“I woke up sick this morning and cannot come ...

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Fridays, 6:30-8pm | October 4- November 22


Students will develop the skills to play in an ensemble as well as experience the joy of making music with other harpists. Together we’ll learn a variety of Celtic, Classical and pop pieces arranged for harp ensemble. Students who wish to play duets or trios will have an opportunity to rehearse together in break-out sessions. We’ll also provide an opportunity each week for students who want to share a piece of something they are working on: a chance to grow in confidence performing in front of others and receive encouragement from fellow students.

Our 8-week session will culminate in a final performance on November 22nd, 2024. Students of all levels are welcome, but note-reading (at least rudimentary treble and bass clef) is required. Students are expected to devote adequate practice time at home toward learning their parts.

Schedule
:
Friday, October 4, 6:30pm-8:00pm
Friday, October 11
, 6:30pm-8:00pm
Friday, October 18, 6:30pm-8:00pm
Friday, October 25
, 6:30pm-8:00pm
Friday, November 1, 6:30pm-8:00pm
Friday, November 8, 6:30pm-8:00pm
Friday, November 15th
, 6:30pm-8:00pm
Final performance on Friday, November 22, 2024, 6:30pm-7:30pm, at Lexington Landing (900 Old Lexington Ave S, St Paul, MN 55116)

Class Location: Stephanie Claussen’s home studio in St. Paul, MN. Address provided upon registration.


Cost and Registration

Course fee: $280
Materials fee: $30
Payments accepted via check or PayPal (A $11 fee will be added to cover fees if you choose to pay with PayPal.)


Registration deadline: Friday, September 20th.
 Payment in full is due with registration.

6 student minimum/10 students maximum; the class may be cancelled if fewer than 6 students register.

Email harp@stephanieclaussen.com or hannah@hannahflowersharp.com with questions, or to register.

Materials: Materials include 1 book of harp duets by Bernard Andres (some of which may be played as solos) and one individual harp part from each of the other pieces. Materials will be provided on the first day of class and are yours to keep. 


Cancellation: Students may cancel by notifying either of the instructors in writing up to 2 business days after the first class for a 50% refund. No refunds will be issued after that point. Students who miss 2 or more sessions may be asked to watch rather than perform in the final concert, at the teachers’ discretion.Students who feel sick or who might be contagious should not attend class. A Zoom link will be provided so that students can participate and play along with the ensemble at home.

Questions? Email harp@stephanieclaussen.com or hannah@hannahflowersharp.com.

The post Adult Harp Ensemble – Autumn 2024 appeared first on .

1. Take your harp to a different room to see if the buzzing still occurs. If your harp only buzzes in a specific room, take a look at that room and adjust metal objects, windows that aren’t all the way closed, cups of pencils on the windowsill, etc. to see if moving these things eliminates the buzzing.
2. Does the buzz only happen when the lever in engaged? If so the bridge pin might need to be adjusted so the string is held more tightly against the lever.
3. Check to make sure the feet of your harp are screwed on tightly.
4. Is the pickup (if you have one) snug in place?
5. Are any of your levers half up or down?
6. Do you see any parts of the string peeling off or unwinding? If so, replace the string.
7. Are the metal grommets at the base of each string seated firmly in place? If not, you might need to remove the string, fix the grommet and replace the string.
8. Are any of the levers on your harp loose (able to twist sideways)? Tighten the screws.
9. Look to see if there are any string ends touching the soundboard on the inside of the harp. Twist the ends so they don’t touch the soundboard.
10. Try playing the note that is buzzing and touching every string knot on the inside of the sound box to see if it stops. If the buzzing stops while touching a specific string end, adjust that string end until the buzzing stays gone.
11. If your harp room very dry? Try adding some humidity.

If you're interested in checking out my YouTube videos, visit my YouTube channel.

