http://www.harpcolumn.com/blogs/ Harp Column Blogs OpenACS 5.0 Sun, 11 May 2008 03:18:43 GMT http://www.harpcolumn.com/rss-support/images/openacs_logo_rss.gif http://www.harpcolumn.com/blogs/ 126 48 http://www.harpcolumn.com/blogs/one-entry?entry%5fid=1582419 http://www.harpcolumn.com/blogs/one-entry?entry%5fid=1582419 Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms in the harp world! Whether you are a Harpist - Mom or a mother of a harpist, I hope you "Take 5" and celebrate your day. However, having only ONE DAY to celebrate motherhood seems outrageously insufficient to me. After all, we feed, clothe, clean, nurture, save the world, and create miracles on a daily basis, and yet we only get one day? I know, I know, nag, nag, nag, yes we are good at that too. How else would we get you to go out and make something of your... Sun, 11 May 2008 03:18:43 GMT http://www.harpcolumn.com/blogs/one-entry?entry%5fid=1449222 http://www.harpcolumn.com/blogs/one-entry?entry%5fid=1449222 I’m on a quest to find perfect amplification.  Sure, I’ve been on a quest for quite some time, but lately, some gigs have been pushing me to action.  Mainly, the drummers!  I became super spoiled at the Alice Coltrane memorial.  The high ceilings of St. John, the Divine Cathedral, combined with the oh-so-amazing mics, had me in a trance.  I have not sounded like that since ☹After playing a few gigs where I put the harp down at points where I was just wasting energy, ... Fri, 11 Apr 2008 23:21:42 GMT http://www.harpcolumn.com/blogs/one-entry?entry%5fid=1449210 http://www.harpcolumn.com/blogs/one-entry?entry%5fid=1449210  This morning, as I was practicing, the plumber knocked on the door and was very surprised to see and hear a harp.  He complimented my playing and we began talking about music.  At some point in our conversation, he put his head down, almost as if embarrassed, and said, “I actually like classical music, but I know, it’s hard to believe…I mean, because of my age, generation and background.”  He was relatively young—about mid to late 20’s— and told me that he comes from the S... Fri, 11 Apr 2008 22:53:58 GMT http://www.harpcolumn.com/blogs/one-entry?entry%5fid=1156399 http://www.harpcolumn.com/blogs/one-entry?entry%5fid=1156399 Has anyone ever received a call requesting "just a harpist"? As long as it's a harpist, it's great! Whether for a wedding ceremony, background music, solo performance, jazz or an orchestra concert, they just want a harp! Have any of you received a call requesting YOU? Regardless of the reason: They've heard you before, you came highly recommended, the style you play is exactly what they want. Whatever the reason may be, they want YOU. So, when is a harpist not just a harpist, and how ... Thu, 13 Mar 2008 19:36:20 GMT http://www.harpcolumn.com/blogs/one-entry?entry%5fid=1141142 http://www.harpcolumn.com/blogs/one-entry?entry%5fid=1141142 I just want to make it clear that if I am playing, and am not able to carry a full conversation with you, I'm not being rude.  Sometimes I have to really pay attention to what I'm playing.  Some music is more difficult than others,  or I am less familiar with some, so the multi-tasking does not always work.  If I nod my head, or give you one word answers, please don't be offended.  I'm trying to save your ears from hearing notes that may make you cry, in a bad way.Furt... Fri, 07 Mar 2008 15:26:15 GMT http://www.harpcolumn.com/blogs/one-entry?entry%5fid=961155 http://www.harpcolumn.com/blogs/one-entry?entry%5fid=961155 Last month, while reading the cover story of the January/February issue of the Harp Column, I stopped and read the last paragraph over, no less than 6 times. In it, Elizabeth Fontan Binoche says:Everything is possible if we have the will to do it, and the humbleness to do it.  Humbleness is the most important of all. To realize that we make mistakes, to be able to accept that humbleness and then be able to give more the next time.I could not have read this at a more opportune ti... Fri, 22 Feb 2008 14:27:39 GMT http://www.harpcolumn.com/blogs/one-entry?entry%5fid=534050 http://www.harpcolumn.com/blogs/one-entry?entry%5fid=534050 Every New Year's Day I review the past year and write out a list of goals that I hope to accomplish in the new year. I divide my goals into categories in my professional and personal life and see where it takes me. As I review the past year I am pleased that I accomplished so many of my goals and adjusted when I got a few surprises. One of my primary goals in 2007 was to achieve more balance in my life and work "smarter". After battling a serious bout of bronchitis and the flu last Christma... Tue, 01 Jan 2008 05:24:12 GMT http://www.harpcolumn.com/blogs/one-entry?entry%5fid=526064 http://www.harpcolumn.com/blogs/one-entry?entry%5fid=526064 About a month ago, I spent the start of my weekend playing with another harpist, for the first graders at a charter School in Brooklyn, New York.  As is often the case, many of them had never before seen a harp, (let alone, 2 at the same time) and were shocked at the size, and sound of it.  The week prior to our visit, they learned all about the harp, so they were able to intelligently answer each question that was asked.  Afterward, I couldn’t help but wonder if one of thes... Sun, 30 Dec 2007 23:49:35 GMT http://www.harpcolumn.com/blogs/one-entry?entry%5fid=334061 http://www.harpcolumn.com/blogs/one-entry?entry%5fid=334061 I can’t count the number of times I’ve been on a job, and someone asks, “Is this your side job?”  Sometimes it happens over the phone, when a client is shopping around for a harpist. They say, “We’ve never heard you play, so can you tell us a bit about yourself? What do you do during the day? “ or “What do you do during the week?” Sometimes, I stand frozen in place and then remember that we are often viewed as free-spirited art-lovers, that fulfill our passion every weekend at som... Sat, 01 Dec 2007 19:39:10 GMT http://www.harpcolumn.com/blogs/one-entry?entry%5fid=224017 http://www.harpcolumn.com/blogs/one-entry?entry%5fid=224017 In case you missed the July/August issue of the harp column, Lisa Wellbaum has retired after 33 years as the Principal Harpist of the Cleveland Orchestra. Lisa graced the stage of Severance Hall and sustained the legacy of excellence established by Alice Chalifoux both in her beautiful performances and her practical advice to generations of harp students. As a Chalifoux student at the Cleveland Institute of Music in the 80's, Lisa Wellbaum was a fantastic role model for all of us and we ... Fri, 27 Jul 2007 18:37:01 GMT