This article extra is part of the Summer Camp Roundup in this issue.

A day at the Midwest Harp Festival

Melissa Srb
Melissa Srb, age 18, Lincoln, Neb.

Last summer was my third year at the Midwest Harp Festival. It is one of the best weeks I have all summer. It’s such a great experience meeting harpists from other states and getting to do something we all love: playing music. Every year is a different experience, and it never gets old. I have made some of my life-long friends there and these moments are what keep bringing me back.

During the week-long camp, we live in dorms on the University of Tulsa campus and eat in the dining halls. The days are long and we put in a lot of work, but by the time the final concert rolls around at the end of the week, it is all worth it.

7:00 a.m.: Alarm goes off and it’s time to shower and get ready for the day. My roommate Lindsie (a harpist from Chicago) is still sleeping as I slip out. When I get back I wake her up and we grab breakfast.

8:00 a.m.: There is a quick group meeting about little housekeeping things for the day.

8:30 a.m.: We break off into our smaller harp groups to tune and have ensemble rehearsal. The three clinicians split time between each of the groups and we rehearse for a few hours.

11:30 a.m.: Lunch time in the dining hall with all my new friends. We all talk about how the earlier rehearsal went.

1:30 p.m.: Time for masterclasses, each of the clinicians has one throughout the week. Then, our guest harpist usually has an afternoon where we get to ask her questions.

3:00 p.m.: The store is open, and we have time to go and browse for new music. There are private lessons going on as well—this is always one of my favorite parts of camp. You learn a lot from taking lessons with other professionals who aren’t your regular teacher. This is also time for us to practice some more!

5:30 p.m.: Dinner in the dining hall, talking with friends and teachers about how the day went.

7:00 p.m.: On most of the nights, there are harp concerts to attend. It’s always a great experience getting to watch and support other harpists. On other nights when we don’t have a concert to go to, there are outings to play laser tag!

10:00 p.m.: Time for fun in the dorms. We play games and watch movies while having lots of laughs in between!

12:00 a.m.: Lights out. It is finally time to go to sleep after a long day!

I attended the Young Artist’s Harp Seminar for the first time last year. It was my first time away from home, so I was nervous at the beginning. But by the end, I had made lots of new friends, learned many new things about the harp, and left with fun memories of an amazing experience.

A day at the Young Artist’s Harp Seminar

An-Ya Olson
An-Ya Olson, age 14, Arlington, Va.

I attended the Young Artist’s Harp Seminar for the first time last year. It was my first time away from home, so I was nervous at the beginning. But by the end, I had made lots of new friends, learned many new things about the harp, and left with fun memories of an amazing experience.7:00 a.m.: I wake up to get ready for the long day ahead. It is hard to get out of the comfort and warmth of my bed, but I know that I need to get up sometime.

7:25 a.m.: My roommate, who is from Missouri, and I walk over to the dining hall for breakfast together. We are surrounded by the beautiful mountain scenery, and stop to take a quick photo of the fog hiding the top of the mountains on the way there.

7:30 a.m.: Breakfast! Everyone is still a little bit groggy.

8:00 a.m.: I get in a few minutes of practice before my first activity of the day.

9:00 a.m.: I walk over to the theater for my music theory class. Theory can be dull, but our student teacher makes it fun by creating games and competitions.

10:30 a.m.: We meet back at the dorms for a class on orchestra excerpts led by this year’s guest artist. It’s nerve-wracking to play my excerpts in front of the whole camp, but I learn a ton.

12:30 p.m.: I walk over to the dining hall for lunch with some of my friends.

1:30 p.m.: I set up my harp for harp ensemble and we begin rehearsing. I love the brilliant sound that the harp ensemble can make, and it is one of my favorite parts of the day.

4:00 p.m.: Harp ensemble has ended and we have some free time before dinner. My friends and I hang out in my dorm for a bit, sharing food, fun, and laughs.

5:00 p.m.: I practice my ensemble pieces to solidify what we went over in rehearsal.

6:30 p.m.: I head over to the dining hall to meet my friends for dinner. We all enjoy the giant berry turnovers that are served for dessert.

7:30 p.m.: Game night! There are a variety of board games, card games, and outdoor games to choose from. We exhaust ourselves while running around during balloon tag, and then play a hilarious game of Apples to Apples.

10:30 p.m.: It is finally time to settle into bed after a long day.

 A day at the Central Coast Harp Workshop

Harmony Lange
Harmony Lange, age 23, Santa Barbara, Calif.

Last summer was my second year attending the Central Coast Harp Workshop. The camp is located in beautiful Morro Bay, a quaint town located right on the beach of central California. The workshop is hosted by Marcia Dickstein, in a beautiful house, which somehow manages to fit the group of harpists and their instruments.

7:30 a.m.: I wake up, excited to start on a day devoted to harp. I awake before my roommate (a young girl from Los Angeles), but soon enough she joins me in a quest for coffee and breakfast.

8:00 a.m.: While at a local cafe getting coffee and hot chocolate, my roommate and I bump into another workshop attendee, who has been staying in town with her parents. Perks of a small town! We head back to the workshop together.

9:00 a.m.: Morning sessions begin. We gather in the main room of the house, which sports an incredible view of the ocean. One at a time, we each sit at a harp and have a lesson with Marcia. Yesterday, we were nervous to play before strangers, but we’ve quickly learned that the environment here is one of friendly support and helpful suggestion. This morning, we eagerly jump in where we left off, displaying our progress and receiving the benefit of new perspectives. Watching other students’ lessons can be almost as helpful as receiving my own.

12:30 p.m.: Lunch. I drive with a few other students to a local restaurant where we eat, before heading out to the beach to enjoy the sunshine and look for shells.

1:30 p.m.: More individual lessons, followed by ensemble practice. It can be difficult to jump right into an ensemble with musicians you haven’t known long, but I enjoyed collaborating with other harpists to create beautiful music. That’s why we’re here!

3:30 p.m.: I separate from the main group to work with a couple of other harpists in another room. We practice an ensemble piece, and I help a younger student with her part (her first ever harp ensemble!).

5:30 p.m.: We break for dinner and discover a local place that serves delicious pizza.

7:00 p.m.: The recital begins!

9:00 p.m.: After the recital, congratulations and hugs are exchanged and pictures are taken. I reluctantly get on the road back to Santa Barbara and look forward to next year.