Year in Review – Harness YOUR Muse 2016 Member Projects

Dec 28, 2016 | Coaching, Teaching, Students & Learning, Final Beginning Student Projects (All), Harness Your Muse, Harping & Harpists, Hip Harp Academy, [Mentorship-HYMM] Harness Your Muse | 0 comments

What is the “Harness Your Muse” Mentorship?

“Harness Your Muse” is a 12-Month Group Program, to support and complete your next creative project, whether that’s an album, a concert, a one-person show — or a program for your local library.  CLICK HERE for more info!

Congratulations to these emerging artists who developed their original shows and projects through this yearlong  program with me.

MEET THE 2016 ARTISTS

And learn about their new works and projects.

“Follow Your Passion, Discover Your Path”

CHAPMAN-Betsy-HYMMBetsy Chapman

BETSY’S PROJECT: The Bard’s Apprentice  (One-Woman Show / Album) Follow the adventures of Arion in words and music as she leaves her home to discover her true passion and find the sister she lost as a young girl.

 WHO IS BETSY?  After a long career in high-tech, Betsy returned to her original passion for music and theater. She is a Certified Clinical Musician, playing harp in hospital and hospice settings, as well as an actor on stage and screen.  As a Voice Over Artist she lends her voice to many commercials, and she combines her love of Chinese Martial Arts with music and acting as often as possible.

YOU CAN CONNECT MORE WITH BETSY HERE:

“A Year of Composition”

Alex-Coursen-SquareAlexandra Coursen

ALEXANDRA’S PROJECT:
The Disharmony of the Harp
Alexandra uses an unusual method for composing Name Pieces. Notes are charted to the letters of the names, resulting in unique and personal compositions. Alexandra will  perform “Henry and Jani”, composed for a wedding. This composition has a stand-out melody, catchy rhythms, and an interlude of passion and yearning.

DHC’S THOUGHTS ABOUT ALEXANDRA’S PROJECT:
https://hipharp.com/blog/14703

 WHO IS ALEXANDRA?  Alexandra grew up in a musical family playing the piano. After attending law school, she raised a family and took a hiatus from musical study. About 25 years ago she purchased a small lever harp. Family and a full-time job interfered with her need to become a harpist. Ten years ago, she took her harp to a harp ensemble and started playing with some irish sessions. The harp has now become an integral part of her life. Alexandra plays, teaches, performs, composes, and arranges music for the harp.

YOU CAN CONNECT MORE WITH ALEXANDRA HERE:

“Making waves of music & movement”

EVANS-StephanieStephanie Evans

SEPHANIE’S PROJECT:
Making Waves – The project is an improvised solo performance of amplified harp, a distortion pedal and body movement.  She physicalizes the sound of each note using the harp and a distortion pedal. Although the narrative is open for interpretation by each observer, the body motions represent the vibrating string and the crescendo and decay of the wavering sound.

The subtext is, “as you see me play and perform, what you’re actually seeing and experiencing is my conversation with God – part duet, part translation and part interpretation – all of which is happening in the moment and answering the question of what’s next.”  As an organically grown performance, the performance ends with a cued-from-stage fade to black.

 WHO IS STEPHANIE? 

Just as a cat has nine lives, Stephanie Evans is cultivating another life; a life with a harp.  During her early adult years, she studied composing, arranging and conducting under the direction of Dick Grove at the Dick Grove School of Music.  Stephanie also studied flute with Master Teacher and former Principal Flutist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the late Roger S. Stevens.

Stephanie’s artistic palette was further augment while employed at The J. Paul Getty Museum.; her creative juices stimulated by the environment of stunning artwork, scenery and architectural lines.  As life would have it, however, a small business magazine article pointed her to a rediscovery of music and a discovery of the harp.

“Bringing the art of Starting Harp to the Internet”

Shelley-Fairplay-Square-2Shelley Fairplay

SHELLEY’S PROJECT: StartHarp 
Shelley had a goal for her 2016 “Harness Your Muse” project to consolidate her hours of one-on-one teaching into an an online harp program specifically for beginners, called “StartHarp.”

Shelley released 3 levels of StartHarp in 2016 (and also had a baby … but that wasn’t part of the “Harness Your Muse” program!)

