Harpsongs

"We would like to say thank you very much for playing at our wedding. You sounded so beautiful. We received so many compliments on how wonderful you were! Thank you so much again for making our day so special."

"Your music added a touch of class to our show. I hope we may call on your talents in the future."

"It was a pleasure to meet you. I so appreciated you being able to fit the fashion show in your schedule at such late notice. Everyone enjoyed your beautiful presentation and it added an elegant touch!"

"Thank you so much for adding such a special touch to our Mother's Day Celebration. The gentle sound of the Harp was the perfect background music to honor all our mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers. It was very nice of you to come in on such a special day for yourself also. Many beautiful comments were expressed about your performance and what a special treat it was."

"We would like to thank you for coming in on Sunday for our Grandparents Day Social. I know the residents always look forward to seeing you and listening to the harp, which was absolutely beautiful! It made our afternoon a great success."

"Thank you again for making our wedding so beautiful with your lovely music. It was heavenly."

I started the new venture of playing the harp as an adult after enjoying the piano for much of my life. It opened up a whole new world of music for me in a remarkable way. The harp so easily becomes a part of you as you play, cradling it in your arms, touching the strings, and sensing every vibration.

As a Christian I soon found that harping became a place of worship and a place to bless others with my music. It gives me great pleasure to play out in the community, whether at a wedding, reception, church, funeral, party in an adult home, or for the terminally ill. I’m often told my music is very relaxing and restful. It is my desire to bring a touch of God's peace and joy to those I play for. I'd love to have an opportunity to play for you soon.

Recordings
In the winter of 2002 and again in the spring of 2008, after much urging and encouragement from family and friends, I agreed to record some of the more popular pieces in my repertoire to share with others. With the able assistance of my son Joel and his friends and the faithful support of my husband Bill, we set up in the Shewan Recital Hall at Roberts Wesleyan College, and got down to business. There was a lot of grace in that place, and each time things went much better than I thought they ever would. My first CD, completed in 2003, is called simply "Harpsongs for family and friends" and the second one, done in 2008, is titled "A Bouquet from My Mother's Garden".

The Harps I Play

Lever, or folk, harps are so called because the mechanisms used to change keys are levers that are attached to the harp and push against the strings to make them shorter and thus sharpen the string. Many people when thinking of harps think first of the large, ornate classical pedal harps seen on stage with symphony orchestras.

Classical, or pedal, harps use pedals instead of levers to change keys. The pedal mechanism is fairly complex: pushing the pedals moves discs located at the top of the harp which perform the same function as levers by shortening (sharpening) the strings.

The advantage of a pedal harp like my Lyon & Healy Style 85 is that you can play accidentals easily and quickly, as well as being able to change keys quickly. The advantage of lever harps is that they are lighter and more portable and can come in many sizes, from tiny lap harps to beautiful full-size floor harps like my Prelude.