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For those who don’t know whose arrangements you mean, I am assuming you mean Barbara Brundage? Correct me if I’m wrong.
It depends on whether the student is a raw beginner or not. If they have played for a while already, then they bring something they know well. This gives me a chance to observe how relaxed their hands are, how musically they play, whether they hold their breath, etc., and I make notes as to what is working well and what is not. I ask each student to bring a notebook in which I can write my comments. If they have no book, I write on a piece of paper and ask them to transfer it into the book that they will bring to the next lesson. I usually fire off a few choice bits of advice that they can concentrate on, and we work on those points for the first lesson. I use this approach for any new students whether I have met them previously or not.
How did you get rid of them? Is there such a product as RudeNeighbor Away?
If not, maybe someone could invent it. Hmm…possibilities for a good ad: “Do your neighbors complain about your beautiful harp music making it hard to hear the commentary on their TV mud wrestling show? Say good-bye to them with RudeNeighbor Away! When they bang on your door, just open it a crack and spray for five seconds with the nozzle set at “Disappear” and Poof! Your troubles are over. Now you can practise in peace.”The bottle of Scotch or nice wine is a great idea. A gift of gourmet food items is also a sure-fire winner and the basket or tote bag is something that he can keep when all the food is gone! Make sure you find out whether he is allergic to anything, or has particular issues like vegan diet, kosher, etc.
We just had a workshop on this very subject! Our presenter pressed a foot-long piece of felt into the spaces between the wire strings, to dampen them while she tuned the upper registers. This had the effect of taking away all those overtones that confuse the tuner. She also suggested moving the pickup close to the register that you are tuning. Other points: Tune the harp every day so that the strings hold their pitch better. Keep the harp out of drafts or bright sunlight. Play octaves simultaneously while listening for “beats”. Make sure the tuner is calibrated to A 440 and a tempered scale before you start tuning. A lot of tuners have buttons that change these settings, and the buttons can be accidentally pushed. Make sure your daughter doesn’t hurt her wrists while tuning the tough pegs. She should have an ergonomic tuning key, and it is quite okay to use both hands to turn a peg if it’s tight. If the wrist has to extend to an uncomfortable position, then take it off the peg, re-position it to a more comfortable angle, and commence tuning again. I hope this is all useful!
Sam, I am a little puzzled by the term “fishing” for students. I enjoy contributing to these discussions, and a side-effect is that some students have been inspired to
That one reminds me when I used to play flute duets with a friend of my dad’s. He turned to me and said, “Last one finished is a rotten egg!”
I believe that Loreena McKennitt has hugely increased the popularity of the harp. She’s one of the few exponents of our instrument whose name is known everywhere among non-harpists and harpists alike. There certainly has been an explosion of interest in the harp in the last twenty years, and I would wager that we owe at least some of this to her successful career. I agree we should not be snobs about whether a harpist plays with this or that technique. The main thing is: do you enjoy the music?
A prospective student wants to know several things about a harp teacher: can they play well, can they teach well, and do they have any connections that will help the student in their career? So, to recruit students, it is necessary to be able to get this information out into the public eye one way or the other. Harp Internet forums, such as this one, are excellent for this, as are YouTube, recordings, a steady gig somewhere, public performances, published compositions, articles in newsletters or magazines, going to conferences and networking with other harpists and teachers, and an informative web site or at least a presence on the web when googled. I don’t know if any one of these is more effective than any other; it depends on what the student is looking for. For example, someone seeking a serious career will be looking for a teacher with plenty of previous experience in turning out great students, and who might be able to help them find opportunities to compete and perform successfully. Someone who is just beginning will be looking for someone with patience who has a history of teaching solid technique.
Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. Then at least you’re a mile away and you have new shoes. – I don’t remember who said that.
