (concentrating, wanting to “do well” (whatever that means – everyone is learning!), trying to learn a lot in a little time with the tutor all add to your stress).
    7. Journal – keep a record of what you are doing and how it is going – while this is always a good idea, it’s especially important when you are trying to prepare.

    Summer workshops, camps, and other events are a great way to learn, meet new friends, catch up with old friends and really expand your harping – be sure you are ready to make the most of the event!

  • Summer’s a’comin’ in

    While it’s all well and good to be planning, dreaming and thinking about the upcoming opportunities that summer brings, you’ve got to be ready before it gets here!

    I think the “workout to look good in your bikini” stories and catalog layouts are a good point in time to start preparing yourself so you can be ready for all the fun that summer workshops bring. But “what could you possible do to prepare to have fun?” you might ask. The best answer is, “Plenty!”

    Here are five things you can do to be sure you’re ready to focus on learning instead of focusing on how you don’t feel well: Picture1

    1. Start doing legwork – spend an appropriate amount of your practice time working on the things you need to work on – scales, chords, transitions, speed, agility, sight reading – whatever “legwork” you need to have in your head and in your hands so you’re ready to learn and don’t have to be watching the basics.
    2. Build your stamina – most of us don’t have the luxury of spending an entire day at our harps – which also means me probably don’t have the stamina to be at our harps all day. Start early from where you are with practicing and SLOWLY build up to a much longer time on the bench. Practice sitting, upright, in good alignment and with your harp.
    3. Build your strength – most of us don’t get to spend a long time playing so while building up your stamina, play gently to allow your fingers to build strength (and to toughen up those callouses) so you have the tolerance to spend all that time not just sitting at your harp but also playing it.
    4. The best beginning comes out of a good ending – start mindfully stretching after each practice. Build in time in your schedule and in your thinking to actively stretch yourself after sitting and working hard at your harp. Be sure to work all the areas you exercised including your neck, shoulders, legs and glutes – and don’t forget your arms and fingers!
    5. Thimk – be sure to spend some of each practice time practicing practicing. Build within yourself good habits that allow you to spend your workshop time actually learning something. Spend this pre-workshop time identifying what you need help with so you can ask questions of the workshop tutors and be aware of your strengths and weaknesses so you can build from what you learn.

    Being prepared for the arduous work of having fun will help you have a more enjoyable time and will assure that your time and money were well spent on the workshop you chose!

  • The Swannanoa Gathering – Guest blog!

    I can’t possibly get to every harp event and there are a few that are on my, “one of these days, I’m going to get to …..” list.  Swannanoa Gathering is one of those events so I asked Mike Connors to tell you about it –

    Mike 1The Swannanoa Gathering Celtic Week July 12-18, at Warren Wilson College nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Asheville NC is an unsurpassed week long immersion with some of the world’s finest Celtic musicians. It is always the week after the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games, also in NC. I attend annually to study Irish harp with Grainne Hambly and Scottish harp with Billy Jackson. In addition to beginning and advanced harp classes, there are courses in fiddle, singing, dance, bodhran, flute, mandolin, guitar, accordion, whistle, uillean pipes, banjo, bouzouki, banjo, and concertina. Students can register for up to four classes which meet every day, although I usually just take two so that I can have time to practice and learn to actually play some of the stuff while I am still there. Over the years in addition to harp classes I’ve had the chance to take a bodhran class, beginning pennywhistle with Billy Jackson, DADGAD guitar with Eamon O’Leary, bouzouki with Robin Bullock, and session guitar with Donal Clancy. Ed Miller teaches Scottish singing classes, and the biggest stars in Celtic instrumental and vocal music are there annually. With the likes of Martin Hayes, Kevin Crawford, and John Whelan and too many other greats to list here (see the roster for yourself https://www.swangathering.com/catalog/cl/celtic-week.html) the faculty concerts, extra “potluck” afternoon seminars, after supper slow sessions led by the staff, and late night sessions create such an incredible experience that you will not experience much sleep-there is just too much music.

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    Afternoon slow session with Billy Jackson, Robin Bullock, and Brian McNeil

     

    In addition to the quality instruction, the campus is beautiful, the food is outstanding, and the musical friendships that are created and renewed every year truly make this a gathering. The sessions last late into the night. Imagine a hillside dotted with open air tents and dozens of music sessions happening at once-complete with a beer truck supplying local microbrews, wines, and a grill cook serving up food and snacks. There are fast sessions, slow sessions, big sessions, Scottish sessions, Irish sessions, Breton sessions, small sessions, alpha sessions, and song sessions. The faculty gets out and plays, with each other and with the students. I have witnessed Battlefield Band reunions, gotten to sit in a slow session and play the Kesh Jig set with members of the Bothy Band, and played music, shared tunes, and made lifelong friendships with people that share the love for this music.

