Pupils and wider repertoire.

[Alison]

Apart from taking students/pupils to concerts (preCovid) & lending them CDs, how do you introduce your younger harpists to, say, on Youtube, more advanced repertoire and orchestral works so that they have some idea of where they might be heading ? I often want to but am torn between staying on topic in a lesson with beginners/intermediates, whilst wanting to avoid overwhelming them with too much music which is beyond them and I have no idea how much extra awareness of say orchestral works they get at home and school. All I remember is that school life, parents and teachers introduced me to a certain amount of music & genres (not all harp by any means),but left a lot unqualified & I’ve discovered and journeyed so much further as an adult, wishing I’d had that insight at an earlier age. Sure I had a few harpist LP’s but it was a long time before I heard these pieces again in live performances or studied them myself.

[Gretchen Cover]

First, I am not a teacher. But, thinking back, I was mostly influenced by what the older students played. I could relate to that, not what grown-ups played. Perhaps you could assign your more advanced students to make videos to share with your younger students and vice versa. Alexandra Perdew has a weekly online harp session in which students play for each other online – strictly voluntary. The students get to see and hear what others are doing plus get performing experience in a nurturing, safe environment. For older students you could ask that they go onto YouTube, Vimeo etc. and find a harp solo, trio, orchestral work, whatever you select, and ask the student to critique the video.

[Alison]

That’s a good idea, but might resort to Youtube nontheless. Annoyingly I organised a group workshop for October thinking the pandemic would be over but had to cancel.

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

Students should be listening to as much music as possible. Cds or Lps are preferable, because they have program notes and other information. At a minimum, they should know all the great classical symphonies, Brandenburg Concerti, foundational listening. As their ears develop, add in more styles of music. You should not be lending your own cds, they should either buy them or use the public library. They can also listen to the radio.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 4 months ago by Saul Davis Zlatkovski.

[Alison]

Recently the radio broadcast important harp works such as Handel’s Concerto, Debussy Dances, Ravel’s Introduction & Allegro, Salzedo’s Chanson de Nuit and Pierné’s Impromptu Caprice so that was really helpful, so yes radio is great but I can’t really ask my students to listen as much as I do on the off-chance that they will hear harp pieces nor would they acquire that interest in many other works, orchestral and instrumental, so still this chicken and egg analogy remains…

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

They should listen to the great works for harp, to learn them. But videos are too distracting. They need to hear the Debussy Danses and the Ravel Introduction and Allegro.

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