{"id":43399,"date":"2019-04-22T17:41:28","date_gmt":"2019-04-22T21:41:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harpcolumn.com\/music\/?p=43399"},"modified":"2019-04-23T09:15:25","modified_gmt":"2019-04-23T13:15:25","slug":"meet-jodi-ann-tolman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harpcolumn.com\/music\/meet-jodi-ann-tolman\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Jodi Ann Tolman"},"content":{"rendered":"

Meet Jodi Ann Tolman, author of 18 (and counting!) inspirational arrangements and original compositions. The challenges in Jodi’s life, along with her faith, have helped shape her approach to the harp. We asked her to tell us more.<\/h3>\n\t\n \n
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\n\t\t\tJodi Ann Tolman\t\t<\/p>\n\t

Here With You<\/a><\/p>

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\n\t\t\tJodi Ann Tolman\t\t<\/p>\n\t

All Through the Night<\/a><\/p>

Rated 5.00<\/strong> out of 5<\/span><\/div><\/div>
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\n\t\t\tJodi Ann Tolman\t\t<\/p>\n\t

Always Forever<\/a><\/p><\/div>

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\n\t\t\tJodi Ann Tolman\t\t<\/p>\n\t

Peace in Christ<\/a><\/p><\/div>

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\n\t\t\tJodi Ann Tolman\t\t<\/p>\n\t

Down by the Salley Gardens<\/a><\/p><\/div>

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Shop Jodi Ann’s music<\/a><\/h3>\n
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Tell us about your music:<\/h4>\n

When I write original compositions, I like to write songs that are reflective and relaxing. I want listeners, and harpists, to be touched emotionally by the music and able to be transported away from their worries and stress. I write my music to be accessible for late-beginner to intermediate harpists. I believe that music doesn\u2019t have to be difficult or complicated to sound full and beautiful.<\/p>\n

What’s the work you’re most proud of?:<\/h4>\n

One arrangement I\u2019m proud of is \u201cDown by the Salley Gardens<\/a>.\u201d I just love the way it sounds, particularly the descending baseline in the second verse and the ornamentation in the melody.<\/p>\n

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Jodi Ann looks to her family for inspiration in her harp writing.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I\u2019m also really happy with my original composition \u201cHere With You<\/a>.\u201d It\u2019s only the second composition for harp I\u2019ve written and it brings me a lot of joy to play. I love hearing from other harpists who tell me how it has touched their hearts. \u201cHere With You\u201d was inspired by and dedicated to my oldest daughter, Annie. She was born with Aicardi Syndrome and is mentally and physically limited in her abilities, depending on us for all her daily care. Doctors didn\u2019t expect her to live past the age of 2, but she is now almost 17. \u201cHere With You\u201d conveys the love that I have for her and the joy that she brings to my life, but the song, like our lives, also has moments of uncertainty or sadness. This song is a reflective piece, and its title originated from my gratitude for each day we get with our daughter.<\/p>\n

What arrangements\/compositions do you have planned for the near future?<\/h4>\n

I am currently working on an arrangement of \u201cI Need Thee Every Hour\u201d which I hope to have finished soon. I just need to tie up some final details with it, so I hope to release it soon. It\u2019s been a while since I arranged a hymn, so it\u2019s been fun to work on this one. I\u2019m sure I\u2019ll have more hymns coming soon too.<\/p>\n

I also have plans for an arrangement of \u201cGreensleeves\u201d as well as a new original composition, which will be for my youngest daughter, Lexie. She loves falling asleep to me playing my harp and often asks me to play for her at bedtime. I\u2019ve also learned that if I start playing my harp near her bedtime, it motivates her to get ready for bed faster so she can fall asleep to my playing! So I will probably title that original composition \u201cSweetest Dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tell us more about some of the works you have listed on Harp Column Music:<\/h4>\n

My arrangement of the Welsh lullaby \u201cAll Through the Night<\/a>\u201d is lovingly dedicated to a precious girl named Macey Elizabeth Paup. Her family are wonderful friends of ours as we’ve helped each other through our daughters’ challenges dealing with Aicardi Syndrome. At 14 years old, Macey peacefully passed away at home surrounded by her family. I wrote this lullaby arrangement to help bring peace to her and her family during Macey\u2019s final days. Both the words and the melody of this song are beautiful and have touched my heart.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlways Forever<\/a>\u201d is my first original composition for harp. I titled this song, \u201cAlways Forever\u201d because my husband and I often sign our notes to each other, \u201cI love you, always forever.\u201d This song is dedicated to my husband because he has always been so supportive of my harp dreams. In 2014, when I told him that I wanted to learn how to play the harp, he didn\u2019t hesitate, and helped me find the best teacher. And when I wanted to buy my own harp, he didn\u2019t bat an eye at the price or question my decision. He encourages me to play and write, and even bargains with me that he\u2019ll do the dinner dishes if I\u2019ll go play my harp for him.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeace in Christ<\/a>\u201d is my arrangement of the 2018 theme song for the youth program in the church I attend, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Because it\u2019s such a beautiful song, my husband suggested I write an arrangement of it for the harp. However, I knew a harp solo wouldn\u2019t do the song justice, considering that the power and peace of the song were in the words. My daughter Molly, 13 at the time, needed to record a vocal solo for a project in her school\u2019s choir class. We decided that it would be perfect for her to sing this song with me on the harp. It was fun to work with her, and I\u2019m still grateful she let me post her singing on my YouTube channel!<\/p>\n

