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I also teach violin and viola, and I have found that one or two students who came from several years of piano, plus a little harp, cannot seem to teach their thumbs on the violin neck and also on the bow, to have a natural bend in order to achieve the great maneuverability needed
Rod, I have all these Chalmers pieces (It’s Under the Rainbow, not Over), He self-published these, in Akron Ohio, 1939 so they are still under copyright and I must not photocopy. Since I self-publish also, and don’t want people making copies of my work, that
I like my students to use a theory book for harp that requires write-in answers, so that using their pencils right in the book proves they know the material just presented. Then I have them play the short examples they wrote, to connect the aural to the visual and the tactile memory.
There are several books explaining the notation symbols for harp.The largest so far, just under 140 pages written in 1985 and perhaps updated since then, is “Writing for the Pedal Harp” by Inglefield and Neill, and includes a recording where a harpist demonstrates the many symbols in the book. Not only symbols commonly used, but variants are also included, as well as information on amplification and other harp issues.An extensive bibliography, and index
Ann, in the Lyon and Healy catalog under Pedal Harp Collections, you’ll see Mcdonald/Wood: Spanish Music for the Harp, Volume 3.
Brian, go to http://www.hipharp.com and see and hear Deborah Henson-Conant. She does not play like that “preferred drone of angels” that you mention.
Hannah, in my large city there is a slick magazine geared to young parents, and since music lessons are best started by young children, there are ads from piano teaching studios amongst the ones for birthday parties with clowns, etc. You could try that for harp.
Not only musical experience, but I have found poetry memorized when in childhood, to be a contributing factor. My generation had to stand before the class and recite these; none of my students say that they are asked to do this. Poetry with its winnowed wisdom, and natural cadence of rhythm, and rhyme, puts together several factors for the brain to harmonize. Then, when the child begins music, he /she has already been able to synchronize enough so that when the musical symbols on the page are added in, or even completely aural sounds at first as with the Suzuki method, the learning is more rapid. Families need to use poetry at home, since it seems to be missing in much of public school education. The children’s librarian in your locality will steer you to collections by Louis Untermeyer, Dorothy Aldis, Walter de la Mare, and others.
Seoid, Those are good suggestions above.You don’t tell us the approximate age of your new student, but what you have done so far seems fine for any age. With more than 50 years of music teaching behind me, using first the easy folk songs, and then graduating a student into what seemed appropriate for each individual, but
Jerusha, You’d thoroughly enjoy anything on YouTube by Harpjoe. This is a violin-cello-harp male trio in Taiwan who are each excellent. My favorites that they play, out of 20 posted videos, are Libertango by Piazzola, and Por Una Cabeza. The harpist is the arranger, and he seems at one with his instrument. I wish they would tour the U.S.
Apparently, this web site http://www.vixenharps.com, or
Direct Line: (613) 241-1789
eMail: vixen@travel-net.comVIXEN HARPS
330 Besserer Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1N 6B5 CanadaAnn, Apparently much information is in the library of Brigham Young University in Utah, where Pratt family photos, letters and so on were donated.http://music.lib.byu.edu/IHA/FindAidsPdf/SamuelRosaliePratt.pdf
