Concert Attendance

[susan-bennett-brady]

When a professional harpist gives a solo concert or master class why
aren’t there more students in attendance? I don’t understand why harp
students don’t jump at the opportunity to learn from the masters! Can
someone explain this phenomenon to me?

[unknown-user]

I can’t tell you how disappointed I am when my students don’t attend local harp concerts of visiting or community harpists. Some of these concerts are even free.
I find that my adult students will attend more often than the kids. I guess I haven’t found a way to communicate the importance of attending these concerts to the parents.

[Tacye]

I have sometimes been told that attending a certain concert is a vital
part of my practice before my next lesson, generally works.

[unknown-user]

I get a lot of resistance to attending performances from my daughter, who I think gets intimidated by the event, and then, anticipates a parental expectation for more practice(which she will get in any case…)to achieve the possible and her potential.

[unknown-user]

I noticed the same phenomenon overseas! Just moved to US and surprised to see the same question. Where I came from there are a lot of people who only care about the harpists they already know and support one another. Any new comers just have to rely on their luck to get audience. Sometimes the students (even their teachers) only care if there are new pieces have not been played in the area or not to decide whether they want to go to concert or not. Master class is another issue. Students there only attended the master classes unless their teachers told them to. Perhaps most students there were not eagerly to learn as the opportunity comes only once a while. I have to say publicity is the only key to bring people in. From my experience, try to get non-harpists to come is more rewarding because the more people get to know the instrument the better it will get. And they will love the harp later just like any other instrument they already knew. One time I organized a special master class for Alice Giles in 1997, actually it should not be called as master class because no students played on the stage. Alice Giles demonstrated many contemporary pieces for solo harp to people who were interested in harp. Most audience were Not harpists. That night was full house. After that, people called to ask if we could organize a master class for students because those teachers came and saw what they wanted from the class. It also inspired many music students to try something new for composition. The next spring I played a solo piece on a composition contest held by local ISCM and the work won the first prize among other pieces written for other instruments. I think it is important to get out of the shell of “Harpists only!”

[unknown-user]

I’m 12 and for every harp concert that comes to my area, I am there.

[unknown-user]

Can’t teachers require concert attendance as a condition of study? If you grade your students, that can be part of the grade, just like belonging to the A.H.S. This is a vital issue for the survival of concert harpists. We have to find a solution to this, for the student’s own good.

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