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Carlos Salzedo wrote an article a long time ago on the Art of Working, it has been reprinted in the American Harp Journal, it might be of use to you. The basic blocks of practicing are: working in small units like one measure and getting everything right, then piecing them together; then working on the flow and tempo, mood and expression of the whole piece. You need to choose your masters program carefully, and it would help a lot to spend a summer in intensive study at a program like Interlochen where you will not only be sure to learn how to practice, not only from your teacher, but by being surrounded by others who are practicing. I have been there, and you can do it, but you have to find what you need.
I have played one. It was very tall, heavy, and the balance point was hard to work with, it was quite a lot of weight on my shoulder. The column design is different. I know of one you could probably buy inexpensively, because it needs repair.
You may be feeling the pressure of personal needs vs. the needs of talent. Finding a balance of the two is very difficult. You may need to look for another marketable skill that you can use to support yourself while you develop as a harpist, such as nursing, though preferably something that would not take so long to learn. You may also have the alternative of graduate school, getting scholarships to continue, going on to a doctoral program. Loving the harp is one thing, being a highly skilled professional is another. Getting into a profession where you can buy a harp and spend time with it is an option. Another possibility is that you have not been taught enough practice skills. I think the one factor that helped me the most in becoming the harpist that I am is that it turned out that the work of it, the daily grind of practicing was totally suited to me, that it never ceased to be interesting, that the process is as great as the result. If you just like playing and enjoying the music, that is not professionalism of that kind. Then it should be your passion, your avocation.
Sometimes, if not often, those fees come from a budget created by the residents or levied upon them. Whether the entire budget goes to performers is another question for a resident to investigate. I once offered to do a free program for practice’s sake, and the resident in charge refused me, and could not understand why I would offer to do it for free, even though I live next door, literally!
Classical period options include the Parry Sonatas, the Spohr Fantaisie, and could include Krumpholtz and Naderman. Some of the periods last longer in the harp repertoire; much of the early 20th century music is quite still in the Romantic style.
Hovhaness is a different choice for 20th century music that would not take forever to learn, but has musical challenges. The Maros Suite is another possibility, Three Improvisations or other works by William Mathias.
Playing music to make someone feel better only requires sensitivity to their needs. Being a trained healer might add a little something to it, but music does its own thing. It seems inappropriate to presume to do anything more than that. But even the self-pleasure of playing music can make someone feel much better. I think its really rather simple.
Bellying is desirable, as it results in a more fulsome tone, the problem is to limit its extent, and to keep the action completely adjustable enough to account for changes in angle and position.
Well-made harps made in recent years by Lyon & Healy sound pretty magnificent. The tension is not a problem. The historic instruments of the 1920s, and Wurlitzers, are worth studying. Their lightness aided the resonance of the harp, giving them full rich tone, and the shaping aids the projection of the tone, along with the elaborate carving of the column.
I do not think current methods are necessarily any improvement and worth more study. Darker woods seem to lead to darker sound, which simply covers the tones.
The ideal harp tone developed in America has long been described as pear-shaped, round tone with as much reverberation of overtones as possible throughout the range of the instrument, and a full resonance. This is achieved by careful selection of maple and spruce wood, and the physical shape and weight of the harp. The more you can talk to experienced harp technicians and geeks here, the more insight you will gain. I have never been taken with the Salvi sound or their experiments, as their goals are quite different. The angelic, heavenly sound of the style 23 harp remains my eternal ideal. A metal stirrup at the base of the center strip reinforces the bass notes, which support the highest notes. An evenly spreading soundingboard creates broadening tone from top to bottom. The harp should be as light as possible, while structurally sound. While there are numerous small improvements to be made mechanically, the ideal harp has already been created, in my opinion.
I never heard it performed, but it was standard repertoire for Carlos Salzedo and his pupils in the 1920s. It seems like a strong piece.
She is not too young. I recommend Yu-Hsin Huang as an excellent teacher. I would buy the best quality lever harp or small pedal harp you can afford for now, and when she is about ten or so, you can reconsider buying a full-size instrument. Getting an early start is excellent, but you should look for the very best quality teacher. Her determination may be an expression of real vision. Don’t deflect her interest.