    Afternoon slow session with Billy Jackson, Robin Bullock, and Brian McNeil

    The only thing that could keep me away from the Swannanoa Gathering would be a trip to Ireland and Scotland-which is where I will be during this year’s gathering, although I’m going to be back in time to visit Friday night and reconnect with friends and jam into the night. How ‘bout a tune?

  • But what’s next?

    If, like me, you have listed learning more tunes as one of your goals this year, you may be casting about for ways to select those tunes you are going to spend your precious time, sweat, and tears on. How do you select new tunes? Here are four ways to chose what to learn to play: Picture1

    1. Listen, listen, listen – learn those tunes you enjoy listening to. I decided that I had to learn pedal harp simply from hearing a gorgeous piece of music on the radio!
    2. Learn what’s on offer in workshops that come to your area. This is especially important if you live in moderate to low harp density areas. Get to every workshop you can, especially if they are few and far between.
    3. Comb through books and sight read for gems. This is good both for finding new tunes and to practice your sight reading.
    4. Host a tune swap. What could be better than learning new tunes? Learning new tunes inside a party! It is great to learn from a friend.

    Unless you are preparing for auditions, learn any tunes you like – especially if you like the sounds of them. And be sure to really get the tunes down – don’t just get a passing familiarity.  Really get in there and wear it! And with all these sources you’ll have plenty of tunes to select!

  • It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas –

    It’s barely begun to cool down, the days have hardly gotten any shorter and the trees haven’t really begun to show their colors. It’s October! But it is also definitely time to start preparing for Christmas! From parties to church services, from fundraisers to celebrations, ‘tis the season to be asked to bring a little joy to people by playing for Christmas. Will you be ready? Here are 8 things you can do to be prepared this season:

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    • Start now – Christmas is right around the corner, but the holiday season is even closer. Holiday decorations had appeared in big-box retailers before Labor Day and the Christmas events will start after Thanksgiving if not before so you need to start now to be ready.
    • Make a preparation checklist – write down those things you need to do to be prepared (some of the items in this post might be helpful for that). Use your checklist to help yourself prepare.
    • Budget your time – be sure to manage your time effectively – refreshing tunes you’ve learned before, learning new material, whatever you need to spend your time on – arrange to have that time available.
    • Select your tunes – know what you are preparing for and use that information to generate a solid set of tunes (and specific tune lists).
    • Schedule practice – not kidding. The holidays are notorious for days filled up beyond reason, earlier than expected, and with way too much to do. Be sure to schedule your practice time in – or you won’t get any!
    • Use your practice time wisely – because your practice time will be at a premium, be sure you plan for that time so you can get the most out of every moment. No shillyshallying at the harp, no unfocused playing through – actually practice when you’re practicing.
    • Make notes for next year – some of your preparation will be very good, some will be no help whatsoever. Make notes to yourself for next year so have even better preparation in the future.
    • Enjoy yourself – the preparation is challenging, and the added stress of performing may get to you, but be sure to enjoy yourself. And also be sure to acknowledge any improvement in your performance, the level of difficulty of the music, the speed of refreshing tunes you had learnedin previous years – all those positive indicators that arise from your preparation.

    Christmas comes but once a year – fortunately, it stays for a while and provides you a great opportunity to prepare and to play for family, friends, and customers.

  • Community Ties

    One of the things I like best about the harp community is that it is a community – with lovely people. There is a specific joy from coming together to share music and laughter and friendship and experiences. To that end, there is a lovely opportunity to get together with other harpers coming up soon. If you can make it, you should not miss the Washington Area Folk Harp Society Getaway (WAFHS).

    The instructors this year are Seumas Gagne and Emily Mitchell.  The annual WAFHS Getaway weekend will be November 7-9, 2014 at the Wyndham Gettysburg hotel in Gettysburg, PA.

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    Seumas Gagne and Emily Mitchell, photos unceremoniously snatched from www.wafhs.org

    The registration fees are $105.00 for WAFHS members and $125.00 for non-members.  There is also a reduced rate for non-adutls (see the website).  There is a package deal with the host hotel that includes meals during the weekend (including the banquet).  Check http://wafhs.org/getaway for updates.

  • Summer weekends are not all for the beach


    There aren’t very many weekends in the summer and most of us do our best to have fun on every one of them.  But you can only spend so much time at the beach.  If you have already wisely chosen to spend one of those weekends at Harp Camp with me and Kris and another at OSAS, you will want to spend another one at Somerset Folk Harp Festival!
    Somerset has only been going on for a few years but it definitely has a place on the well rounded harper’s calendar.  There are loads of interesting workshops taught by amazing harpers many of whom you might never even dreamed of getting to spend time learning from.   
    There are so many workshops that it is often difficult to decide which one to participate in in each available session.  And then there are the concerts, the vendor hall and the opportunities to see old friends and make new ones.   And Scottish Harp Society of America will have a table!   
    What more could you possibly ask?! See you there?