In this month's newsletter we're spotlighting our website's wonderful videos! 

Harp composer Kathryn Cater's creative videos feature pieces from each of her books.  They are a wonderful way to get to know the fine repertoire she offers. You can view all of her videos on her book pages of our site. In this newsletter, we're offering 15% off six of her most popular titles.

And I have great news: I've just added another new video of my own to our site!  It features a live performance of my new arrangement of the "Spiritual Medley for Harp and Choir".  Check out the article below  for more information.

Have you watched all the great videos in the Watch Our Videos section of our website recently?  You'll find informative videos on how to tune your harp and change strings, excerpts from my Teach Yourself to Play the Folk Harp DVD, and videos of all of the Dusty Strings harp models.  For fun, we also present classic clips from Harpo Marx and Mildred Dilling, as well as a variety of other entertaining videos.  Be sure to check them out.

Have fun watching our fun and informative videos!

Sylvia Woods

Out of all of the music I have arranged over the past 35 years, one of my two all-time favorites* is the "Spiritual Medley," which combines two lovely spirituals, "Motherless Child" and "Wayfaring Stranger.'  After creating the harp solo in 1998, I created a version in 2002 for harp and handbells, which I performed several times with my church bell choir. Now, it is time to unveil the latest incarnation of this medley for harp and choir. 

When I was in high school, before I took up the harp, I was a piano accompanist for some of the school choirs directed by Shirley Nute. Miss Nute retired in 1998 after 38 years of bringing the love of choral singing to generations of students.  She now leads the Alumni Chorale made up of former pupils who sang with her at Crescenta Valley High School.  I've been a proud member of the Chorale for the past 10 years.  I sing in the choir, and often accompany 1 or 2 of the songs on the harp when we perform. 

For our spring concert season, I created an arrangement of the "Spiritual Medley" for harp and SATB mixed voice choir. (I've also now done a version for SSAA women's choir.)  Miss Nute and the chorale members all helped me refine the arrangements and gave me great feedback.  I've posted a video of us performing the piece at one of our June concerts.  You can watch it on our website, and also on YouTube.  

Since one of my main purposes in life is to make life easier for harp players,  I've made the harp accompaniment for both choir versions note-for-note the same as the harp solo version.  So if you already know this piece as a solo, you are fully prepared to play it with a choir!

Both the SATB and the SSAA versions of the "Spiritual Medley for Harp and Choir" are available as PDF downloads.

I'd love to hear from you if you perform this piece with a choir.  Send me a video!

P.S.  Check out the new Music for Harp and Choir section of our website for two new Christmas music arrangements by Margot Krimmel for harp and choir:  Icy December (which also includes a video!) and Gloucestershire Wassail.

* In case you're wondering, my other "all-time favorite" is my medley of "Arabian Dance" from "The Nutcracker Suite" and "We Three Kings" from the Two Christmas Medleys sheet music.

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This month we are featuring harp books by Kathryn Cater. 
Paul Baker, who was our amazing teacher at the Harp Center for many years, LOVES these books.  He uses them with students of all ages.  You can read his reviews of several of Kathryn's books in the Review-It section below (since he's this month's winner!) and on our website.

An added plus is that Kathryn has made beautiful videos of a few pieces from each of her books.  You'll find those on her book product pages on our website as well.  The videos are lovely to watch, and you get to hear her playing her own compositions!

This month's REVIEW-IT winner is Paul Baker from Los Angeles, California for his reviews of three of Kathryn Cater's books.  Paul was our teacher at the Harp Center for many years, and so we're proud to feature him as this month's winner!

 Here are Paul's reviews:

Harping Cats and Dogs: This is a great book for teaching. Each song is built around a pattern or technique that repeats several times within the song and therefore is not that hard to learn. Dynamics and tempo variations are added musical elements and the songs sound like they were written for the harp! I have used Cater's "Singing Wings" and "Forever in Love With Horses" as well with many students. What great additions to our teaching and recital repertoire.

Singing Wings: This is a wonderful book for teaching beginning harp players! The pieces have basic shapes and patterns that will be of great value to the student in many other pieces as well. They are well written, interesting short pieces that are not all that hard to conquer and learn. "Monarch Wings" is a favorite with its root position arpeggiated triads and a right thumb melody. Kids love these pieces. Adult students love them, too!

Forever in Love with Horses.  Kathryn Cater has another hit teaching book with this one. Different techniques, dynamics, tempo changes and pieces with very logical patterns that repeat and are easy to learn. These pieces give students a real sense of accomplishment and they sound great. Check out all her books, you'll like them.

Here's what Paul told us about himself.

I grew up in Seattle, Washington and played piano from the age of 7 and then added pipe organ lessons when I was 13.  I wasn't around a harp until college when I heard it played in a concert that I attended. The sound was very beautiful and compelling and I started lessons with a wonderful teacher, Lynne Palmer, in the Seattle area.  My first harp was a Lyon & Healy Style 15 pedal harp that I bought used.  After moving to Los Angeles, I also discovered the Celtic harp and have been playing and teaching on both Celtic and pedal harp, now for years.  I love the sound and feel of both instruments and have a wonderful Dusty Strings FH36 made out of walnut and several Lyon & Healy and Wurlitzer pedal harps that I happily use in playing for orchestras, special occasions and teaching.

Win 20 harp dollars with our Review-It contest