Gate Pass

Melanie sent my ticket for the Ligonier Highland Games. I've been setting the timer and metronome and working on pieces in my competition set. I'm trying to be methodical in my practice, and something great is happening. As I slow the pieces down, I'm finding some places where my fingering doesn't let me stay connected to the strings to flow more smoothly to the next phrase of a melody. Hopefully, I'll be able to get some of these new fingerings engrained through short, focused practice sessions.

Mom Playing Harp

Music is something I can continue to share with Mom even as her memory fades. Although apprehensive about playing the harp, Mom is eager to try. She gently strums across the strings. Sometimes she picks out a few notes. Mom is mesmerized, and her trance is only occasionally broken by a smile that beams across her face.

Unexpected Benefits

As I reflect back over my summer, I think of the unexpected benefits that my trip to Scotland has brought into my life. It is rather ironic that the harp, an ancient acoustic instrument, has propelled me into using technology. I have friends who are still amazed. They ask, “Is this the same Steve who didn’t even want to use a cell phone?” Now I’m making and editing digital recordings, writing a blog, taking digital photos and uploading them, texting, and FaceBooking.

As people learn that I have been an elementary school teacher for 23 years in public schools, they are often curious about students keeping in touch with me. The reality of teaching in an inner-city school is that I don’t have many students keeping in touch. Many of them have moved, or I have moved to a different school in my system. However, due to my FaceBook account, a few former students have contacted me. I have no personal details on my main page, so I was pretty surprised to be contacted. One former student from Jordan recently sent a message asking if I had taught at a particular school. He wasn’t sure if it was me, because I used to sport a mustache. Since he is an adult and in college, I felt I could respond. Another star pupil “just wanted to say hi”, and was smart enough to know that I would have to quietly ignore her message because she is not an adult yet. So, this new medium will help me to explore the possibilities it offers, but will also challenge me to be aware of times I need to be cautious.

 I’m looking forward to the benefits of this trip that I will reap in the future. When I hear the background of a song or tune, I’ll have a much larger frame of reference for contextualizing the piece. I’ll be able to visualize a setting or understand the social structures in place. I’ll be able to understand the historical situation or geography. But, all of that is yet to be discovered. For now, I’ve got lots of digital recordings and CD’s to listen to and decisions about some new songs to learn.

I'm thankful that the Scottish Harp Society of America provided the Herbert P. MacNeil Travel Scholarship which completely covered my roundtrip airfare. Consequently, it provided the impetus for my travel to Scotland. The Mid Ohio Scottish Heritage Association provided additional funds through the Dr. Andrew Turner Memorial Scholarship. These funds helped defray the costs of private harp lessons, purchase of CD's, and the Ed Miller Tour.  I'm thankful for Edna Turner's continued generosity and support of the legacy of the harp. 

Dublin Irish Festival

Mark and Mike drove in from Detroit for the Irish Festival in Dublin, OH. This festival is HUGE. Our first temptation (after refreshments) were the harps of Candyce and Ben Dunham, Burke Whistles, and Copley & Boegli Flutes. It is so cool to be at a festival where you can purchase high quality musical instruments. After getting more refreshments, the music of The Kells Band soon lured us into the audience. Brian McCoy is the Pied Piper of the group and he plays jigs and reels with such clarity and speed that it takes your breath away. While Mark went to a bouzouki workshop taught by the masterful Randy Clepper, Mike and I went to a border collie sheep herding demonstration. The only time I remembered to take my phone out of my pocket and snap a photo was when the collie was herding six ducks through the obstacles created by the many children attending the festival. Ducks are the animals that are used when border collies are first being trained. After some Jeni's Spendid Ice Cream, the all-female group Girsa caught our attention with the driving fiddles in their group. I was delighted when they sang "The Rolling Hills of the Borders". That is a song I need to learn! As we strolled further I said, "I hear a harp!" But it wasn't just one harp. There were two harps on the Dublin (Main) Stage where Moya Brennan sang her dreamy New Age versions of many well-known Irish songs. Later, from a shaded distance we listened to the tight sonorous sound of Lunasa until we could battle the heat and our exhaustion no longer. We left just as newcomers were arriving for the evening when they'd be able to hear Solas, Natalie MacMaster, Scythian, Changeling, and many others. The website for this festival is www.dublinirishfestival.org/

Steve Invites Himself To Dinner

The first time I went to the Somerset Folk Harp Festival, I met up with my friend Misha O'Hanlan. He was already friends with Timothy Habinski, so he was planning on eating dinner with Timothy and several other harp vendors. I got to tag along, and I've had a blast each time. So this year, as soon as I said proper hellos, I asked Timothy if I could join him for dinner. Timothy always scouts up some great Indian food, and he did so again this year. He is sitting beside Liza, who is a harpist, flutist, and harp technician who is certified to regulate and service Camac, Lyon and Healy, Salvi, and other prominent orchestral pedal harps and lever harps..

Mike Playing His Sligo Harp

Mike is sooooo lucky. His wife really understands him. She brought this harp home to him. Surprise! It is a beauty and it is exactly what he wanted. It plays great and sounds great. Mike's a lucky guy.

Sligo Harps at the Somerset Folk Harp Festival

Rick Kemper is the builder of Sligo Harps. In just about 10 years he has gone from novice harp builder to master harp luthier. There was a time when Larry Fisher was having Rick construct the shells for the body of his harps because of some specialized equipment Rick has. Rick's daughter Carolyn has been winning several prominent Irish Harp competitions!