Twin-Cities harpist Stephanie Claussen invites audiences to explore new locales and eras through her music. Influenced by her love of fairy tales, J.R.R. Tolkien, and the world music section at her local library, she performs a unique mixture of Scottish tunes, J.S. Bach, and anything rich in medieval or French harmonies. Sign up for her e-mail newsletter to receive notifications of upcoming performances and other announcements.

The post A List of Things to Check if Your Harp is Buzzing appeared first on .

Earlybird cost per workshop is $30 until July 12, when the cost goes up to $35 per workshop.
Concert tickets are $15.
Email Stephanie Claussen (use the email on the poster, or the contact form on this website) to save your seat!
All workshops will be recorded and available for later viewing.
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Workshop Descriptions:

Wednesday, August 30, 2023

Exercises for Every Occasion: An Introduction to Warmups

BEGINNER LEVEL - with Rachel Clemente
Description to come.

Harpin' on It: Making the Most of Your Time at the Instrument

How to make progress while having FUN!
BEGINNER LEVEL - with Amelia Romano
Do you ever feel uninspired - finish your practice session feeling like you haven't made progress? This workshop will offer practical tips on how to design and execute a productive and fulfilling practice session while keeping the learning fun.

Thursday, August 31, 2023

Counting Confidently

BEGINNER LEVEL - with Stephanie Claussen
Do 16th notes, dotted quarters or triplets give you pause? Do you ever feel like you are guessing on the counting of the pieces you play, or that you need to hear a rhythm before you can play it? Counting out loud is an incredible skill (practically on the level of a super power) that will help you understand rhythms mentally, feel them in your body, and get them out into the world via your fingers on the harp strings. In this session, we’ll practice writing rhythms into your music, clapping rhythms while we count them out loud, playing while counting out loud, and finally playing while counting in our heads. We’ll also take a look at the metronome and how it can help or harm one’s musical journey. Beginner Level. Handout provided. The ability to sight read the treble clef (even slowly) will be helpful in this workshop.

Dancing Fingers: creative left hand accompaniment strategies for Celtic dance tunes

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL - with Tiffany Schaefer
Dancing Fingers: Creative Left Hand Patterns for Celtic Dance Tunes will take intermediate Celtic harpists through a toolbox of ideas for making faster melodies shine. If you find yourself stuck on left hand 5ths to accompany jigs and reels, this is the class for you! We'll use a few tunes chosen ahead of time as examples, but please feel free to prepare a snippet of a tune you've been wanting to arrange so we can try some of these tools out together. Handouts provided.

Friday, September 1, 2023

Music Theory Made Easy

BEGINNER LEVEL - with Tiffany Schaefer
Music Theory Made Easy will explore the practical side of music theory in an easy-to-digest way for beginners. Topics include the structure of chords, a primer on key signatures, and how to add harmony to your tunes with a lead sheet - and without! Anyone looking to better understand their instrument so that they can arrange music, will benefit from this class. Handouts and lead sheet provided.

Befriending syncopation; Grooving w Ease

Teach your hands how to syncopate with the catchy Venezuelan Trad tune, Moliendo Cafe
INTERMEDIATE LEVEL - with Amelia Romano
Befriending Syncopation / Grooving with Ease - Do you avoid syncopated pieces - dauted by counting? This workshop will present methods for internalizing syncopation to help YOU find the way that sits best in your body. Once you identify the counting method that works best for your, slow and steady practice is the ticket to a lifetime of syncopated fun!

Concert w/ Tiffany, Amelia, Rachel and Stephanie
5pm Pacific/7pm Central/8pm Eastern

Saturday, September 2, 2023

Shaky Hands, Racing Harp

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL - with Stephanie Claussen
Whether it’s a low-key background setting or a high-pressure solo performance, playing in front of others feels different than playing in the privacy of home. In this workshops we’ll talk through the art of performing: how to practice performing ahead of time, what mindset to cultivate, how expectations can impact the performance, and how to deal with physical symptoms of nerves. This will be a hands-on workshop with the opportunity (though not a requirement) to play for the other participants to test these performance tips and tricks.