DHC’S THOUGHTS ABOUT SHELLEY’S PROJECT:
https://hipharp.com/blog/14149

 WHO IS SHELLEY?  Shelley Fairplay is a performer and teacher with over 15 years experience teaching harp, harp ensembles and workshops for all ages.  She is the founder of “Harpist for a Day”, a program that gives non-harpists the opportunity to go from first note to concert performer in a single day.

Her successful concert series “The Three Strands: Passion, Sorrow and Joy” was premiered in the UK in 2014, and her CD of the same name was released in 2015. She has performed throughout the UK, and appeared in Europe and the U.S. as a soloist and alongside internationally renowned harpists including electric jazz harpist Deborah Henson-Conant. Her Dynamic Harps Ensemble, features both an adult and children’s group, filled with harpists who enjoy learning and performing music from films, pop, shows, classical, Jazz and celtic genres.

YOU CAN CONNECT MORE WITH SHELLEY HERE:

“At Any Moment”

Robin-Cartier-SquareRobbin Gordon-Cartier

ROBBIN’S PROJECT: At Any Moment
Description coming soon!

 WHO IS ROBBIN?  Robbin Gordon-Cartier is a teacher in the East Orange School District where she directs the harp program that she originally created for the Elizabeth School District.  She has joined the faculty of Kean University in Union, NJ as Concert Artist/Adjunct Harp Faculty.  She started the North Jersey Chapter of the American Harp Society, served as president for four years and then moved to the national level as 2nd Vice-President and Director at Large.

Mrs. Gordon-Cartier maintains a private studio where she teaches students of all ages and regularly freelances in the New York metropolitan area.  Performance credits include appearances at Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall in New York City.

YOU CAN CONNECT MORE WITH ROBBIN HERE:


“A quest, a journey, an adventure, a mission to find some answers. With a harp in tow.”

Katherine-Harrison-SquareKatherine Harrison

KATHERINE’S PROJECT:
In Search of Scathach
Katherine says: “Scathach” was an ancient warrior queen and teacher, whose Scottish island fortress was almost impenetrable. My own journey with the harp has been a long and difficult one. When I got my new harp 18 months ago, I named it Scathach in the hope of taking on some of those shadowy mystical qualities.

 WHO IS KATHERINE?  Katherine had a new piano teacher when she was ten years old, and at her first lesson, Katherine couldn’t help but notice the beautiful carved golden harp in her music room. Some of her friends were learning too, so she begged for harp lessons until her parents gave in.  She took a long break from the harp in her twenties, but a chance conversation with a friend led to Katherine offering to play at her friend’s wedding.  A local teacher rented her a harp, unpicked the reasons she had for giving up all those years ago, and she set off on a most unexpected musical journey of her life.

YOU CAN CONNECT MORE WITH KATHERINE HERE:

“Harmonizing our Life Song on the Labyrinth”

Ted-Jones-SquareTeddy Jones

TEDDY’S PROJECT:  Angel Walk
Teddy, a long-time harpist and singer, was so profoundly shaken by the Pulse Nightclub disaster that he used his first 6 months of “Harness Your Muse” to create a portable journey of the healing of music in his Labyrinth project “Angel Walk.”

DHC’S THOUGHTS ABOUT TEDDY’S PROJECT:
https://hipharp.com/blog/14259

WHO IS TEDDY?  With his Celtic harp, Teddy Jones has given workshops, presentations, and performances at international conferences including: Performing the World III, Healing Through Story, and The International Conference for Human Caring.  His recordings include four CDs for meditation, yoga, and hospice.  His current focus is using the harp for meditation and healing.

A Labyrinth harp for meditation and healing with Teddy Jones Click To Tweet

YOU CAN CONNECT MORE WITH TED HERE:

“Broadway tunes meet childhood favorites in one woman’s musical voyage to the Land of Second Chances.”

Kathy-King-SquareKathy King

KATHY’S PROJECT: Dream Journeys  She bought her first harp at an age when most people retire. In her first year of “Harness Your Muse” she combined her years of singing with newfound harp skills to create her own show “Dream Journeys” AND raised money for a local shelter with her first concert.

DHC’S THOUGHTS ABOUT KATHY’S PROJECT:
 https://hipharp.com/blog/14154

 WHO IS KATHY?  Kathy grew up with a deep love of musical theatre and singing. A physical therapist for over 30 years, she is now also both a Certified Music Practitioner and Reiki Master. Over the past 30 years, in addition to her healing work, she’s sung in choral groups, toured New England coffeehouses as a Christian solo artist, engaged in community theatre productions, and continues to direct her church choir. Kathy is passionate about combining music with healing in as many ways as possible – and though she’s been both a musician and healer for most of her life, the harp is a new passion – one she’s fallen completely in love with. Just as the harp has opened Kathy to a new world of musical expression, she’s using it to bring her audience on her own musical journey to the land of second chances.

