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If anyone can do it, you can. The harp only needs five hours a day to practice, at most, and the voice probably no more than two, plus studying texts. You could vocalise for an hour in the morning, practice harp for two-and-a-half hours, have lunch, a nap, sing for an hour, do another two-and-a-half hours of harp, then call it a day. It doesn’t leave a lot of time for networking, but if you have management to handle that, it could work. I would love to see you play the solo from Lucia then sing the aria. I think it would be a tremendous attraction. How is your voice? Does it have an exceptional color? There are an awful lot of sopranos out there. Or is it in a special fach? You could always do a night club act with singing and the harp, or specialty concerts. Yes, it could be done.
I always look at the American Harp Journal’s ad listings for teachers. Not everyone has websites, but they are certainly useful to look at those who do. I wouldn’t rely only on the internet. It is only as helpful as what you find, and if you don’t use other resources as well, it can become a hindrance. I found my graduate teacher through her publications, and a poster for Tanglewood that was posted at my college.
You mentioned that once before, Sam. How does one fish for students on this site, and why is it unethical? And what bait does one use?
Sure, Vince, I just wanted to address the extreme examples of what you mentioned. When I was just starting out, I took rather too much interest in some of my students’ lives and it did not help things in the end.
I feel that some of your expectations are a little unrealistic. A teacher may care about their student, but, mostly must stay out of their personal lives. It can get very messy. We are only there to teach music, and don’t see the whole person or life story. It is easy to slip down the road of giving personal advice, but it should not necessarily be encouraged, just like with parents. It is not possible to know all about a teacher, and especially their personality. The teacher’s personal life is not so much part of their teaching, but if you start opening those doors, then it can become too much part of it.
The internet doesn’t really change anything. It is the teacher’s musical personality that matters most, their knowledge, artistry, talent, willingness to give. Many of the best people I know do not have recordings. Lucile Lawrence only made one solo recording in her life, for pedagogical or preservational purposes. Word of mouth is still important.
As for repertoire choices, it depends on whether the teacher has
First you have to establish what absolute dynamics are: a fully forceful fortississimo, a fiercely fibrillating fortissimo, a fulsome forte, a
I keep forgetting the exact name, but the Rocky Mountain Summer Music Camp may be the perfect place. Did you look at Brevard and Eastern Music Festival?
Yes, and I remembered that one of the reasons it was a big deal to study with this teacher or that teacher is their network of contacts and former students, and whose network is stronger or more helpful to the next student.
It sounds like something Miss Chalifoux might have said, no? Or would her version have been saltier?
Here’s one:
You can lead a horse to water, but that doesn’t mean he can play the harp.
And paraphrasing something heard
Some of it will never be comfortable because of his chord spacings: third, fifth, second for example. Some of the rhythms and tempi are unclear. It is not an easy style of music to play very well. It seems light, but that is only the surface.
I have consulted with a French musician, and she has advised me that animez does not exactly mean accelerando, but to become more alive, animated from within, more spirited, which could manifest in more than one way, a crescendo or accelerando or both, or simply more vigor and feeling.
I wanted to mention that Lucile Lawrence had the same quote from Ravel regarding the Sonatine, and what’s more, she was there at the time, I believe, or another time, and played the Introduction and Allegro for him. She had several letters from him that were in the house at Camden. What has become of them, I don’t know yet. I hope they have made their way to the archives at BYU.
I have consulted with a French musician, and she has advised me that animez does not exactly mean accelerando, but to become more alive, animated from within, more spirited, which could manifest in more than one way, a crescendo or accelerando or both, or simply more vigor and feeling.
I wanted to mention that Lucile Lawrence had the same quote from Ravel regarding the Sonatine, and what’s more, she was there at the time, I believe, or another time, and played the Introduction and Allegro for him. She had several letters from him that were in the house at Camden. What has become of them, I don’t know yet. I hope they have made their way to the archives at BYU.
