Future blog posts on fischarper.com!

Check out www.fischarper.com/blog for future blog posts!

Harps: Lever or Pedal?

collage made/edited with Pixlr and Adobe Photoshop Elements 7.0

I recently received an inquiry about harps for a new student. Thought I'd share a modified version of my response.

There are different types of harps, but the most common in the U.S. are pedal harps and lever harps (even harps with no levers or pedals). Both pedal and pedal-free harps are harps and the musicians who play them should be respected as such. Lever harps are not necessarily beginner harps and can be used by beginners and professionals alike. There are professional harpers (lever harp players) and professional harpists. Some people can move levers very impressively! Whether or not a student plans eventually like to add the pedal harp to his/her repertoire, a lever harp will be beneficial and a good basis. Both types can play a variety of genres. Lever harps are also more affordable and generally more portable. :)

Some websites I'd recommend perusing for harps and harp information are Virginia Harp Center, Lyon and Healy, Salvi, Camac, Sylvia Woods Harp Center, Harp Spectrum, and Harp Column. These sites should be a good start. :)

Exploring the music that is played on the various models can be useful and fun. Some harpists/harpers you might like to check out are Jakez François, Louise Trotter, Greg Buchanan, Deborah Hensen-Conant, Park Stickney, and Susann McDonald, and, of course, Harpo Marx. :)

If you're a harpist/harper, do you prefer playing pedal or pedal-free harps?

-Barbara

Making Harp Lessons Exciting for Young Children, 2nd ed

click the image to find the PDF at Sylvia Woods Harp Center!

Are you ready for some super exciting news?! My mom's book, Making Harp Lessons Exciting for Young Children (2nd edition revised and edited by yours truly) is now available for purchase through the Sylvia Woods Harp Center! It's a PDF, so you can read it from your tablet or print it out. It's got lots of good ideas for teachers any instrument, if I do say so myself. My mom did a great job!

If you want to read this on a Kindle, check this tutorial on converting PDFs to Kindle format. I'm not sure how this will work, so it might have to be read as a PDF. Let me know if you try it!

Thank you for following! What's your favorite part of the book?

-Barbara

Still blogging at this spot!

Hi all,

I posted previously that I was planning to start blogging on my website, fischarper.com. However, I've decided to keep the blog here for the time being :)

Stay tuned for an exciting announcement! You might've already seen it posted on social media or my website.

Have a great day!

-Barbara

New Website!

I now have a website! Check out the blog section of fischarper.com, where I'm planning to post future blog entries. :)

DIY Halloween Treats For Students -- Roundup

Here are some cute and easy ideas for gifts to give your students for Halloween!


 
1. These cute magnetic spiders from Delia Creates would be easy to make.



2. A pinner (I don't think it was me) suggests redecorating Easter eggs to make these skull treat holders. Or you can go with Martha Stewart's project, where the image is pinned from.


3. Make candy corn bowling sets, like Angel over on Fleece Fun.


4. An easy idea from Pimp My Dinner (found via Polish the Stars, via CraftsBits & CraftGossip on Pinterest).


5. Here's a similar idea from The NY Melrose Family.


Do you give your students little gifts around various holidays? Would you like to?

-Barbara

P.S. You can check out my Halloween Pinterest board here.

*I try to link back to the source, but if I've posted an image and you want me to remove it, just let me know.*

Posts About Business and Dreams

Do you know where this picture is from? I really like it!

Want some inspiration? Check out the links below!

A Pair & A Spare was one of the earlier blogs that I started reading. See some advice from Geneva here.
I really enjoy A Beautiful Mess. Here are 3 inspiring posts from that lovely blog: 1, 2, 3.


You can see blog posts that I think are peachy-keen over on BlogLovin.

Have you seen any super-inspiring articles on the web? Do share!

-Barbara

Casual Summer Gig

Casual Summer Gig by bharpy featuring flat sandals

ONLY short sleeve shirt
$36 - only.com

BKE core beige tank top
buckle.com

Dorothy Perkins maxi skirt
dorothyperkins.com

ASOS leather sandals
asos.com

ASOS flat sandals
$33 - asos.com

Tiffany Co tote bag
$1,185 - tiffany.co.uk

Rhinestone hair accessory
smile.amazon.com

When Young Students Don't Listen

picture made with Adobe Photoshop

Do you have students who you feel like just don't listen to you? It can be really frustrating when students are disrespectful. Younger students especially need boundaries.