Voyage to the land of Second-Chances with Kathy King Click To Tweet

YOU CAN CONNECT MORE WITH KATHY HERE:

“Go to any place your mind wants to take you ~ and enjoy this ‘other world’.”

Jana-Kozlowski-SquareJana Kozlowski

JANA’S PROJECT: The Other World  With music and interaction Jana wants to show others how beautiful a world is living under the pretext of mental illness.

 

 WHO IS JANA?  Coming soon…

 

YOU CAN CONNECT MORE WITH JANA HERE:

“CD Release and a series of Jazz-inspired Christmas-concerts”

Nicole-Mueller-SquareNicole Mueller

NICOLE’S PROJECT:
In a Different Light
In this colorful, classically-jazzy Christmas-program, Nicole Müller shows her instrument from a new perspective. On both the concert and the electric harp, she’s playing her own arrangements of Christmas-songs inspired by striking rhythms and melancholy jazz-harmonies. She ended the year releasing the album of jazz-inspired holiday music supported by a series of album-release concerts.

DHC’S THOUGHTS ON NICOLE’S PROJECT:
https://hipharp.com/blog/14884 

 WHO IS NICOLE?  Nicole is a passionate harp virtuoso. She graduated from the Academy of Music in Würzburg. In her solo concerts she fuses classical music, jazz and flamenco rhythms. As a soloist and chamber musician, she has performed throughout Germany and has been a guest at Germany’s major opera houses and symphony orchestras. She is also a passionate educator with many years of experience working with children and adult students. Nicole’s goal as a musician is to share her love for her instrument with the people and to explore the harp and find new sounds.

YOU CAN CONNECT MORE WITH NICOLE HERE:

“Experiment & Enjoy!”

Pumehana-Wadsworth-SquarePumehana Wadsworth

PUMEHANA’S PROJECT:  Out of the Background: Meet the Harp in the Land of Rock.
Performing for weddings is my vocation.  The purpose of my project is to go beyond background music,  train my concert muscle and bring one of my greatest loves – Classic Rock – alive on the harp.

 WHO IS PUMEHANA?  While learning how to stand, Pumehana would crawl up the base of the harp and pluck bass strings, while her sister, Momi, was practicing.  At eight years old, with her mother’s encouragement, she started private harp lessons. Soon she was performing for private events and hotels in Hawaii.  Over time, Pumehana was able to expand her repertoire to include many different genres; Classical, Hawaiian, Love Ballads, Movie Themes, Jazz, Standards, Broadway, Classic Rock.

YOU CAN CONNECT MORE WITH PUMEHANA HERE:

“What happens when you rediscover your life’s passion, stuck between two dusty books on a forgotten shelf in the library?”

Sally-Walstrum-SquareSally Walstrum

SALLY’S PROJECT: Confessions of a Harp Playing Librarian
You may think a librarian’s job is boring – but librarians share their world with the greatest stories of all time.  One of the greatest stories is the story of a lost passion that’s rediscovered and finally lived to its fullest. Librarian and harpists Sally Walstrum brings her own personal story of rekindled life passion to music with her 32 string electric harp,  looper pedal  … and just a smidgeon of the Dewey Decimal system.

DHC’S THOUGHTS ABOUT SALLY’S PROJECT:
https://hipharp.com/blog/14151

WHO IS SALLY?  Sally came of age as a conservatory-trained harpist, steeped in the classics and the intense world of competition as a professional musician.  She left that world to become a librarian, and her harp fell silent … until, nearly 3 decades later, she sat down at her neglected harp and her passion opened like a beloved book. Sally is currently working with creative mentor Deborah Henson-Conant in the “Harness Your Muse”  program and has since developed – and performed –  her first solo harp concert in 35 years!

YOU CAN CONNECT MORE WITH SALLY HERE:

 

What project is aching in your soul?
Start the journey NOW.

There’s a creative project aching in your soul. You may know exactly what it is … or only feel its shadow.  In 2017 you’ll complete it and share it with the world.  I’ll walk you through that journey.

Take the leap. Bring your gift to the world. Harness Your Muse.

 

 

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