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HELLO CARL, LET ME TELL YOU MY STORY, I AM, A PROFFESIONAL HARPIST GRADUATED FROM THE HIGH INSTITUE OF MUSIC IN DAMASCUS STUDYING THERE FOR 5 YEARS,
I have a fascinating book called Success and How to Win It in Classical Music or something like that. It has always been the same. You need money, or a patron or the like for a concert career. When was it published? 1916!
And how is Alex supposed to see ten years into the future? Who could have predicted the extent of the impact of the internet, which, by the way, has created numerous new outlets and ways of making money. Somebody who loves music with their heart and soul needs to study it in the best way possible. I did know a violist who went into a master’s program after spending several years as a psychotherapist. So much depends on so much. Schools differ. I still think about getting my doctorate, and if my age is such a problem, too bad for them, and they may get a lawsuit. We do need to change this discrimination against mature musicians that has become so rampant in the music world. It used to be the other way around, and we need to go back to respecting and revering the masters. We are partway there, many people could care less who won a recent competition, and my generation is producing some impressive recordings, including a grammy nominee. The promoters and concert bookers need to see that. It is unkind and unfair to impose the disappointments, the jaded view, the sour taste, the realistic detritus of middle age upon the young. We are pretty much content with what we are doing, aren’t we? If we’re just griping about not having enough money, well, who doesn’t?
Which takes me back to a point I wanted to make, which came to mind this morning, interrupting my practice. Musicians, particularly classical musicians, never made a lot of money and never expected to. It is a relatively recent phenomena that they have been able to do very well in some circumstances. What has changed is expectations, and expecting to have a comfortable pile to retire on is probably not a realistic one. Most musicians work until they drop, and hopefully love it. My generation’s insistence on creature comforts and keeping up with the gimme gimme people is a problem we create for ourselves. So, how much do we really need, and is it fair to expect music to provide all of it? Sure, it would be great if it did, but to get to that point, we have to increase government and private funding of the arts tremendously, and still create new ways to build audiences and reach them. The harp still has a long way to go in that department.
I haven’t had to face this scenario yet, but wondered if I will find
myself pregnant just as I manage to build up a good solid studio. I
have thought through scenarios, focusing on retaining students. You may
be able to teach some of them in groups or pairs for a period of time.
My doctoral minor was in piano pedagogy and my primary professor was an
enthusiastic advocate for teaching students in pairs (and groups). She
taught us
that students can benefit from each other as much as from a teacher. So
far I have taught my harp students individually, but consider this
option. Of course it may require that students bring their harps and
may be limited to the lever harp students. You could divide them by
levels and include ensemble playing. Their recitals could include their
solos and ensembles. It could be a great opportunity for your students
to get to know each other. Advanced students and those focused on
becoming professional need more one on one time, but the ensemble
environment has its own benefits. When your children are older you
could add in more one on one time, but may find you really enjoy
maintaining some of the group teaching. If you had five in a group on
average for an hour+ lesson that would be eight hours (some may still
need individual lessons) Some of this could be evenings and/or a
weekend day when your husband is home? This combined with the student
babysitter = free lesson exchange during your teaching time during the weekdays could make
it work.I am in your area several times a year to visit my sister, and could give you lessons while there. I am mostly in Colrain. There used to be one or two local harpists up there, and probably still are.
All I can think of is that the baby’s needs must come first, and teaching in the baby’s presence could create jealous feelings, and you can only guess what the baby will need. I’m sure you hope for a normal, healthy baby, but you never know what will come along down the road. 40 students is a big load, and it sounds like you might need an au pair or nanny so you have a consistent relationship for the baby, and no worries about juggling care schedules for yourself. I don’t know how that works financially, but there is probably even a foreign harp student who could work as au pair in exchange for lessons and a few hours practice a day. But where are you, that there are no other harp teachers for such a distance? Lucky you.
So, more. If we are going to organize, we need to think about how. Through the harp society? Starting a guild? Perhaps Felice Pomeranz can share how she organized her Gilded Harp and grades people. Shall we adopt the RADA curriculum or set up an American one? I’m game.
