Recently a colleague asked me if I would ever consider accepting a harp student at the college level who did not want to major in harp.
My answer was a resounding "Yes!!"
I enjoy working with harp majors - it is always great to help harpists who are super serious about their instrument to further their career path. But I also feel that there are only so many job opportunities out there for those who choose to major in harp performance.
During my teaching career of over 30 years I have coached hundreds of harpists who went on to major in things like law, medicine, business, pharmacy studies, language, etc. but still wanted to keep playing harp. Some of them went on to be part-time professional harpists, as an addition to their other careers, and some only played for fun, but they all wanted not only to keep playing, but to continue to grow. Both as harpists and as overall musicians.
Now that I have grand concert pedal harps in place at both The University of Wisconsin Parkside and Carthage College, I am in a better position than ever to serve this population of harp students. Both schools have ample opportunities for ensemble playing - any student who consents to play in ensemble is eligible for applied harp lessons, even if they are not a music major. At Carthage there are also opportunities for study without the ensemble requirement.
I also teach my students, majors or non, to make their own arrangements, improvise, and play for music therapy purposes. I offer full coaching for all aspects of using harp as a business whether it be weddings or any other professional playing.
Click here for more information on studying harp at the University of Wisconsin Parkside
Click here for more information on studying harp at Carthage College
Or if you just want to chat about your college harp options email me at annesharp@tds.net or visit me on facebook or twitter or Linkedin.