Creativity Within the Tradition: Finding Sources of Traditional Scottish Melodies and Making Them Your Own

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL - with Rachel Clemente
Description to come.

​

Email Stephanie Claussen (address on poster above) to register, or use the contact form on this site.

The post Lever Harp Series – Online (Autumn 2023) appeared first on .

Cost is $30 per workshop, $15 for concert ticket, or $240 for all.
Email contact@ameliaromano.com to save your seat! Workshops will be recorded.
_________________________________________
Workshops:
​
WEDNESDAY
Finger Placement Fun (beginner) Rachel Clemente – 8/24 at ...

The post Lever Harp Series – Online appeared first on .

Instructors: Hannah Flowers and Stephanie Claussen
Ages 13 through adult

Schedule
Fridays, 6:30pm-8:00pm
October 7
October 14
October 21
NO CLASS October 28
November 4
November 11
Final performance on November 18, 2022
Class location: Stephanie Claussen’s home studio in St. Paul, MN. Address provided upon registration.
Performance location: a local nursing home

Cost and Registration
$195, all music included. Payments accepted via check or PayPal (A $7 fee will be added to cover PayPal fees.)
Registration deadline: Friday, September 23.
Email harp @ stephanieclaussen.com or hannah @ hannahflowersharp.com with questions, or to register.

Description
Students will develop the skills to play in an ensemble as well as experience the joy of making music with other harpists. Together we’ll learn a variety of Celtic, Classical and pop pieces arranged for harp ensemble, including one Celtic tune taught entirely by ear. (Don’t worry if you’ve never learned anything by ear before; we’ll help you through!)

We’ll also provide an opportunity each week for students who want to share a piece of something they are working on: a chance to grow in confidence performing in front of others and receive encouragement from fellow students. Our 6-week session will culminate in a final performance on November 18, 2022.
[gallery columns="2" size="medium" ids="8309,8308"]

Fine print
Registration deadline: Friday, September 23.
Payment in full is due with registration.
6 student minimum/10 students maximum; the class may be cancelled if fewer than 6 students register.
Cancellation: Students may cancel by notifying either of the instructors in writing up to 2 business days after the first class for a 50% refund. No refunds will be issued after that point (except in the unlikely circumstance that the class needs to be cancelled due to Covid 19). Students who miss 2 or more sessions may be asked to watch rather than perform in the final concert, at the teachers’ discretion.

Masks may be required if Covid 19 levels are elevated. Students who feel sick or who may have been exposed to Covid should not attend class. Should a student need to miss a class due to illness or Covid exposure, they will be provided with a Zoom link so that they can participate and play along with the ensemble at home.

Students of all levels are welcome, but note-reading (at least rudimentary treble and bass clef) is required. Students are expected to devote adequate practice time at home toward learning their parts.

[caption id="attachment_8299" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Some of Stephanie's students performing at an assisted living residence several years ago[/caption]

The post Autumn Lever Harp Ensemble 2022 – St. Paul, Minnesota appeared first on .

Today we’re going to be talking about ways to improvise or arrange a left-hand accompaniment.

For the purposes of this post, I’m going to assume that you already have your ...

The post 5 Tips on Arranging and Improvising a Left Hand for Harp appeared first on .

When my mother died I had a few days to make the bulletin. I found many very flowery, saccherine and overly complicated templates online but I wanted something simple, with clean lines. I decided to make one from scratch using the program Pages for Apple computers. Now that it's made, I'm sharing it here for other lovers of simplicity.

I created this using Pages 11.1 and it should work on Apple computers.

[button link="https://stephanieclaussen.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Funeral-bulletin-template.template.zip" size="medium" target="_self" background="#73BAAE"]Download Pages Funeral Bulletin Template[/button]

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Dawn, by Dario Marianelli from the opening scene in the 2005 Kira Knightley version of "Pride and Prejudice."

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Cantiga 384: A Que Por Muy Gran Fremosura
(The three colors were rose, gold, and blue.)

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