Well, I have had the same experiences, and not. I think the degree can make a big difference, and it goes back to which school you attended. My degree from Manhattan School of Music opened a lot of doors, including the top orchestra auditions, for about ten years, anyways, and others as well. It has always impressed people, and is a way of being taken seriously and commanding some respect as a musician of accomplishment. Schools’s reputations are perhaps always strongest in their home area, or perhaps far, far away. Coming out of school in debt is another matter entirely, and I am utterly opposed to student loans for anyone going into unguaranteed sorts of fields like music. One of your friend’s problems is that she is living in Manhattan, so the expenses always surpass your income. But I’m sure she’s had a great time, even if she goes into some other field in the end. Studying music is about fulfillment and growth you don’t get from ordinary jobs. There are areas of growth for the harp nowadays, which in part goes back to my census question, and the geographical aspect of getting work. Of course, it’s not like the old days when one harpist would colonize a huge region. I don’t think there’s anywhere left. I’m pretty sure a large proportion of harpists are benefitting from their husband’s jobs which enable them to live in prosperous areas where students and opportunities are somewhat more available. The way housing is now, I don’t think a single harpist could afford to live in any middle-class or upper neighborhoods unless they had a steady position. Husbands sometimes make good harp movers, too. So, what I think we all need to emphasize is teaching. With more and more harps being sold every year and new generations constantly being born, the nation’s population about to hit 300 million, we all should be teaching more and building the harp’s audience, popularity and reach. Not that every student should become a professional. I think one of our problems is that too many harpists want to be professionals rather than just well-trained amateurs, which has to do with society as a whole not appreciating amateurs, who have a useful place. How is it that someone can give a harp recital in a city of over one million people and only 25 show up? And there are over 100 harpists? We need to build audiences, we need to build teaching, and maybe we need to join forces to establish minimum standards for teaching and performing, for free-lancing just like other professions. We don’t have to charge for certification, but most professions have some kind. Of course, a degree in music is supposed to serve as that. I think your student needs to consider that majoring in something other than music means no practice time in those crucial years. On the other hand, given his needs, he may need something much more secure. Let us also consider teaching in the context of music education certification. I have a friend who went that route and has done very well as a music teacher in school, part-time orchestral harpist, teacher and free-lancer. He has prospered very well. Many conservatory students looked down on that path, but what did we know? Let us keep in mind that students are young people with no life experience, and therefore little guidance except from each other. Talk about the blind leading the blind. And then that desperate need to establish a good reputation among your peers. No-one foresaw such a decline in orchestral work, but it’s also the population bulge, and our republican governments. I, for one, always felt it was the least rewarding path for a harpist, playing those awful parts all the time, having no say, no bows, no spotlight. I think we are much better treated in solo, chamber, choral rep or pit orchestras. Musically speaking. We also need to work on chamber groups to employ harpists more often, especially all those string quartets and baroque groups. One of our problems is the ignorance of other musicians, particularly conductors, when it comes to the harp, so we suffer from their lack of knowledge and interest in our repertoire and unique voice. We could also do a lot more accompanying of singers. So, we perhaps need to organize workshops for singers, conductor, composers, pianists and string players, to educate them about the harp and open their ears to what we contribute, to what repertoire we have (which we ourselves have to know better). And then we pick up our harp and beat them over the heads with it until they admit we are the greatest and bow down in homage, and swear to give us work and the pre-eminence we deserve and which they stole away from us back in the day. We were, after all, the big thing, all up through history, through the renaissance, up until those blasted keyboard instruments came along, and then those string players ganging up on us and keeping us out of their orchestras until Berlioz and his buddies got us back in.
Hi everyone,
my name is Lena Buchberger and I’m a 20 year old harpist from Frankfurt, Germany, but currently attending “Hanns Eisler Music Academy” in Berlin, Germany.
It’ s absolutely great to meet so many harpists here!!I think that you should start the child, then see if anything happens that discourages/encourages you. If the child has pushy parents, then best thing you can do is helf the child go at his/her own pace, because if you try to tell a pushy parent to stop thier child on harp, the most ‘romantic’ instrument, then the parents will probably push the child on to something else he cant do. use your judgement…
I wonder if you don’t get the same results from practicing sight-reading. I went back to some Naderman Sonatinas and such, and having them ringing in my ears after playing was almost torture. I don’t think any etude should be assigned if it isn’t worthwhile music. Damase has written some nice etudes, and I think we should get more serious composers to write etudes for the harp. Perhaps someone should organize such a project. I, for one, find them difficult to compose, though not exercises.
I had a similar experience when I finished my masters degree and began having to do office work. Without three hours to practice, I started to lose my sureness, and I didn’t have a maintenance regime developed. I went back to Miss Lawrence for lessons for several months, and I got right back on track. I have never found any exercises better than Salzedo’s Conditioning Exercises, just supplemental. I still use them as my basic daily routine, I just learned more ways to use them. For instance: I take one and play it in four different tempi. 16th = 60, 8th = 60, 1/4=60 , 1/2=60. This works great with number 1,2,3,10. Then I used to follow with orchestra parts, especially Tchaikovsky cadenzas, or Wagner. For years, I used the Magic Fire Music by Wagner. It really helps when you have auditions come up.
A confirmation of previous message ! Michel Faul has published “the mexican adventures of Nicolas-Charles Bochsa, the harpist” (in French) (les tribulations mexicaines de Nicolas-Charles Bochsa, harpiste), another illustration of the eccentric life of the maestro : http://bochsa.site.voila.fr
I don’t know why I even bothered to share my excitement of my lovely harp cart with other harpists. They have done nothing but try to tell me it isn’t suitable for a harp. Well, let me tell you, it is perfect for mine. So please don’t anyone bother to write any more letters regarding it. The proof of the pudding is in the eating, and I am well satisfied.
