A Ceremony of Carols—Overview
Taught by Lynne Aspnes
In this lesson, Lynne Aspnes discusses the iconic harp and choir work A Ceremony of Carols, by Benjamin Britten. “Each movement represents a musical ostinato pattern…The wonderful thing about practicing these is [that] each movement can therefore give the harpist one technical skill to hone.”
Closing the thumbs
Taught by Maria Luisa Rayan
In this lesson, Maria Luisa Rayan teaches how to close and play thumbs to get the best sound. “Whenever you practice, sit down at the harp and think, what am I doing with my thumb? How am I approaching the string? How much pressure am I giving? How am I coming off? What is the role of the thumb?”
Practice tip #10: memorize methodically
Taught by Rachel O’Brien
In this lesson on how to practice, expert Rachel O’Brien explains how and why to memorize methodically. “The reason we tend to have memory slips is [that] we tend to rely more on muscle memory more than anything else.”
Waltz of the Flowers—lesson 3
Taught by Sarah Bullen
In this lesson, Sarah Bullen teaches the cadenza from “Waltz of the Flowers,” from The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky, to harpist Ellie Kirk. “[This cadenza] requires everything you have if you want to be exciting and dynamic.”
The liturgical calendar—part 1
Taught by Rhett Barnwell
In this lesson, Rhett Barnwell teaches about the seasons of the church liturgical calendar. “Most churches use a three-year cycle of readings…depending on what church you’re playing in, and what time of year, you’ll need to select music based on what’s going on in the church season.
