Narrow your focus and immerse yourself in Paraguayan harp music by taking all 3 of these classes with Nicolas. The structure of this class is to work on one piece for three mornings and learn by observation, listening and hands on. Nicolas will be teaching "by ear." The song has a simple melodic phrase that Nicolas will use as the foundation for teaching a wide range of Paraguayan decorative harp techniques and repetition and playing together will solidify the piece. The class will have the option to perform their piece in the Sunday concert. You can download the tune and listen to it prior to coming to the festival. Link to the MP3 will follow.

Level: Int.
Type: Hands-on
When: Fri., Sat. & Sun.9:30am
Where:
Accessories: recording device

You'll never play music the same after this workshop. Find out how Bedside Harp cradles its patients in never-ending sound, going from the familiar to the unfamiliar and back again to the familiar-all by playing without notation or memorization. Learn their secrets in this hands-on, dynamic workshop where Edie will have you pulling in tunes by ear and then sustaining the sound and the mood.

Level: Any
Type: Hands-on
When:
Where:
Accessories:

This workshop is an opportunity to learn new music, effective approaches to ensemble, and group teaching methods. Ensemble and camaraderie are important with all instruments and in this session Candyce will demonstrate how the Suzuki method effectively utilizes group lesson time. She will teach Suzuki material to students and demonstrate a typical Suzuki group lesson. Participants of this workshop will get to play as a Suzuki harp ensemble with music straight from the repertoire along with music from the Suzuki duet books and supplementary material.

Level: Any
Type: Hands-on
When:
Where:
Accessories:

Rhett will focus on appropriate selections for a religious service in a church or temple. Whether you are a practiced church harpist looking to expand your repertoire or new to this field, this workshop is for you. Rhett will discuss practical repertoire guides for religious settings, including a survey of major denominations and worship styles, along with proper compensation, wedding and funeral suggestions and other aspects of playing in a sacred setting.

Level: Any
Type: Lecture
When:
Where:
Accessories: notepad

Every harp player needs to be aware of how their technique and body should work together to prevent injury and playing problems and facilitate the performance of difficult passages. With his medical background in the fields of Music Therapy and Sensory Motor Learning, Dr. Ortiz will help you focus on the right aspects of your technique and learn good habits. Breaking bad habits may seem difficult but Dr. Ortiz will help you prevent or correct these issues. Take this workshop as a preliminary to Alfredo's Sunday morning workshop.
1 MHTP CEU

Level: Any
Type: Hands-on
When: Fri.
Where:
Accessories: your feet

Experience the pulse and tempo of the elegant pavane, jolly branle, and fiery canario by dancing the steps as well as playing the music. Improvisation, style and sources are included. The dances learned in class will be performed and danced again at the Somerset Renaissance Ball on Friday nght.

Level: Any
Type: Hands-on
When: Fri.
Where:
Accessories: your feet

Learn how to create “free-flowing” music, used by therapeutic harpists and others, when playing a recognizable melody is not appropriate. Joanna will help you "primes the pump" to create  bridges between melodies. This workshop is ideal for the harpist who would like to use the entire range of their instrument—whatever its size—and get the most sound and resonance possible. You’ll learn helpful finger exercises and musical patterns, including the “River of Life” sequence.
1 MHTP CEU

Level: Any
Type: Hands-on
When:
Where:
Accessories: recording device, music stand

Tradisjonell skandinavisk harpemusikk! The hottest thing north of Celtic! Get an introduction to the beautiful and haunting tunes of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland, with a bit of geography and cultural history thrown in for fun. You'll leave this workshop with a few new tunes, an appreciation of this music and probably a few words of Norwegian.
1 MHTP CEU

Level: Any
Type: Hands-on
When:
Where:
Accessories: music stand, recording device

Explore an array of techniques that widen your expressive palette and apply them to the unique demands of Irish music. By listening to recordings with Marta you'll progress through phrasing, tonal and timbral shifts, and dynamics and then work on the mechanics of achieving these with attack and string release. Unlearn those mental blocks and increase your technical ability.

Level: Any
Type: Hands-on
When:
Where:
Accessories: recording device

Troubleshoot your bad playing posture. Find out how the Alexander Technique can help you literally feel better about your playing. You'll use Alexander Technique at the harp and several warm up exercises to give a more comfortable performance and the ability to practice for longer stretches.
1 MHTP CEU

Level: Any
Type: Lecture & Hands-on
When:
Where:

Be part of this Somerset tradition! Last year's harp ensemble garnered rave reviews. Janet will introduce some exciting new works for this harp ensemble. Participants are encouraged to attend the initial Friday workshop. The other get-togethers are informal practice sessions "after-hours" ( 2009 ensemblees requested this schedule). Optional Saturday 11:30am practice and Saturday night after the concert. There is a twenty- minute “presentation” on Sunday morning for the festival attendees in the concert hall. Please contact Janet regarding where to get the music: brandywineharp@juno.com  or refer to website updates for music availability in May.

All harpists can tell when a pro touches the harp - it's partly familiarity, technique, and that certain something. In this hands-on workshop, you'll learn tips, tricks, and techniques that will up-level your music both to you and to your listeners. You'll even impress yourself!

Level: Any
Type: Hands-on
When:
Where:
Accessories:

The character of 17th century Spanish music with its syncopated rhythms and flashy arpeggios is also present in the living tradition of Latin American music and the Paraguayan harp. Learn pieces from the Spanish source Luis de Ribayaz (1677) and also traditional Paraguayan tunes. A slideshow presentation illustrates the history, with surviving harps, cathedrals, explorers and the lush green landscape of Paraguay.
Open to companions

Level: Any
Type: Lecture & Hands-on
When:
Where:

This workshop is an add-on to the Thursday Teacher's Symposium because we just couldn't cover everything in one day! Ray will do an in-depth breakout session of what he considers the "essential" building blocks of a teacher's instructional repertoire. Besides presenting this serious compilation of the various source works (an extensive bibliography is the workshop handout), you'll get the performance context of the pieces from Ray with explanations of the advancing technical elements that are studied.
Open to companions

Level: Teachers
Type: Lecture & Demo
When:
Where:
Accessories: none

Explore the relationship between story and harp and learn how to move from personal narrative to combining harp with other kinds of stories. You'll explore harp as an accompaniment to a story and especially as a central character in world folklore. Participants will have an opportunity to practice "noodling around" with a short story. Optional: take Find Your Inner Storyteller as an intro to this workshop.

Level: Any
Type: Hands-on
When:
Where:
Accessories: recording device

You’ve seen those cute pictures of tiny tots learning to play the violin using the Suzuki method. But did you know that there is a Suzuki method for harp? Teachers and students of all ages are invited to come and experience the philosophy, technical skills, musicality, and nurturing environment the Suzuki teaching method creates.  Demonstrating material from the repertoire and teaching some quick memorization techniques, Candyce teaches what this method is really all about and why it works so well for the harp. Learn how quickly students can develop their technique through this method and how Suzuki’s "mother tongue" approach can work for harpists of all ages. 

Level: Teachers
Type: Lecture/ Demo
When:
Where:
Accessories:your notepad

Workshop descriptions and schedules are subject to change.
Changes are posted as soon as possible. This page updated 2/27/10