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3 Reasons You Need to Attend Harp Mastery Day

Jun 14, 2013

Saturday, June 22 I will be giving workshops at “Lark Music Presents Anne Sullivan’s Harp Mastery.” I am very excited about this first-time ever event. I will be able to share some of the valuable things I learned from my teachers and from my own years of teaching privately and at the Curtis Institute of Music. And I am especially looking forward to meeting many of you and...

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Enjoy Your Summer Practice? I Do!

Jun 12, 2013

 

 
 
 
 
 
©iStockphoto.com/Kameel

I love practicing in the summer. I always feel motivated, relaxed and inspired.

It all started the first year I went to harp camp in Camden, Maine. I had never had a daily schedule that was completely my own. I could spend the day however I chose, and the most important thing only my daily agenda was practicing and lots of...

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Turn Around an Epic Fail โ€“ Part 2

Jun 10, 2013
We all have them from time to time, an epic fail in a performance. Whether it’s a memory slip you can’t recover from or a glaring error that cuts to the core, you wish that the floor would open up and swallow you whole. The first installment of this two-part blog post showed you how to move forward and get your groove back if this should happen to you. This second part will show you...
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Turn Around an Epic Fail โ€“ Part 1

Jun 07, 2013

 

 

 

 

 

          ©iStockphoto.com/Joan Kimball

We all have them from time to time, an epic fail in a performance. Whether it’s a memory slip you can’t recover from or a glaring error that cuts us to the core, you wish that the floor would open up and swallow you whole. This first installment of a two-part blog post will show...

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Harp Mastery Notes and Quotes

Jun 05, 2013
This is an “odds and ends” sort of post with some important news, some blog post updates and a couple of quotes to motivate you.
Practice, which some regard as a chore, should be approached as just about the most pleasant recreation ever devised.
– Babe Didrikson Zaharias, American athlete (1911-1956)

Post Update: Lawrence had a great addition to the Schubert Ave Maria blog...

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Develop Your Glissando Color Palette

May 31, 2013

 

 

 

 

 

     © Brian Santa Maria iStockphoto

Not long ago, I played a contemporary cantata at a church. The piece had an uncomplicated harp part, and I settled myself comfortably for an easy rehearsal. My first entrance was a simple glissando upsweep, and as I played it, I got the little electric thrill I always get when I play a glissando....

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Schubertโ€™s Ave Maria โ€“ the Real Story

May 28, 2013

It’s wedding season again, and time to dust off all the tried and true ceremony music, from the Pachelbel Canon in D to the Mendelssohn Wedding March. And surely at least once this season, there will be the beloved Schubert Ave Maria.

I have always considered this an interesting wedding selection. Without question the music is sublime, and it makes a lovely setting for the medieval Latin...

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My 500 Word Commencement Address

May 24, 2013
This post was inspired by Kim Rowe’s May 18 blog post on the Harp Column website.
No, I was NOT asked to give a commencement address to music school graduates. But if I were asked, this is what I would say in 500 words:

Dear New Music Graduates, Congratulations! You are about to embark on the exciting adventure known as a career in music. Don’t listen to those who tell you that the...

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5 Steps to Building Your Repertoire

May 19, 2013

Wouldn’t it be nice if you had some music you could just sit down and play?

Like most young music students, I learned to hate when my parents had visitors. The reason? I knew I would be asked to play for them. I used to protest that my pieces weren’t ready. My parents countered with, “What about that piece you learned last month?” Unfortunately, I’d already...

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Interesting Stopping Points

May 17, 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

A painting is never finished – it simply stops in interesting places. – Paul Gardner, arts writer

I heard this quoted at a university commencement ceremony this week. The speaker was making the usual point about the ceremony marking the beginning of a new life phase, not merely the end of school. Absolutely true.

But how many times...

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