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Well the student called and said that she was just angry at her mom and feeling unhappy, and that she doesn’t want to quit but just said that.
I took your advice though and made a lighter lesson assignment for her, suggested she take a short break since she’s had a lot of competitions and recitals in the last few months and I really like the idea of the farewell recital. I’ll keep that in my back pocket.
Well the student called and said that she was just angry at her mom and feeling unhappy, and that she doesn’t want to quit but just said that.
I took your advice though and made a lighter lesson assignment for her, suggested she take a short break since she’s had a lot of competitions and recitals in the last few months and I really like the idea of the farewell recital. I’ll keep that in my back pocket.
This might be weird but I usually put my (long) tuning key on the stand to hold the page. It’s easier for me than trying to stick it under a rubber band (although that’s a good idea) and it’s heavy, plus I can move it when I need to to one side or the other or both. I use a binder with the pages too but they’re right, those pages turn by the wind often especially by the lake.
My adult students learn very quickly but I do make sure they learn very easy repertoire to begin with and then proceed to whatever they are working on next. I think adults expect to be at adult levels because they’re adults! But when you’re first starting something you have to be reminded that you cna’t start at the adult (meaning advanced) level. You have to pretend to be a kid again and move up to being an adult.
The only problem I ever notice is adult students that seem to want to play the instrument but then claim that they never have any time to practice and have a million excuses.
It’s understandable that they’re busy and practice time is hard to find, but I am talking about people who come and say well I can’t practice because x, y, and z, and then when you offer suggestions, they simply find another excuse, oh yes but that won’t really work because a, b, c.
This is a much bigger problem I have noticed. Also if the student backs off from big repertoire and actually succeeds in learning some small peices then they usually propel forward because they have more confidence that making practice time actually pays off.
If not they often seem to put off practicing because it just reminds them that they haven’t accomplished their pieces yet.
David, you just have the absolute funniest stories ever. Not just playing in the market but in the cheese section.
I’ve played in a market before and no one tlaked because I think they thought it was weird. They talked to each other though and seemed to really enjoy it. The kids really liked it. If you ever do it, it’s really, really COLD even in the summer.
Yes, I agree with Elizabeth. My hands are small so I have a smaller reach and also I think if you want a lot of people to play what you write you should always write well-within what people say is possible so that more
There are a lot of harp programs out there but no one really talks about them or publicizes them except a few well-known ones.
There are some in CA, WA, AZ, TX, GA, MI, NJ, WI
Hovhaness has some things for solo harp that are nice and fun. Josef Tal has some difficult but good ones and he is one of the Israeli composers like Saul mentioned. Damase also has some things. You should listen to some recordings because some composers like Damase and Andres write differently from Salzedo and other composers so the tone of the piece is remarkably different and you probably need a good idea of what type of modern/contemporary music you want to play.
What about Suzanne Balderstone’s books? I use those for beginners, they’re great as long as you go slowly and explain everything to the student because they have a lot of information. They’re better than harp olympics for young students with no background. There’s a theory one and one with music for playing.
It’s too bad someone said that about Grandjany versus Salzedo, since both had many female students who have been extremely successful.
I really think if this is a concern that you should send the student to a teacher who does harp and Laban movement analysis or ergonomics or Alexander Technique or body mapping, and also consider having the student work with a harpist who is the same size she is but who does not have a history of similar injury. That harpist probably has a technique fit for size regardless of the playing school he or she studied.
