What is your musical background?
I grew up in St. Paul, Minn., and started taking piano lessons when I was in first grade, harp lessons in third grade, and flute in fifth grade. My home was filled with music. Although my parents were never professional musicians, I would fall asleep to hearing my mother practice Scott Joplin on the piano or Scarlatti on the harpsichord. My father had a great record collection of all genres of music. I studied classical music and in high school was in the youth orchestra and attended Tanglewood. I majored in international relations at Tufts University and studied privately with Lucile Lawrence. During my junior year abroad, I studied with Lily Laskine in Paris. Between undergraduate and graduate school, I went to Israel and studied with Judith Liber, Principal Harpist with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. I would go to the Jerusalem Folk Club and feel so frustrated that I couldn’t jam along with the other musicians. Here I was, subbing for the Jerusalem Symphony and I couldn’t just pick up my harp and play with musicians who had taught themselves the guitar. I learned some beautiful Jewish melodies and Klezmer tunes from an Israeli flutist and worked on creating arrangements to Celtic melodies with a singer. I started down the path of creating arrangements to music I loved and this gradually changed my career path. After two years in Israel, I went to New York City for my master’s degree in performance at the Manhattan School of Music. In the ’90s I formed a trio of cello, percussion, and harp, called Vida. We commissioned new works influenced by folk music of the Mediterranean and added improvisation and our own arrangements to our repertoire. It was a gradual shift from studying classical music to arranging, improvising, publishing, and performing traditional music. After years of playing on a pedal harp, I fell in love with the folk harp.

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What types of combos do you like to arrange for?
Most of my arrangements are for solo harp that can be played on either a lever or pedal harp. I enjoyed arranging three books of duets for flute (or violin) and harp. I love playing with other musicians more than playing solo and am thinking of arranging more duet books.

How do you choose what works to arrange?
I arrange music that I love and want to share. I love timeless melodies and Jewish, Celtic, and sacred music are my passion. I want my arrangements to fit the hands without lots of practice and I put in chords so more advanced players can add their own flair. Most of my books of arrangements match my recordings. My early Jewish books and my duo books filled a niche. Now that my kids are grown, I’m looking for more music to arrange and would love suggestions!

Can you describe your arranging process? What’s the first step?
First I learn the melody. I learn to “sing” it on my harp. I find the push and pull of the phrasing and where I want to breathe. I learn the words of the song or decide on what mood and colors I want to create, or what story I want to tell. Then I create an accompaniment that fits this image. If it is a lullaby, I may find a groove that will create a rocking cradle. If it is a Christmas carol, I imagine the ideal winter scene. I’ve started working on a few of my own compositions and I actually do just the opposite. I start with a chord pattern, groove and introduction and then find a melody. Overall, I spend time trying different ideas with both hands on the harp. My best arrangements came to me almost immediately, as if the melody just wanted a certain accompaniment. And then after playing these pieces for years, I put these arrangements on paper.

How long does it take you to create an arrangement from idea to publication? What is the most time-consuming part of the process?
I can arrange a piece in a few days. Many of the pieces I arrange, I already know or have recorded, so this is the easy part. Getting what I play onto paper is the most time-consuming. Last year I took the leap and learned how to use notation software and I feel empowered. (Thank you Mary Radspinner!) I am now playing a bigger role in editing and revising before publication. I have also upgraded my arrangements by adding more fingerings, dynamics, tempos and phrase lines. I spent years breaking away from the written page and going down a new path of creating my own arrangements and improvising. So, after scribbling my arrangements onto staff paper, I removed myself from the process. I wanted to stay in the creative realm. Now that I can put my music straight onto the computer, I feel that I have come full circle and love the entire process.

What do you think is the most challenging aspect of arranging?
The trick is in finding the right balance between having music that is easy to learn by a professional harpist for a last-minute request and interesting enough to be played by harpists at almost all levels.

How have you chosen to publish your arrangements?
My husband encouraged me to publish my early arrangements and together we published several books of Jewish melodies. My big break came in the ‘90s when Sylvia Woods started publishing my books. Designing the covers, paying for professional notation, printing, and mailing to customers is a lot of work. I am so grateful there are publishers committed to publishing harp music! Afghan Press is now my primary publisher.

What’s your advice to some who would like to start arranging?
Arrange music that you love to play and feels comfortable when you play it. Let your own style blossom. Find your own voice but start by learning music that has been arranged by great musicians. I was inspired to arrange with a more open style after playing for years from Kim Robertson’s books. Music composed by Laura Zaerr and Deborah Henson-Conant helped me expand the colors and techniques I can use when I arrange my own tunes. It is never too early or too late to start to arrange music or become inspired to adapt music to fit your needs.

What’s the most common mistake amateur arrangers might make?
Don’t do all the work yourself. Have other harpists play your arrangements and give an honest critique. Fill a niche so that you are arranging music that other harpists will buy even if they have never heard of you. Have another harpist be your proofreader. It is not fair to leave all the work for your publisher. After many years, I finally upgraded and hired Darhon Rees-Rohrbacher. She is invaluable because she both proofreads and cleans up my notation so it is ready to be published. •

Sunita Staneslow is a leading instructor and performer at folk harp festivals in North America. She has dozens of books and recordings that are distributed around the world. Her music is published by Afghan Press, Sylvia Woods Music, and Mel Bay. You can find her performing in Galilee with her fiddle player, on the top of Masada at sunrise, in the desert under a full moon, or on a concert stage. Sunita has combined a life of music, travel, and adventure. Follow her on Facebook or www.sunitaharp.com.