Here are some suggestions for helping young students listen:

1) When the student does listen, make sure to let them know that you noticed. Specific, positive praise is your friend here.

2) If the student insists on playing a different song than you requested, ignore him or her. It might help your patience if you remember that you're getting paid for that time even if the students isn't using it wisely.

3) Consider extra stickers and/or a special prize if the student does an exceptional job listening (be careful to ONLY reward with the extra/special incentive if the student is behaving well, otherwise this can just reinforce bad habits).

4) Notice if the student's behavior changes (positively or negatively) when the parent is not present. Sometimes there's a power-struggle.

5) Be patient (but not wimpy!). It could be that the student who's being problematic will become one of the students whose lessons you most look forward to. :)

What are your experiences with student behavior? How do you handle it?

-Barbara


 

Tap City 2014: tap as a musical instrument

I recently attended Tap City 2014. Fun! Remember my post on music and tap dance? Well, this festival really encouraged the musicality of tap dance. The festival offered opportunities to study both rhythm tap and Broadway-style tap.

It's great to get yourself in a situation where you can learn about your field in different ways. For example, I don't think the average person thinks of extreme musicality when thinking of tap dance. Yes, maybe the rhythmic aspect is thought of, but what about the different tones the taps make? Did you realize that where you hit the tap can make a different tone? Being attentive to these things in tap will likely help you and/or your student(s) to be more aware of such things when playing other instruments, and going to a festival like this can give you new perspectives and exposure to different teaching styles.
How about improv? Barbara Duffy taught a great workshop on tap improv, which could help with musical improv.
Also, there was quite a bit of scatting going on, especially in Brenda Bufalino's residency.

Have you ever attended a festival or workshop for another field that could be applied to your music teaching?

-Barbara

At the Movies: Vol. 2

I'm pretty excited about this volume of "At the Movies." The following episodes have lots of educational goodness! Who would have thought that students could learn so much about music from Batman?

Batman -- "The Minstrel's Shakedown"
"Music and electronic energy are both transmitted by waves." -Robin
Although this episode doesn't actually have a harp in it, it has references to music and is part 1 of the story that leads to....
Batman -- "Barbecued Batman?"
1 or 2 harps visible
Batman also talks about "sympathetic vibrations."

Some activities you can do with your student:
Bass clef and treble clef
Quarter note (hats) and eighth note (shirts/sweaters)
Identify songs/tunes that the minstrel sings

Also, one of the characters is called "Octavia." Get it? Like octave?

As always, make sure the parent(s) approve(s) of the selection if the student is a child.

-Barbara

Studio Inspo Roundup

Happy Fourth of July!  I have another roundup to share with you this week. Last time was a roundup of Independence Day ideas; today is a roundup of studio inspiration from my "Studio Inspo" board on Pinterest.

• This way cool desk made from a piano.

• A nifty keyboard-themed rack/coat-hanger.

• Another repurposed piano, this time as a bookshelf.

• This chair! I really like the bass clef on the left arm and the treble clef on the right arm.

• A clever music-themed clock.

Do you have a studio? Do you dream of having a studio?

-Barbara

Fourth of July Ideas

The Fourth of July (Independence Day in the U.S.) is one week from the posting of this entry!
To celebrate, here are some links to projects you might like to include in your lessons.

• This composition activity.

• In the lesson or for homework, students can study the American composers John Phillip Sousa and Stephen Foster. Don't forget about John Stafford Smith.

• Visit Teachers Pay Teachers for this neat-looking set of free set of American composer coloring/fact sheets.

These are just a few ideas. Do you have any special activities that you do with music students for the 4th of July?

