This blog is one of a series. Each includes one of the students’ final projects from my online course “Hip Harp Toolkit,” along with  their answers to five questions I asked them to answer. You can learn more about these final projects – and why they’re called “Beginning Projects”  here. – Learn more about the course here: HipHarpToolkit.com

A brief interview with Maria about this project:

QUESTION: What were some of your challenges, goals and “Aha’s” from creating this project?  Which tools from the “Hip Harp Toolkit” did you use – and how did you use them?

“Love is in the air” A Medley of Love Songs –  is my title for my final project. I know it is no longer valentines day or the month of love. But, love song is always be the part of our musical life. I played these 4 love songs, actually 3 songs. And I will tell you what I did.

I really got the ‘AHA’ from this whole lesson about the intro using dominant, faux modulation, and Mozart’s mother. And that’s what I did. I use several love songs but only the melody that remains in my heart (I don’t know the exact word for this)

I used the dominant chord for the intro before the first song, “When you tell me that you love me” in C major. Then, before it goes to refrain, I cut it by using Mozarts Mother effect in dominant, then use the modulation using ii-V to D major which the next song is built. The second song is “All I ask of you” from Phantom of the Opera which I only played the refrain. And here comes the next song, but I only use the intro from this song. This intro become the VAMP for this song which I will again repeat it at the end. It is from the song Endless love.

This vamp is interesting for me because i use the faux modulation which I want to make it here to make this entire medley interesting.

Then I coming back to D major to the last song which I played through it all. My last song is my valentine. Finally the love songs end in the valentine’s melody, dovetail with the Endless love vamp/intro.

I try to make it in 3.5minutes. Maybe if it is longer, some of other love melodies will come out. So, enjoy 🙂


DHC says:  I especially enjoyed some of the creative transitions from tune to tune – they were beautiful – and I’m so happy to see you using the principles from the course to create a medley you’ll be able to use over and over.

This had a lovely shape to it, and I love the way you ended it.   I listened before I read your description, and thoroughly enjoyed it  – it just seemed to flow musically.  Then I read the description and realized how creatively you’ve used the tools from the course! Brava!

And of course, when you’re not worried about the 3.5 minute limitation of the final project, I’m sure you’ll ‘open up’ these pieces to their full length, using what you’ve learned.

But even in this tiny form, it really feels like a complete journey!


What was this project all about?  What were the Guidelines?  The project description was to take 3 contrasting tunes and create a medley no more than 3.5 minutes using techniques from the course, like introductions, melodic improvising, embellishing, turnaround endings and modulating from key to key. (If you’re not a musician, you’ll know when they’re modulating when you see them reach up to shift the levers, which change the harp into a new key).

One of the core principles of the course is “Imperfect Completion” so each of the “Final Projects” is really a “Beginning Project.”


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