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I don’t know how well this applies, but think about this: when little kids start learning ballet and they put their arms above their heads, they tend to raise their shoulders up to their ears. Maybe you are doing something similar when you raise your elbows. Hold your elbows up but remember to drop/relax your shoulders.
I get tension exactly like this when I am at work, and it is because I lean forward at my desk instead of sitting up straight which causes me to raise my shoulders and it tightens up all the muscles in my upper back and neck.
I suggest that you keep a separate notebook or folder on each pupil and keep track of what you tell them, what you cover. It can be very easy to think you have told one pupil something when you actually told another. I would also have them bring a list of the music they own and keep track of what they have, so you know what to assign or tell them to buy. Good luck.
Jeni
Please don’t make disparaging comments about all Venus harps based on your experience of just one instrument. Schools are notorious for not taking good care of their instruments and I see the results every day in my line of work. Perhaps the harp you use isn’t a great harp, or perhaps it is but hasn’t been well cared for. I once knew someone who had a negative experience with a Ford car and would never buy one again. Does this mean Ford is a bad company and only make rubbish cars? No! There are plenty of folks out there who love their Venus harps and I’m sure some of them will chip in. For the record, I tried Venus and Camac, and decided on the Camac. It was just my personal preference – they were both beautiful harps. You also seem unaware that the Venus Penti, Diplomat & Criterion weigh only 84lb (according to Venus’ website); the Salzedo weighs 85lb (according to L&H website). You are welcome to your opinions but please check your facts before making sweeping statements like “Venus harps are really heavy”. This sort of negative comment is unfair to a fine company.
Sometimes when I practice for a while I get kinda tense/sore in the upper back/shoulders/
neck too. But I find it helps a whole lot to keep good posture and a straight back. And
yeah.. relax like all those other people said. o.0I can tell you what NOT to buy.. whatever you do, don’t buy a Venus. I have to use the one
my high school has for orchestra, and it’s my least favorite kind of harp. They’re really
heavy, they don’t have little wheels at the bottom, and they don’t even sound very good.
It’s like refuge coming home to my own Camac.. but I’m soon going to be purchasing a
Salzedo.hi. its good that you take the harp. always it depends which kind of music you would like to play…. but a lever harp of about 34 sytings fully levered will do ok. i normally play early music on my lever harp. specially medieval, and also like
I went to Interlochen Arts Camp the past two summers and really loved it. You play in orchestra everyday and have harp ensemble 1-2hours each day. some days you may not have harp ensemble but instead orchestra skills, conductors coming to talk, playing for each other, orchestra sectionals etc. it was really nice..but if you really don’t like ensemble then im not sure how much you will like it, i really enjoyed ensemble because we played really fun music and the level of talent is so high! (dont worry harp ensemble isnt the sole focus!!) also i know i did not have a chamber music time marked into my schedule even though i played with a few of my friends for fun! I would higly recommend IAC because Mrs. Holland is an amazing teacher and you will get alot advice on technique and other things.
Dear Sarah,
My daughter, who will graduate from high school next year, just joined a youth orchestra: the Calgary Youth Orchestra.
She underwnent the audition process last spring. She had to work very hard at getting her audition pieces to a very high standard. To her delight, she got admitted. As mentioned by others, the best is to contact the orchestra in question, and to coordinate with your teacher as to what and how you should prepare for the audition.
My daughter auditioned with her Lyon and Healy 85 petite pedal harp. It has a beautiful sound, and she did fine with it! For her orchestra rehearsals, she uses their concert grand. Of course, if you are in the market for a harp and you intend on pursuing it to a higher level, you should get the biggest (best) one you can afford. The pedal harp allows you to play repertoire that the lever harp just cannot accomodate. My daughter really needs more strings on hers now!
She has gained incredible experience in this amazing full symphonic orchestra! Unlike, for example, violinists, there is not that much opportunity for young harpists to gain experience with orchestras. She has had to learn quite a lot during these months, many things which were taken for granted by the more experienced orchestra musicians.
She was expected to play quite advanced and difficult repertoir: e.g. Forsyth’s “Atayoskewin”, Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Cappricio Espagnol”, Tchaikovsky’s “Nutchraker Suite” (including the solo cadenza from the Dance of the Flowers!) … She is now working on Verdi’s “La Forza del Destino” Overture, and will be playing other pieces like Shostakovich’s “Symphony No. 5”.
The musicians get their parts, and are expected to read them on the sport at rehearsals. If possible, it is a good idea to try and obtain the harp part prior to the first rehearsal, in order to mark pedal changes. However, this is not always possible.
My daughter has increased her technical skills a great deal in order to play this repertoire. She loves the challenge! At first it was quite daunting to her, but she has now adjusted quite well to the pace and the high expectations of her condutor.
She loves playing with the orchestra, getting to know her istrument better, and those of the other musicians. She also loves to play in concerts, which are frequent, and has acquired quite a a good attitude toward practicing and the sacrifices needed to meet the challenges presented by the orchestra.
Good luck on your quest to gain admission to a youth orchestra.
To some extent, playing the harp should be therapeutic, but it would be advisable to consult frequently with physical therapists and other professionals. Liniments are great, and also massages.
There’s just the overture and the very last few bars in the entire opera to play, from what I remember. That ridiculous Wagner.
Hola soy Angel, soy estudiante de arpa en el concervatorio de Guatemala, me gustaria que me compartieran material de duo o trio de arpa, espero que se encuentren muy bien y les deceo lo mejor y escuchen al maestro Marcelo Canino
Atentamente, YaquiThere is also an excellent program at Rocky Mountain Summer Conservatory, http://www.rockymountainsc.org. I don’t remember if that was in the harp column article. We do need more around the country, like in Minnesota, Idaho or Montana, West Coast. Too many have shut down, like the Salzedo School and Music Academy of the West. Chautauqua Institution has excellet programs, and I think there may be a high-school orchestra program.
