Recording the Harp with Erik Ask-Upmark | Type: Lecture   | Level: Any   | When: Live Zoom   7/30/23 5-6:30pm
Even if the CD has gone the way of the dodo, recorded music is still a thing, and at some point you will probably need or want to make a recording of yourself playing the harp - maybe just for archival or personal reasons, or maybe in the hope of making the ultimate, best-selling harp recording of all time! Either way, Erik is here to show you some of the best and most practical ways to make it happen. We will discuss things such as microphones, recording software (Mac or PC), post processing and applying effects, and lots more. Apart from working as a freelance musician, Erik founded his own record label (Nordic Tradition, www.nordictradition.com) back in the late 1990's and has recorded over 20 full-length albums on this label alone as well as doing all kinds of studio work over the years.

Renaissance Harp Ensemble with Nancy Hurrell | Type: Hands-On   | Level: Beg./Int.   | When: Live   | 7/22/23 3-4:30pm
Join Nancy in a Renaissance harp ensemble play-along. You will learn pieces from the early 17th Century arranged in multi-level harp parts. These ensemble arrangements have been performed by Nancy’s students in the Brandeis University Early Music Ensemble. Advanced beginners and intermediate level; sight-reading is necessary.

Rhythm me this, Rhythm me that!! with Robbin Gordon-Cartier | Type: Hands-On   | Level: Any   | When: Live   | 7/22/23 3-4:30pm
Rhythm often seems as puzzling as the riddles told by the Riddler form Batman years ago, But just like a riddle, if you take the time to unravel the content, patterns, similarities and solutions present themselves clearly and regularly. Let’s take on some common and uncommon rhythms to make reading music easy and correct!! Many can read the letter names of notes but never get the rhythm to match. Come to this class ready to work on rhythms with fun and success!

Rhythm Workout with Maeve Gilchrist | Type: Hands-on   | Level: Int.   | Archive Add-on
Rhythm brings vitality and drive to music and can make the difference between an amateur and a professional. Maeve will focus on rhythm and how to incorporate it into warm-up and practice routines to strengthen all aspects of your playing. Learn about hand independence, poly-rhythms, syncopation, ostinato's and more!

Scotland's Simon Fraser Collection: Beauties of the North with Rachel Hair | Type: Hands-on   | Level: Int-Adv   | Archive Add-on
Scotland has a wealth of wonderful tune collections of traditional music and song and Rachel's favourite collector is Captain Simon Fraser from the Lochaber area of the Scottish Highlands. He took the time in the 19th century to notate hundreds of melodies from the region. Come to this workshop to explore with Rachel the beauties of this collection, first published in 1816.

Scottish Ceilidh Dance with Rachel Hair | Type: Dance   | Level: Any   | When: Live   | 7/22/23 9-11pm
Leave your harp well out of the way for this workshop as Rachel teaches you some of the most popular Scottish Ceilidh dances. Dress for moderate level exercise and wear comfortable shoes!

Scottish Gaelic Language and Song: Isle of Skye with Màiri Chaimbeul | Type: Hands-on   | Level: Any | When: Live Zoom   | 07/30/23 1-2:30pm EDT
Màiri will teach a Scottish Gaelic melody from the Isle of Skye, working through suggestions of fingering, ornamentation, variations and left hand ideas that emphasize and support the melodic phrasing. You'll learn about the background of the tune, hear some versions from archival and contemporary recordings and how the Gaelic language impacts the rhythm of the melody.

Scottish Gaelic Language and Song: Isle of South Uist with Màiri Chaimbeul | Type: Hands-on   | Level: Any  | When: Zoom   | 7/29/23 3pm-4:30pm EDT
Màiri will teach a lovely Scottish Gaelic melody from the island of South Uist, working through suggestions of fingering, ornamentation, variations and left hand options to help the tune flow. You'll learn about the background of the tune, hear some versions from archival and contemporary recordings, and hear how the Gaelic language informs the rhythm of the melody.

Seasons of the Harp™️ Sampler | Type: Hands-on  | Level: Any  | When: Zoom  | 9/9/23 10:00am-11:30am EDT
Journey through the seasons with your harp, exploring the natural rhythms and music that is in harmony with them. Martha Gallagher shares music, illuminations and inspirations that will spark your imagination and ways to choose and/or create music that will grow a repertoire centered around Nature and the seasons. Whether you are a performer, a therapeutic musician, a Creation Justice advocate or someone who simply loves to have a season-inspired piece or two to play for personal enjoyment, this workshop is sure to delight and inspire! This workshop is a special sampler offering of tasty tidbits from Martha's expanded online harp retreat Seasons of the Harp™️.

