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 A Personal Note from Sylvia
I hope you all had a happy Saint Patrick's Day. Mine was quiet . . . just the way I like it. I went out to dinner with a friend, and we were serenaded with mellow Irish music on guitar. Then, on Friday night I went to a great concert given by my friends in the Irish band Whiskey O. So, all in all it was a great St. Patrick's weekend here on Kauai! Wedding season will be here before we know it. So this month we're featuring wedding music as well as Anne Roos' indispensable manual for all wedding harpists: The Musician's Guide to Brides. You can read more about Anne's book below. In last month's newsletter I featured our two artists who have created knitting and cross-stitch patterns featuring harps. I'm happy to announce that Caroline Steinford has just released two more knitting patterns. This time they are for harp-shaped pillows and lyre-shaped pillows. If you're a knitter, be sure to check them out! Happy spring to you all, Sylvia Woods
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Anne Roos - Author of the Month |
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Anne Roos is our featured author this month. Here's what she has to say about herself, her music, and her writing.
If someone looked into a crystal ball to reveal my future back when I was in college, I would have told them they were nuts. I had no idea I'd be playing the harp for a living. It wasn't as if I yearned to play the harp, or any instrument, for that matter. It's all been happenstance.
After graduation from UCLA, I held a string of jobs that were not so satisfying, working as an audience research analyst in the entertainment industry. These were number-crunching jobs that were repetitive and stressful, with unrealistic deadlines.
Then one day I attended a Winter Solstice Festival at Cal State Northridge. In a booth in one corner of the exhibit hall sat a lady surrounded by little harps. She told me that if I wanted to take lessons from her, she would rent me one. I thought, "I need relief from job stress." So I signed up. Thus began my harp journey, totally by serendipity. The lady in that booth was Sylvia Woods.
As I studied with her, I returned to UCLA to take music theory courses and later contributed to Sylvia's Music Theory and Arranging Techniques. I continued on to get a teaching credential and taught math and music appreciation for the L.A. Unified School District.
Little by little, I eased into performing by playing for acquaintances that were getting married and as a pass-the-hat musician at the L.A. Renaissance Fair. For each opportunity that came about, I simply said, "Okay. I'll do it." I've always figured that if I turn down opportunities -- even when they appear to be a challenge for me -- I might miss out on something.
When I moved to Northern California with my husband, I burned out of teaching in public schools. I decided to focus on spreading the news that I was available to perform. It made sense, because Lake Tahoe is famous as a worldwide wedding destination, and I was soon playing more than 100 weddings per year.
I began contributing to The Folk Harp Journal with "The Harper in Business" articles back when the publication was printed solely in black and white. At that time, nothing in the Journal spoke to the experiences I had while performing. Apparently this filled a niche, because for a time, I also served as the Non-Pedal Harp Editor for the Harp Column magazine. Because I never bothered to turn down a possible break: * I met a flutist with a huge library of commercially available recordings. He asked if I would like to record with him. I said, "Sure."
* I met a recording engineer who suggested I join the Recording Academy, so I said, "Okay."
* In the Recording Academy, record producers invited me to work with them on a series of CDs packaged inside of books. I said, "Great!"
My editor at Hal Leonard couldn't believe that playing at weddings was so involved, but I wanted to make sure my readers would be at ease working with brides and performing. It's written for all musicians, so if you are in an ensemble, everyone can use it. The book contains many of the real-life horror stories that we all like to giggle about and learn from, along with hilarious cartoons. You'll also find forms you can use for building your music list, creating a performance contract, and much more. I've collected many additional experiences since this book was published, so a 2nd edition is in the works.
In the meantime, you can continue to catch up on recent Harper in Business articles posted in The Folk Harp Journal for a sample and preview of what you'll receive with The Musician's Guide to Brides.
I'm extremely grateful that fate brought me to Sylvia all those years ago and that I didn't turn down any of the opportunities that followed. I'm looking forward to helping you along your performance path, and if you have any questions or feedback about your journey, feel free to connect with me.
