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There are also those who practice their lesson material a little, but spend most of the time on other things, as I once did, so the prepared work falls apart. It may be a lack of practice technique, insufficient drilling. I learned the hard way that every thing has to be repeated TEN TIMES RIGHT!
One solution is daily lessons. Miss Lawrence insisted that twice-weekly lessons were the bare minimum. How can we expect young people to work as adults can?
Yes, my college had a special foreign-student program, but it is perhaps unusual in that. I just heard that Curtis gives no aid for the first six months, due to some kind of residency requirement.
Britain is the only country I know of with formal certifications. There are no such set formats in the U.S. unless you elect to follow the British model. We are free to progress or flounder as we choose. I like the format of the AHS music evaluation auditions, which provide feedback and opportunity for growth without restricted repertoire. I think they should be held annually in every chapter, or the equivalent. Studio teachers with enough students should consider bringing in an outside juror on a regular basis.
I like both, and have it with my harp. The warmth had to develop with age. If you buy a harp that starts out warm, where does it go? Does it get so dark it doesn’t carry? A bright harp is likely to warm up with time. Still, the last time I tried new harps, the warm 100 Grand got me.
As far as who was the first woman to play in a symphony orchestra, Florence Wightman was the first to be principal harp, in the Cleveland Orchestra, but Edna Phillips was the first to be principal harp in a major orchestra, as Cleveland was not considered major then, and I guess Edna and Alice Chalifoux must have started the same year. There were harpists who subbed, played second, free-lanced before that, including in the Sousa Band. It was perhaps in the 40s that women began to win more seats, particularly when Salzedo began to graduate a lot of them into orchestral seats. He had fewer male students, but Reinhardt Elster at the Met, and Ed Druzinsky in Chicago count for something.
What does matter is being able to play with strength and command that blends with and matches all the other players. As my teacher, Lucile Lawrence, put it: you have to be able to play the harp like a Man to make it; and that would apply to everyone. (Orchestrally speaking)
I wonder about Impresiones de Puna by Ginastera, which I’ve heard for flute and strings or piano, it seems like it might work on harp, and with violin.
Of course melodies in octaves are a good idea, that was rude, Christian. Melodies are also very expressive two octaves apart. If you haven’t heard of Lloyd Lindroth, or seen cocktail pianists, they pay a lot of attention to what they wear. Lloyd wore the most outlandish costumes I’ve ever seen, truly the Liberace of the harp.
Change your clothes and hair every day. At least that will distract them while you figure out new tunes to play. Many basic rock and roll songs are built on the 1-4-5-1 chord progression, so if you get comfortable with that, you can put many tunes above it.
I can vouch for Yu-Hsin Huang, who studied in Taiwan and for many years in Boston with Lucile Lawrence. You can watch her play on YouTube.
