Harp Lessons
Samantha has been teaching harp for ten years both privately and at the university level. Her goals as a teacher are to give her students a solid foundation in playing the harp and a more general appreciation of music by providing a fun and supportive environment for them to learn. (Sam’s been known to incorporate puppets, sing loudly, and jump up and dance around the room during lessons.) She focuses on students’ individual goals, which can vary from becoming a concert soloist to learning how to play for their own enjoyment, and helps them develop a practical approach for reaching those goals.
She offers private lessons for beginner and advanced students of all ages from her home teaching studio in Philadelphia. Students work on a balance of technique, diverse repertoire development and music theory. Additionally, Sam teaches general musicianship skills, practice techniques, and about the proper care and feeding of the instrument.
In 2005, she became the Professional Associate for harp at the University of Pennsylvania and set up the harp program there. Her students range from the incoming freshman music minor who has studied harp for a decade to the senior astrophysics major who is just starting out. Students participate in studio classes and recitals and are encouraged to seek out diverse musical opportunities, whether that’s studying different genres, taking lessons with other teachers, or performing in unique environments.
Interested in lessons? Here’s what to expect.
SETTING UP LESSONS
- E-mail or call Samantha to set up a no-obligation appointment to discuss your current level, any previous music instruction you may have had, and your goals for learning an instrument.
- Bring any music books you may already have (harp or otherwise).
- Take a mini-lesson during the appointment to see what Sam’s teaching style is like.
- Sign up for lessons because learning the harp is SO MUCH FUN!
TAKING LESSONS
Here’s where the magic happens. Each lesson may include:
- Reviewing exercises to improve hand position and learn new techniques
- Learning new music, including fingering, dynamics and rhythms
- Tackling problems in pieces from the previous week
- Learning how to practice more effectively
- Sight-reading!
- Sam dancing around the room
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE
Lessons are a time to show off progress and be accountable to the teacher, but they’re not a time to practice. Practice is essential to mastery of any skill, and playing the harp is no exception. (You know how to get to Carnegie Hall, right?) Students should prepare for lessons by practicing on a regular basis. Samantha writes notes in the student’s music and in a separate notebook to help them remember what was discussed at each lesson, as well as goals for the next week.