About
Playing the harp is easier than you think.
Lever harp, double-strung harp, and therapeutic music: I specialize in adults who want to start from scratch or raise their current playing off a plateau.
I understand the particular challenges of learning a new skill after childhood. I understand the trap of thinking it is too late to change or to start something new.
I have been playing the harp since 1993 and teaching since 2012. I have been teaching via Zoom videoconference since 2018.
I offer lessons on a weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or catch-as-catch-can basis. What works best for you?
So many people put off starting something new--it's scary, or there will be more time "later," or it will take "too long" to get "good enough" so why even bother? Or, you know you're doing something ineffective, but correcting it means admitting that you've "wasted" an amount of time, so you continue as is rather than admit your "mistake" and make the improvement.
To be able to help you move past these things...I can't begin to describe how awesome that is.
No fear. No failure. All fun.
Specialties
Students age
Able to read music
Years experience
Has instrument
Reviews
Alec G.
Trish W.
Sarah P.
Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
I email a list of questions to understand what you are looking for and make sure that we will be a good fit.
Everything can usually be answered over email, but we can also follow up by speaking live via Zoom to demonstrate how well videoconference lessons work.
Our first lesson always includes an additional 30 minutes for getting to know each other and make any adjustments in using Zoom.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
In 2008, I began courses with the Music for Healing and Transition Program (MHTP), graduating in 2012 as a Certified Music Practitioner (CMP).
In 2019, I completed courses with the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) to become a Certified Personal Trainer (CPT).
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
30 minutes via Zoom videoconference: $55
55 minutes via Zoom videoconference: $75
Rates for traveling to your home are negotiated.
Payment through PayPal, Venmo, or Zelle.
Set up weekly lessons, bi-weekly, monthly, or catch-as-catch-can; whatever works best for your adult life.
How did you get started teaching?
One of the things I noticed at the harp conferences I attended was that the adult students were disappointed by their progress with the harp. I admired all of these students who had picked up a brand new instrument later in life. I wanted them to be proud that they had gotten up off the couch and actually taken the steps to do something about their desire to make music.
I hate to see people unhappy or frustrated. It is my hope that I can encourage adult students in the path they’ve chosen, either by being their teacher, or providing useful information on this website.
What types of students have you worked with?
I have worked with students whose goals are to play therapeutic music for patients, to jam with folk groups, to gig, or to play just for themselves and inner circle of friends and family.
Most have had previous experience with music in some way, such as singing in choir. Some were brand new to the harp, some were switching harp teachers, some had "given up" and were looking for a way back to the instrument.
My students are all adults; some are in their 80s.
Describe a recent event you are fond of.
Anyone who is interested in the harp should attend the Somerset Folk Harp Festival, every July in Parsippany, New Jersey. It is a long weekend of harp workshops, with concerts every night featuring four different music genres on harp. The vendor hall takes up multiple hotel ballrooms, and you can play on harps from at least a dozen luthiers.
http://www.somersetharpfest.com/
What advice would you give a student looking to hire a teacher in your area of expertise?
Understand your own learning style, and make sure that the teacher will work with you in the way that you learn best:
Can you follow written directions? Verbal? If not, how do you accurately consume instructions?
Does the teacher insist that you learn to read music, when you want to learn by ear? Must you perform at student recitals? Is there anything else you don't want to be required to do musically?
Next, consider your music goals, and confirm that the teacher can help you achieve them. Most contractors are given a specific task to accomplish: install this faucet, build my website, fix the clanking noise when I start the car. How can you similarly approach your potential harp teacher?
See more on my website about choosing a teacher: https://www.enjoytheharp.com/choosing-a-music-teacher
What questions should students think through before talking to teachers about their needs?
Why do you want to play harp?
What is your top goal for these lessons--play therapeutically for patients, jam with other musicians, gig, just play for your own enjoyment, something else?
Do you have any injuries that could affect your playing?
What is your biggest frustration with how you're currently working towards your goals, if anything?
With previous music teachers (harp, vocal/choral), what worked best for you in how you learned? What did not work so well?
See more on my website about defining your goals: https://www.enjoytheharp.com/set-your-music-goals