The idea for my \u201cAway in a Manger and Silent Night Medley<\/a>\u201d popped into my head one morning as I was getting ready for the day. The thought to add a little \u201cSilent Night\u201d refrain in between the phrases of \u201cAway in a Manger\u201d stuck in my head that morning and I knew I had to get it written down. Less than two hours later, I was finished with the arrangement. Today it is still my favorite Christmas song to play.<\/p>\n

My harp and flute\/violin duet arrangement of \u201cCome Thou Fount of Every Blessing<\/a>\u201d is based on a piano solo arrangement of mine, the very first arrangement I ever wrote. This is the song that launched me into the world of arranging, several years before I ever thought about playing the harp. This hymn is one of my husband\u2019s favorites, and after he had listened to it one day, he told me that I should find sheet music so I could play it on the piano for him. I searched for an arrangement that I liked, but none satisfied me. I decided that I could probably figure out the melody and chords and come up with something on my own. I was surprised at how much I liked the end result, so I started writing other hymn arrangements for the piano. Several years later when I started arranging for the harp, I knew I wanted to translate this piano arrangement to the harp. I also needed a piece that I could perform in church with my friend who plays flute. So this duet was born and it remains one of my favorites.<\/p>\n

Where do you look for inspiration?<\/h4>\n

My testimony of Jesus Christ inspires the hymns that I arrange. I always try to convey a reflective feeling of reverence and peace through those songs. My family gives me inspiration for some of my songs as well. The love we have, the trials we share, the grief we\u2019ve felt, and the support we give each other, all help contribute to the songs I write, particularly my original compositions. I like to feel as if I\u2019m putting my heart on the page and into my harp strings. Notes don\u2019t become music until emotion is added.<\/p>\n

Are there any composers\/arrangers who particularly inspire you?<\/h4>\n

I heard Brook Boddie\u2019s \u201cUpon the Willows<\/a>\u201d shortly after deciding that I wanted to play the harp. I was looking online for sound samples of the harp I was considering purchasing (a Thormahlen Serenade) when I came across Brook\u2019s recording of this piece on YouTube. I fell in love with the song, and the Thormahlen harp he played. I bought the Thormahlen Serenade and vowed to learn \u201cUpon the Willows.\u201d Exactly one year after I started playing the harp, I was able to perform Brook\u2019s song at my very first harp recital. It will always be one of my favorites and one that I look to for inspiration in my own writing. I love Brook\u2019s style and how his songs are simple but sound full and beautiful and convey a feeling of quiet reflection. Similarly, I also enjoy the soothing styles of Rhett Barnwell and Frank Voltz.<\/p>\n

What’s your most favorite harp work to play?<\/h4>\n

It\u2019s so hard to pick just one song that I love to play! I enjoy playing Rhett Barnwell\u2019s \u201cLullaby<\/a>.\u201d I love the simple and beautiful melody and how the piece grows with big arpeggios. From my own works, I love playing \u201cDown by the Salley Gardens\u201d with its beautiful ornamentations, and \u201cHere With You\u201d because it is so relaxing and calming. My absolute favorite Christmas song to play is my \u201cAway in a Manger and Silent Night Medley\u201d that I arranged. I love hearing the small refrains from \u201cSilent Night\u201d peek through the melody of \u201cAway in a Manger\u201d in the third verse.<\/p>\n

What’s your most favorite harp work to listen to?:<\/h4>\n

It\u2019s hard to pick my favorite harp song to listen to, but I do enjoy \u201cLa Source\u201d by Alphonse Hasselmans. I love the simple melody over the waterfall of descending arpeggios. Another song I enjoy hearing on the harp is Bach\u2019s \u201cToccata and Fugue in D Minor.\u201d I love that a song written for a grand organ can still translate so beautifully to the harp.<\/p>\n

What other music do you enjoy listening to?<\/h4>\n

I listen to pop and classical music the most. My husband teases me that he always knows when I\u2019ve been driving his car because the radio will be set to the classical station. I also really like songs from musicals, everything from Broadway to Disney.<\/p>\n

What do you do when you’re not being a musician?<\/h4>\n

I am a wife and mother, and spend a lot of time with my family. I\u2019m often with my special-needs daughter at her frequent doctor appointments, or tending to her needs at home. I keep pretty busy teaching my other two daughters piano lessons, helping with homework, and keeping up with all their various activities including band and show choir rehearsals, competitions, and concerts. I also serve as the President of the Young Women\u2019s organization at our church, which means I oversee all the teenage girls ages 11\u201318. We meet together for gospel lessons on Sundays and have weekly activities as well. I love traveling and especially enjoy camping with my family in our little pop-up trailer. I also love to read and have fun getting together with friends in a book group that I manage. I love the mountains, daisies, sunshine, summer, ice cream, sugar cookies, math, and playing games with my family.<\/p>\n

Lightning round! Give three interesting facts you think people would like to know about you:<\/h4>\n
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  1. I grew up playing several instruments including piano, organ, clarinet, bass clarinet and percussion. I was definitely a band geek and even served as Band President!<\/li>\n
  2. I graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in Math Education.<\/li>\n
  3. My hands are always cold!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Meet Jodi Ann Tolman, author of 18 (and counting!) inspirational arrangements and original compositions. The challenges in Jodi’s life, along with her faith, have helped shape her approach to the harp. We asked her to tell us more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":43405,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[290],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artist-profile"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/harpcolumn.com\/music\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43399","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/harpcolumn.com\/music\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/harpcolumn.com\/music\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harpcolumn.com\/music\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harpcolumn.com\/music\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43399"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/harpcolumn.com\/music\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43399\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43464,"href":"https:\/\/harpcolumn.com\/music\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43399\/revisions\/43464"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harpcolumn.com\/music\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/harpcolumn.com\/music\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harpcolumn.com\/music\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43399"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harpcolumn.com\/music\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}