Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Next generation of harmonica musicians

[EGS1217@xxxxxxx]

Joy: 
 
Like Zvi, I read your post to be asking for a 'harmonica instructor' in the  
NY/Brooklyn area. 
 
You may have noticed we've all been talking recently about SPAH?  It's  the 
Society for the Preservation and Advancement of the Harmonica.   Many of us 
who post here belong. It's not only a place to go each year for a  convention, 
but there are publications with good articles and invaluable  information 
about harmonica players and Spah sent out a few times each year,  included in the 
dues we pay to belong.
 
You can get more information at: _www.spah.org_ (http://www.spah.org) 
 
Last year a small group of young people (3 of them only 13 at the time)  
formed a group under the auspices of SPAH called 'Young at Harp'...It's been  
mentioned here several times.  Kaleena Hutchins  heads up the  group...just turned 
17, and has been playing harmonica for most of her very  young life.  She has 
a couple of YouTube videos available for viewing as  well, and was shown on 
the local news playing in Milwaukee last  year by the local TV channel.  The 
group includes LDMiller (now all of  14 years old) who came in 2nd with his 
older brother in the America's got Talent  Television Contest a couple of years 
ago. The Millers performed onstage last  year at Spah as well.
 
 
 A couple of the other 14 year olds live in the New Jersey area.   I met  
Zach and his Mom when he was only 11 and already an avid fan of  Jason Ricci, 
attending Jason's shows and studying and practicing as hard as he  can to become 
the musician he wants to be...he played on stage at  this SPAH with the others 
and has come a tremendously long way in these 3  short years, blowing me away 
completely with his skills and poise onstage  as did his friend Jay  
(attending for the first time) who's already written  here about what a blast it was 
to get to perform at his very first Spah  (something not at all usual, but 
because they were part of the 'Young-at-Harp'  group, they got to perform 
individually and as an ensemble..and  it was something we all thoroughly enjoyed 
hearing).  I've taped it,  hope to get copies of the performance out to the 
participants as soon as  possible.
 
 
They are all very talented and extremely nice kids, are giving the rest of  
us hope that there is a future for harmonica among young people.   They had 
their own 'booth' at this SPAH (2008) for people to sign up, buy  t-shirts to 
help promote harmonica playing among their children and younger  family members.  
I'm surprised you missed all our recent talk about  this, but am sure you can 
still get lots of information from Kaleena at: _tooter12@xxxxxxxxxxxx 
(mailto:tooter12@xxxxxxxxxxx) . 

 
Elizabeth 
 
P.S.  It's not unusual at all for a child to learn to play harmonica  'alone' 
with no one else around who plays. It worked that way for me and for  many 
others I've spoken to since retaking up harmonica. I was 4 in Scotland when  I 
began playing, and could play anything I knew in my head right away...but had  
no other harmonica players to talk or listen to.  It seems to be the  nature 
of this particular instrument. If your son has a real feel for the  harmonica 
and music, he'll find his way. He's very young, yet...has plenty of  time to 
learn what he needs to on the instrument..and you've just explained  that he 
already has an instructor. One can't learn overnight.  It does  take 
'wood-shedding' - work and time.This is how children learn piano or any  other instrument 
as well; either alone or one on one with a teacher. It's  long been said here 
that the harmonica is an easy instrument to play, but a  difficult one to 
master.  He's extremely fortunate to have the YouTube  performance and 
instructional videos now available to watch. Wish there'd been  anything remotely like 
them for me as a kid.  I think we're all extremely  fortunate to be living now 
in the 21st century with the amazing technology  available for study.
 
Message: 10
Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2008 20:03:04 -0500
From:  <joyking1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: Re: [Harp-L] Next generation of  harmonica musicians
To: Zvi Aranoff <zviaranoff@xxxxxxxxx>
Cc:  harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Message-ID:
<20080829010304.DJB27873.ispmxmta06-srv.windstream.net@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
t>

Content-Type: text/plain;  charset=ISO-8859-1

Thanks,

Josh is already with a great teacher at  the moment in Brooklyn, Marcus.

I was wondering if there were any young  kids like him on the list that play 
harmonica that he could connect with.   Or even local harmonica or blues/jazz 
clubs.  He likes to play other  instruments as well.

I wish he had more places to go and listen to  various kinds of live 
harmonica music but bars and most night clubs are just not  an option for a little 
kid. Occasionally, he lucks out and finds a free concert  in the city parks.  

So, for now, he just gets to enjoy all you guys  and your music and 
performances you put online.   Thanks!

Joy


> 
> From: Zvi Aranoff  <zviaranoff@xxxxxxxxx>
> Date: 2008/08/28 Thu PM 06:21:03  CDT
> To: Joy <joyking1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> CC:  <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Next generation of  harmonica musicians
> 
> Brian McInnis teaches kids. He's in  Brooklyn, NY. You might want to  
> get in touch with him:  bluesharpteacher@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> 
> 
> On Aug 28, 2008, at  4:37 PM, Joy wrote:
> 
> > I was wondering just how much interest  there really is among kids  
> > (by this I
> > mean  under 18) to play harmonica and what they seem to enjoy playing  
>  > the
> > most.  I know some of you are instructors. Are there  any on this  
> > list or in
> > the NJ/NYC area?   You can email Josh or me off list.  He's trying to  
> >  connect
> > with other kids like him.
> >
> > Here's  a link to our little harmonica player.
> >  http://www.youtube.com/JoshuaKing1
> > It shows a progression of what  he has learned in about 4 months of
> > instruction.  The oldest  video shows him before his first lesson.   
> > He  made
> > me promise to add more videos this weekend.  This  wireless  
> > connection is
> > painfully slow for  uploading, though, and it takes hours.  He wants  
> > to  get
> > rid of the old videos and put out some new and not practice  ones  
> > (he's got a
> > little redheaded girl to  impress).  It's how he shares what he's  
> > doing  with
> > family and friends back home.
> >
> >  Joy
> >




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