Colorado State University (CSU) has appointed Kathryn Harms to its faculty, beginning in the spring 2022 semester. “I am thrilled to join the faculty as the new harp instructor at the Colorado State University School of Music, Theatre, and Dance,” Harms says. “The outstanding prior harp faculty—Courtney Hershey Bress and her predecessor Rachel Ellins—have established a strong history of excellence, and I am honored to lead the next chapter.”
Harms says she is looking forward to guiding her harp students as they explore the opportunities at CSU’s University Center for the Arts. “The music program has degree plans in performance, education, composition, and music therapy, and I am especially excited about their undergraduate music therapy degree option that includes applied harp study,” she says.
Harms says she welcomes students with diverse career plans and interests to the harp studio at CSU. “Between my private studio and summer faculty positions, I mentor students with a wide variety of backgrounds and goals,” she says. “I teach studio classes and seminars on musician wellness, performance psychology, entrepreneurship, and professional development, and these topics will be incorporated into the CSU harp curriculum.”
As a teacher, Harms says she aims to increase her students’ self-awareness and encourage their growth as unique musicians. She adds, “I guide students to develop a biomechanically healthy and sustainable technique. I also challenge each student to recognize their own learning styles so that they may streamline their learning process and practice efficiently.”
Harms performs as an orchestral harpist, chamber musician, and soloist in Colorado and the greater United States. In addition to teaching a private studio, she is on faculty at the Rocky Mountain Springs Harp Program during the summers. Harms received her Master of Music in Harp Performance from the University of Colorado Boulder as a student of Janet Harriman. Harms also holds a Bachelor of Music in Harp Performance from Ball State University, where she studied with Elizabeth Richter.
To learn more about Harms, visit her website.
