What to look for when you are choosing a harp teacher…. These are the things you may want to take into consideration.
While locality is important, I’m of the belief that finding the best harp teacher will pay off in the long run – even if you have to travel across town to have your lessons. My mother drove me 90 minutes each way to my harp teacher as she was the nearest, and the best teacher we could find – it was worth it… I have a lot to thank both my mother and my harp teacher for.
Where will lessons be? At the teacher’s studio? At school? At home? Do you need to take your own harp to the lesson?
How often will the lessons be, and how long for? How long can you/your child concentrate for?
Will the lessons be solely for performance harp, or will the teacher teach theory and musical knowledge? Not everyone teaches all aspects of music.
Does the teacher teach beginners and/or young children? …. Some don’t!
Does the teacher have a rapport with the student? Can the teacher engage the student at the first meeting? Do you as parent feel the teacher is approachable?
Does the teacher hire out beginner harps or will you need to find your own?
Will the teacher help you to make a choice on which is the right harp to buy when want to purchase one?
Do they have the knowledge to show you a range of harps or will you need to find your own harp without guidance?
Not all harpists are confident in recommending which harps will suit their students. Its hard sometimes to know how a student will progress and how much to invest in their harp.
Can the teacher explain their approach to teaching music … do they have a specific way of teaching?
(by print music, by ear, by copying them? Do they follow a particular technique such as Renie or Salzedo or is their technique a blend from their teacher? )
Who taught this person to play harp? Google the teacher’s teacher - this will give you an insight into their teaching and learning.
What sorts of harp experience/qualifications are you looking for in your harp teacher?
(Registered music teacher, Tertiary trained in either performance or teaching, number of years teaching, how many students does this teacher currently have?)
How many musical dimensions does the teacher have? Is the harp their only instrument? Their primary or secondary instrument? Do they teach other instruments? Teacher, performer, orchestral harpist, composer, arranger..... while it is sometimes difficult to fit in with orchestral and professional harpists tours and performance schedules, it may be worth it to just to get lessons from an experienced and active harpist.
How will the lessons be paid for…. best get this sorted before your first lesson.
Do you want your teacher to put you through harp exams? What experience does the teacher have with the exam system? Does she have other students who will be sitting exams and at which grades?
Will your harp teacher cover the extra tests aspect of the examination – Sightreading, Aural, Musical Knowledge, Improvisation? Some teachers specialise in different areas and some don’t teach all aspects.
What are the teacher’s and your expectations of the amount of practise to be done at home?
Does the teacher sound too strict or too relaxed for the student?
Will the teacher help you to expand your harp horizons by putting on events, ensembles and letting you know about concerts and workshops? Or will they only deal with the lesson time and nothing else.
Not every teacher and every student work well together.
Sometimes, particularly after some years of lessons, a harpist can come to a standstill where either the student or teacher can't motivate improvement or progress from the lesson. It doesn't mean you are a poor teacher or poor student ... it's just time for a change - a new teacher to inspire the student to keep improving. Some new input to get the student moving in the upward direction again.
These situations can be tricky, so make sure you communicate your concerns with the teacher. The teacher may have initially suggested to you that it might be time for a change of teacher. Don't take it as an insult - all good teachers want their students to constantly be feeling like they are improving.
While locality is important, I’m of the belief that finding the best harp teacher will pay off in the long run – even if you have to travel across town to have your lessons. My mother drove me 90 minutes each way to my harp teacher as she was the nearest, and the best teacher we could find – it was worth it… I have a lot to thank both my mother and my harp teacher for.
Where will lessons be? At the teacher’s studio? At school? At home? Do you need to take your own harp to the lesson?
How often will the lessons be, and how long for? How long can you/your child concentrate for?
Will the lessons be solely for performance harp, or will the teacher teach theory and musical knowledge? Not everyone teaches all aspects of music.
Does the teacher teach beginners and/or young children? …. Some don’t!
Does the teacher have a rapport with the student? Can the teacher engage the student at the first meeting? Do you as parent feel the teacher is approachable?
Does the teacher hire out beginner harps or will you need to find your own?
Will the teacher help you to make a choice on which is the right harp to buy when want to purchase one?
Do they have the knowledge to show you a range of harps or will you need to find your own harp without guidance?
Not all harpists are confident in recommending which harps will suit their students. Its hard sometimes to know how a student will progress and how much to invest in their harp.
Can the teacher explain their approach to teaching music … do they have a specific way of teaching?
(by print music, by ear, by copying them? Do they follow a particular technique such as Renie or Salzedo or is their technique a blend from their teacher? )
Who taught this person to play harp? Google the teacher’s teacher - this will give you an insight into their teaching and learning.
What sorts of harp experience/qualifications are you looking for in your harp teacher?
(Registered music teacher, Tertiary trained in either performance or teaching, number of years teaching, how many students does this teacher currently have?)
How many musical dimensions does the teacher have? Is the harp their only instrument? Their primary or secondary instrument? Do they teach other instruments? Teacher, performer, orchestral harpist, composer, arranger..... while it is sometimes difficult to fit in with orchestral and professional harpists tours and performance schedules, it may be worth it to just to get lessons from an experienced and active harpist.
How will the lessons be paid for…. best get this sorted before your first lesson.
Do you want your teacher to put you through harp exams? What experience does the teacher have with the exam system? Does she have other students who will be sitting exams and at which grades?
Will your harp teacher cover the extra tests aspect of the examination – Sightreading, Aural, Musical Knowledge, Improvisation? Some teachers specialise in different areas and some don’t teach all aspects.
What are the teacher’s and your expectations of the amount of practise to be done at home?
Does the teacher sound too strict or too relaxed for the student?
Will the teacher help you to expand your harp horizons by putting on events, ensembles and letting you know about concerts and workshops? Or will they only deal with the lesson time and nothing else.
Not every teacher and every student work well together.
Sometimes, particularly after some years of lessons, a harpist can come to a standstill where either the student or teacher can't motivate improvement or progress from the lesson. It doesn't mean you are a poor teacher or poor student ... it's just time for a change - a new teacher to inspire the student to keep improving. Some new input to get the student moving in the upward direction again.
These situations can be tricky, so make sure you communicate your concerns with the teacher. The teacher may have initially suggested to you that it might be time for a change of teacher. Don't take it as an insult - all good teachers want their students to constantly be feeling like they are improving.