Secrets to Effective Practicing with Maeve Gilchrist | Type: Hands-on   | Level: Any   | Archive Add-on
In this workshop, Maeve will walk you through a well rounded practice session focusing on the warm up and how to incorporate metronome use right from the beginning. Combining rhythm, hand independence and finger exercises for a thorough and effective warmup, you'll realize that the most effective routine is one that YOU can create to fit your own level and challenge yourself. She'll then give examples of how to isolate problem parts of pieces or tunes and tackle them, using time in an effective way and saving the most enjoyable parts of playing to the very end of the practice session as a reward! Questions and group participation will be highly encouraged in this workshop in order for participants to get the most out of it that they possibly can. This will be a fun and highly useful workshop for any level of harpist.

Shetland to Scandinavia Connections with Ailie Robertson | Type: Hands-on   | Level: Int.   | Archive Add-on
The Shetland Islands, located between Scotland and Norway, have a rich Celtic and Scandinavian heritage. Come with Ailie and explore Shetland's rich music traditions and find out what makes for its distinctive sounds and techniques. Ailie will teach traditional and contemporary music from Shetland and explain what makes this area unique.

Shetland tunes to get your playing to flow with Sunita Staneslow | Type: Hands-On   | Level: Any   | When: Live   | 7/22/23 1-2:30PM
Get your playing to flow! Sunita will teach you techniques to bring more flow and magic to your playing using several Shetland tunes that work well on the harp. She moved last summer to Shetland and learned this music from local musicians. The Unst Boat Song, Shetland Carol and Starry Nights of Shetland. You will learn the melodies, discuss style and Sunita will share her full arrangements.

Silk Road Journey of the Ancient Asian Harp with Tomoko Sugawara | Type: Lecture  | Level: Any   | When: 7/29/231-2:30PM
Among the earliest known instrument is the Angular Harp. It is first shown inarchaeological records, 2000 BC. This instrument is no longer played, but dominatedAsia for a long time, and was played across the continent under various names. TheJapanese called it “Kugo,” and many fine examples have survived in Japan since 750AD. On the replica, Tomoko plays pieces from periods and places where the kugowas played. Her Chinese and Japanese repertoire hails from the 9th and the 11th centuries.

Sing and Play with Deborah Henson-Conant | Type: Hands-On   | Level: Any   | When: Live   | 7/21/23 1-2:30pm
Learn techniques so you can sit down and sing and play – any time you want, without music, all alone for fun, with friends and family, or in a therapeutic setting. DHC will give you tools to help you accompany singers or other instruments by reading simple chords and creating accompaniment patterns on the fly. Deborah will show you easy steps to follow as you learn to understand the basics of how singing and playing works. You’ll be creating your own songs in no time!

Spanish Dances of the 17th Century with Christa Patton | Type: Dance   | Level: Any   | When: Live   | 7/22/23 3-4:30pm
Dances were used to teach the harp in 17th century Spain. Improvisation in melody and accompaniment formed the basis of harp technique and musicianship which we still hear today in the harp traditions of Latin America. Learning these basic progressions and rhythmic patterns is fun and a wonderful way to jam away the hours. All harps welcome

Spanish Harp's Fiery Improvs & Sublime Fantasias with Nancy Hurrell | Type:   | Level: Beg./Int.   | When: Live   | 7/21/23 3-4:30pm
Harp music from 16th - 18th century Spain has syncopated rhythms and dramatic harmonies. We’ll explore the dance music in the Luz y Norte of Ruiz de Ribayaz (1677) and the sublime polyphonic gems from Libro de Cifra Nueva of Venegas de Henestrosa (1557), some of the first music published for harp. In the style of the period, we’ll use improvisational techniques and go beyond the notes on the page. Advanced beginners and intermediate level; sight-reading is necessary.

Storytelling and the Harp with Nicolas Carter | Type: Hands-on   | Level: Any   | When: Live   | 7/21/23 3-4:30pm
Make storytelling come alive with your harp! ​Through Nicolas’s warm, affirming guidance, you will surprise yourself as he guides you through improvising melodies and creating sounds with your harp. Accompany your storytelling and enjoy what your hands can create. Bring a story to share.

Sunday Add-On with Deborah Henson-Conant | Type:   | Level:   | When: Live   | 7/23/23 9:30-5pm

Sunday Meet-Up for Thursday Add-On Students with Shelley Fairplay | Type:   | Level: Any   | When: Live   | 7/23/23 9-9:30
Meet Up with Shelley to share your harp experiences from the weekend.

Swedish Christmas music with Erik Ask-Upmark | Type:Hands-on   | Level:Any   | When: Live Zoom 7/30/23 10-11:30am
It will maybe feel a bit strange to play Christmas music in July, but it is actually the perfect time to start practicing, so you’ll have those tunes ready when December comes around! In case you didn't know, Christmas is HUGE in the Nordic countries, and there's an enormous amount of traditional music that comes with it. You will learn some essential Swedish Christmas tunes that will have everyone humming along, from perky polskas to smarmy Romantic choral songs arranged for the harp, as well as hauntingly beautiful medieval ballads, all connected to the Nordic Christmas ("Jul/Yule") in some way! Almost by definition, there will be many songs in this workshop but you don't need to know Swedish OR be a singer in order to enjoy it!