-- Anne Roos
-- Anne Roos performed on the 2015 Best New Age Grammy® Award winning album Winds of Samsara. Her music aired internationally on United Airlines inflight music service and on National Public Radio (NPR). She continues to perform for special events and weddings, and she teaches lessons -- You'll find her listed on Sylvia's Harp Teacher List. Check out her website at CelticHarpMusic.com for more info, and connect with Anne across social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.)
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This Month's Sale |
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This month's sale includes wedding texts and music. To get the 15% discount on the books, sheets, and PDFs shown below, enter the code word anne in the Promo Code box on your shopping cart page and click "Enter Code" by April 4, 2016. For more information, see the 15% Off section at the bottom of this newsletter.
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Regular price: $24.99
15% off with anne code
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Professional harpist Anne Roos draws upon her years of experience working with wedding planners and brides to guide the reader every step of the way to becoming a successful wedding musician. Readers will also get insider advice from wedding planning professionals, suggested repertoire, comprehensive worksheets, and checklists that provide all they need to know to plan their business and performances. This is a must-have book for musicians and bands who want to keep their calendars full with high-paying wedding ceremonies and receptions. 324 pages, paperbound.
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Regular price: $6.95
15% off with anne code
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Felix Mendelssohn's
Wedding March
is most commonly played as a wedding recessional.
This sheet music includes two harp arrangements by Sylvia Woods. One is for intermediate to advanced lever harp players, or pedal harpists. The second arrangement is a bit easier, and It can be played on small harps with 22 or more strings, from C to C. Both arrangements are in the key of C, and require multiple F, C and D lever changes. Each arrangement is 2 pages. Fingerings and chord symbols included.
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Regular price: $9.95 and
15% off with rudolph code
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This collection of 11 Baroque trumpet tunes and voluntaries are appropriate for wedding processionals and recessionals.
Thom Dutton has arranged these pieces by Henry Purcell, Georg Philipp Telemann and others.
The pieces, for intermediate harp players, are in the key of C or sharp keys with a few lever changes and some fingerings. If you play weddings, you'll find this collection invaluable! This PDF is 21 pages.
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Regular price: $25.00
15% off with anne code
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This is an excellent resource for the wedding ceremony as well as many other occasions. In addition to tastefully arranged classic wedding standards, it contains many new pieces not previously transcribed for harp: cheerful Renaissance melodies, love songs from Italian opera and Early American wedding marches and trumpet tunes. It includes historical notes for each piece, composer biographies and helpful suggestions for selecting pieces for the wedding ceremony. Arrangements are for the intermediate to advanced player. Lever and pedal harp markings are provided and some fingerings are notated. Most pieces are in the key of G; a few pieces are in C, D and F with a couple written in E-flat. 40 pieces. The PDF is 116 pages long.
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Regular price: $15.00
15% off with anne code
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Wedding ceremonies are all about promises. This music by RoJean Loucks promises to be an important collection if you play at weddings or worship services.
The collection features tasteful arrangements of both traditional and sacred selections as well as five wonderful new melodies that are RoJean's original compositions.
Most of the pieces are in the key of C, 4 are in sharp keys, and "Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us" has 2 versions: one in C, and one in 3 flats. There are no lever or pedal changes needed within any of the pieces. No fingerings. 30 pages.
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Regular price: $7.95 and
15% off with anne code
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Pat Monahan is the lead singer in the American group Train.
Marry Me was released as a single in 2010 from their "Save Me, San Francisco" album. This lovely, rhythmic song is popular for weddings.
Sylvia Woods has made a 6-page arrangement for intermediate lever or pedal harp players. It is in the key of D (2 sharps), and there are two C-natural lever changes. Fingerings, lyrics, lever and pedal changes, and chord symbols are included.
The harp range required is 24 strings (a little over 3 octaves), from a G up to a B.
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