what you do if you are in my situation????

[unknown-user]

[unknown-user]

Your situation sounds very complicated, so I’m not sure if I can be of
any help, but I will try. It sounds like you do not have the option of
negotiating with her or improving the situation. Can you find harp
students who have no dealings with this teacher? You probably wish to
teach at the conservatory, but private teaching may be rewarding as
well. If
orchestras are off limits, are there any opportunities playing chamber
music?

Music is a difficult profession most places, so I am sharing with you
the solutions I use for my own life. The traditional opportunities are
usually locked in rather tight, and there is tremendous competition
when a slot opens up. There is simply more supply than demand for high
level professional musicians. Teaching students of all ages from the
community provides many musicians with a livelihood. Students who are
studying as recreation, not professionally, can sometimes be taught in
groups which can really help us earn a living. Creating a chamber
ensemble with flute, strings, etc. can give you the opportunity
to play a great deal of important repertoire.

Please don’t give up on the harp because of difficult people you meet
in your profession. I just moved from a difficult environment into a
better one. Change can be good if you can’t find a way to work around
the obstacles. It is wise to not waste time and energy on negative
people. From time to time it is necessary to have some employment
outside of music to pay the bills, but we can still always keep our
music profession going on the side. Then sometime in the future when
opportunity comes, we can be ready to meet the challenge! Please know
that many (if not all) musicians encounter people who make them feel
like giving up hope, but that doesn’t mean there is no hope. I wish you
all the best in your struggle to survive professionally, and wish I
could find something to say that could encourage you. I know for me,
focusing on the reasons I love the harp and finding ways to share that
love with other people is what gives me purpose, hope, and inspiration.

[unknown-user]

dear julieanne , i am really astonished that there is somebody care, and very thankful that you aswered me deeply from your heart, really thankful, but the problem that i dont have my own harp, and dont live in the city where is the harps in the conservatory, i live in another city, i need to travell about 6 hours there and back to my city 3 times per week, when i start to practice i feel my head is turning around from the bus, any way thanks god they allow me to practice , but i am obliged to quarrell with that teacher every time she meets me, horrible. and as you know harp its not piano, so they like the harp but also like to practice instrument they have, and harp is very expensive…………………………………………………….

[unknown-user]

Your situation is terribly difficult, and I don’t know the answer. I
would suggest that you list your professional harp credentials,
education, and experience in your profile on this website. You could
also include the types of harp employment you are seeking. This is one
of the best professional harp sites on the web and it gets a lot of
traffic. If conservatories and universities in your country are similar
to mine, then the dean and the administration gets the final say on
everything. I try to avoid conflict whenever possible, instead finding
ways to sincerely compliment people and put them at ease. Sometimes it
helps a situation, sometimes not.

[Tacye]

Have you thought about either buying, building, or having built (from
kit or plans) one or more lever harps?

[unknown-user]

Leaving your country may seem like a drastic choice, but in a small
country it may be necessary. In our large country, we frequently have
to leave our home city or state to study or be professional, and
sometimes move again. It may not be as difficult as you think. But even
here, it helps if go to school in the new city, or have a job there, or
a friend who will help you get established. I suggest further study, an
advanced degree. There are some schools that give scholarships. I also
suggest you look at the many websites of harpists in the U.S. and look
at how they write about themselves, their careers and goals. It will
help in contacting people.

[unknown-user]

mr davis hello , you are right, i must to leave the country, but its something horrible to get visa to the states specially to people from the middle east, even i am christian and harpist, i want to study a little more to develope my techinc, i have my own russian school and i like it, and there i got degree of doctorate of musical arts DMA in russia you get it after finishing the conservatory of 5 years then study in the DMA for 2 academic years, its different from the PH.D.. I DONT know what is the system in USA and if they accept the russian diploms. i preffere to build up my proffesion in my country and to travel every year abroad to do master class with deffirent teachers from deffirent schools, but now i feel that i was a naiive dreamer, such a things will never happen in our countries , maybe in swiss

[unknown-user]

i am inquiring if , some of you faced such a problem when started to build up his proffesion?????? if he or she were faced by a strong bad propoganda, if they talk about you that you are not qualified and you cant teach at all????????????

[unknown-user]

Doctor of Musical Arts degrees are offered in the U.S. as well. Here
you have a four years bachelor degree, a two year master’s, then a
three year DMA or Ph.D. (or a bachelor’s to a five year doctorate) It
is considered equivalent to a Ph.D, but focuses more on original
creative expression, and less on research. People teach at the
college/univeristy level with a master’s degree, but the doctorate is
becoming necessary to be competative. (no guarantees, though). I have a
master’s in harp and a degrees through a DMA in composition.

There are some very complex dynamics in our profession. The potential
for accolades and the element of subjectivity can create political
tension. I live in the Twin Cities in Minnesota, U.S. and love it here.
I spent three years in a somewhat rural area prior to this. As an
outsider with strong credentials, I was not welcome except for
exploitation. I played in the local symphony and the conductor paid me
below the bottom of his payscale ($15 per service which as $5 less than
the amateur musician members received). When I got my paycheck before
the concert all performance anxiety left because I knew whatever
happened, he got more than he paid for. I ended up nailing every
entrance because I was so relaxed. Still, it’s personally rewarding to play well. He also made nasty faces at me. I had
nothing in writing (my mistake), so I
resigned. He also announced the presence of my harp in the department
as though the college sort of owned it. The
entire area functioned this way. In these scenarios the goal is
to demorilize anyone who poses a real or imagined threat so they will
either allow themselves to be exploited or simply quit altogether. We
have limited energy and resources,
and I feel it is not worth fighting a battle unless it can be won. The
world is a big place, and our lives are short, so it is better to
conserve energy, and find the best scenario to work with, and be
flexibile and willing to adapt as needed to survive.

[unknown-user]

It sounds like your dma is equivalent to our masters degree. It is hard
to transfer credits between schools. Our DMA programs may be three
years of coursework, but there are dissertations and final projects
that can take several more years to complete. We also have professional
studies programs and diplomas which are graduate or post-graduate
studies, but only in performance and little or no coursework.

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