Harp Academy

Harmonica tuition in schools in the South East of England

Lesson Outtakes 

Aren’t you a little short for a Stormtrooper?

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Laughing ChildrenHarmonica Lesson Outtakes
Today we were translating the notes from the C major scale into standard notation; dots, lines and spaces. We learned that the notes on our harmonica would be played by the right hand on the piano. Consequently we see this musical symbol at the start of harmonica music. It’s the Treble Clef and it circles the G line.

‘So what do we call the squiggle on the left of the stave?’ asked the teacher. No reply. ‘Does anybody recognise it from learning another instrument?‘ the teacher prompted. ‘I know, I know‘, said Alfie, ‘it’s called a Treble Alliance‘.

Lesson Outtakes 

Doh a deer!

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Laughing ChildrenHarmonica Lesson Outtakes
Today we were learning about the notes in the musical alphabet and the C major scale. Like the days of the week, the colours in the rainbow and the continents of the world, we learned there are seven letters in the musical alphabet; A B C D E F and G. We also learned that if we start the alphabet on C, the order is C D E F G A and B. Olives iBut when we only play these seven notes, the sequence sounds incomplete; like singing Do Re Mi Fa Sol La and Ti.

When we add an eighth notes, another C, the pattern of the major scale is complete. ‘So what do we call the distance from the first note in the major scale, to the eighth note in the major scale?‘ asked the teacher. No reply. ‘It begins with O, like octopus, octagon and October‘ the teacher prompted. ‘I know, I know‘, said Jake, ‘it’s called an olive‘.

Announcements 

Putting A Foot In It

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Laughing ChildrenHarmonica Lesson Outtakes
We were learning our first study piece with a new group at school today. Hugh asked if he could play it through by himself. Our teacher asked him to stand in front of the group and show everyone what he’d been practising. Hugh not only played the piece faultlessly, but he even ended with a flourish of ascending blow notes. The teacher asked what we call a flourish like this. The question was met by blank faces. ‘OK’, said the teacher, ‘I’ll give you a clue. It begins with G.’ More blank faces. ‘Gliss..?’ he prompted. Still blank faces. ‘Glissand..?’ he prompted again. ‘Ooh I know’, said Theo, ‘Glissandals’. Trust Theo to put his foot in it. ‘That’s very close Theo, but there’s no holiday footwear involved here. It’s called Glissando!’

You can find out more about playing glissandos 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 harmonaut’s name.

Announcements 

Harmonica Dates

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Harp Academy Teaching Dates
Calendar iOur teaching schedule is advertised in the My School menu above. It’s a good idea to check this regularly and keep a note, particularly as each term starts and ends. Parents should be aware that we run 10 termly sessions each; which means our harmonica programme often finishes ahead of your school’s term. This is standard for music services. It means we’re out of the way during the busiest times at School. If you appear to be missing our regular bulletins and reminders regarding dates and subscription renewals, please check that our information is reaching your in-tray and not languishing silently in a spam folder!

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…)