-Barbara

Luncheon Gig (Wardrobe Inspo)

Luncheon Gig by bharpy featuring stud earrings

Anna Field black shirt
$42 - zalando.co.uk

STELLA McCARTNEY dress pants
stellamccartney.com

Accessorize flat shoes
accessorize.com

Vince Camuto black handbag
vincecamuto.com

Stud earrings
pagoda.com

Cat-eye glasses
etsy.com




Do you ever use Polyvore? It's kinda fun to go on and put together outfits (there are more options than just clothing/fashion though). I might just post some outfit ideas here from time to time. Note that I included a bag idea that (hopefully) could work as a gig bag.
I think this outfit might be nice for a steady daytime gig in particular.
What's your go-to gig outfit?

Have a great day!

-Barbara

Dreading Lessons?

Do you dread lessons? If you do, here are a few questions to ask yourself:

• Do I dread all lessons or just certain ones? Is it because of the subject matter/instrument or is it a student/teacher clash of personalities (or a disrespectful student)?
• What don't I like about lessons? Be as specific as possible, but don't be afraid to start out vague.

There are a few options for this:

1. Take a break/vacation! Don't be afraid to take off all of December after your Christmas recital (if you have a recital then). December's often a busy month for musicians...and probably for your students too! Consider taking a summer break (all summer or just part of it) too. It's good to have a little break to refresh.
2. Consider lowering the number of students you teach. You can kindly let the students/parents know that you are reducing your number of students, but that you recommend so-and-so, etc. Don't forget to thank them for studying with you!

Maybe teaching just isn't your thing. That's ok. If you don't financially need to teach and you don't like it, don't do it. Life isn't stress-free, but enjoy what you can. If you choose not to teach, think of it as more job opportunities for those who love it and you do what you love. The world would be pretty boring (and competitive!) if we all adored the same things, huh?

These are just a few ideas....what do you think? I think taking a short vacation from lessons is a good option if you're feeling burnt out/


How do you feel about teaching? What are your suggestions?

-Barbara

Clay harp decoration

Products used:
Sculpey clay
This stamp
This ink 

Step 1: Roll clay into a ball.

Step 2: Roll out flat.

Step 3: Stamp.

Step 4: Cut it out.

Step 5: Roll excess into long tube.









Step 6: Frame with excess.













Not pictured --
Step 7: Bake according to directions.
Step 8 (optional): Add a magnet to back.

If you make one, be sure to leave me a link!

-Barbara

"Why I Want to Play the Harp"

Here's an idea for a beginning homework assignment. Have the student draw a picture or write why he or she wants to play the harp (or any other instrument that you're teaching). There are several ways you can adapt this, depending on student age and interest. Student can:

• paint, draw, or use a different art medium
• make a collage
• make a sculpture
• make a mixed-media piece
• write a song
• write a poem
• write an essay

You could even do several of these options at different times. How would you use it? Have you done anything like this -- either as a teacher or a student?

-Barbara

Things I've Learned... // Studio Recital

Things I learned from my 2nd studio recital...

1) Tell students to be there by a certain time. Make the time a little early, because at least one student will likely be late.

2) Clarify which students will perform, preferably in writing to avoid confusion.

3) Invite your friends! Friendly support is a great thing!

4) Make an announcement at the end of the recital requesting students to join you for a group picture.

5) Invite people ahead of time and send out periodic reminders.

Most importantly, have fun and encourage your students to do the same!

-Barbara

Window Shopping: Etsy

Text added with Adobe Photoshop Elements 7.0

Here are some interesting harp items I've seen on Etsy...

This nifty rubber stamp for making pedal diagrams.

Pedal diagram stickers from the same shop.

This cute little pill case (which has both harp and ballet!....see this post about music and ballet).

This pretty hanky has been sold, but it looks like there's a similar one available.

Have you ever shopped on Etsy? What are some of your favorite finds?

-Barbara

At the Movies: Vol. 1

app used: beFunky

Greeting readers!
Today I'll be sharing a list of some movies with harps. These might be nice to add to your lending library if you have one. Of course, make sure they're age-appropriate and you might want to make sure that the student clears it with his/her parent(s) before watching, depending on the age of the student.
So, here's a non-exhaustive list of movies with harps:
 The Bishop's Wife
The Princess Diaries
And of course, any movies with Harpo Marx
What are some harp-containing movies that you recommend?
Have a great day!
-Barbara