Harp Academy

Harmonica tuition in schools in the South East of England

Author: Richard

Announcements 

Galway Girl – Sample Lesson

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irish-dancing-shoes-iHome learning with Harp Academy
Much of what we teach at School is supported by fun learning pages here on our website. They’re ideal for practising between lessons and include wider topics to build musical knowledge. You’ll need our ‘backstage’ password to view these particular items; it’s inside your Music Diary. But here’s a little taster from our Folk selection for the Autumn Term. Enjoy!

Galway GirlBodhran
Galway Girl was written by American Steve Earle. He recorded it in 2000 with Irish musician Sharon Shannon. It was an instant hit and became one of the highest selling songs in Irish chart history. It also featured in the hit movie P.S. I Love You.

Listen to

Connemara iGalway lies on Ireland’s West Coast. The picturesque Bay of Galway and the City itself feature in many traditional Irish songs. Their names are synonymous with a romantic vision of all things that are special about Ireland.

To learn the melody on the harmonica, we will need to get a feel for the joy of Celtic Folk music, it’s particular phrasing and also it’s timing. This means lots of practise before everything sticks, but once you have it memorised, you’ll have endless fun with it. (more…)

Announcements 

Blowing Up Your Harmonica

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Laughing ChildrenHarmonica Lesson Outtakes
We were looking at Arrow Tab with some KS1 children today. The teacher asked what a white, down-arrow meant. Ryan answered, ‘it means it’s a draw note, so you have to breathe in.’ Right answer! The teacher then asked what a black up-arrow meant. ‘I know’, answered Jessica, ‘it means you blow up the harmonica.’

You can find out more about breathing for the harmonica here. If you don’t have our subscriber log in, check inside the front cover of your Music Diary, or your Music Pack, or email us a request with your name.

Announcements 

Why Play Harmonica?

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From our testimonial page..

My daughter had a terrible night with a cold and she only went to school due to her harmonica lesson today! She had her first session with Will last week and she is really Mother and daughter with tablet 2enjoying her introduction to using a harmonica. We have practised her homework for this week, which was Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and logged onto the website to listen to the C Scale notes. I have been practising too; what an enjoyable hobby this is!

After spending all day working on a computer and talking to people, it has been a most relaxing experience – so much so, I’m going to get a harmonica myself. I would encourage people of all ages to give this hobby a try. It’s most enjoyable to hear a tune that you can smile about. I’m trying When The Saints Go Speedy Pink 2Marching In!  Richard was most helpful in discussing the various payment options and details of my daughter’s taster session. He’s a most accommodating person who certainly has the people skills to manage anyone’s expectations. A superb start to a fascinating musical instrument.

Announcements 

Sheet Music

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Sheet Music 4Down the road someone is practising scales,
The notes like little fishes vanish with a wink of their tails Louis MacNeice

Folders 6

Children joining Harp Academy receive a Tuff zip bag for their equipment, which includes a Music Diary and Music Book. Once early key skills are mastered however, and the first music book is finished, we move on to sheet music and harp tabs. Harp tabs are usually issued by our teachers, but they can also be downloaded and printed off at home using the link on each of our Music Library pages. This system affords our teachers the flexibility they need to inspire each group, and freedom to choose fun, topical items for seasonal performances.

It can also mean that as term progresses, children build up a collection of musical paperwork. With this in mind, we would ask parents to help our harmonauts assemble their paperwork in a simple folder; one that will slip readily into their Tuff Folders 3 zip bag. A clear-pocket folder is the simplest solution. This will help us dedicate more time to music-making, and less time paper-chasing. As children move through the key stages, old papers can be kept at home and replaced with current material. Sheet A4 Tiger Tuff Bag music and harmonica tabs will inevitably remain part of the way we operate. So, on behalf of your Harp Academy teacher, thank you for helping us maximise children’s music-making time!