[Harp-L] Re: Giving harp workshop

[Maka McMahon <makamcmahon@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dov wrote:    "A local folk festival has asked me to give a Blues Harmonica workshop. I've played for many years but my teaching experience is limited, so I'd appreciate any advice from you experienced teachers: What's good to try to teach in a setting like that? I assume there will be 20-30 people (tops), nearly all of them fairly new to the instrument (if they play at  all) and  I'll have about an hour, give or take. How should I approach this?"

Dov,

I'm not an experienced harp teacher, but I've done a lot of teaching of subjects unrelated and have been to a few harp workshops over the last few years (not that you'd know from my playing!).  So I feel I can throw in my 2c (less tax).

Key issues:
1.  What's the skill level of the participants?  This is critical.  Is it advertised as a beginner workshop for those with absolutely no experience, or an intermediate workshop for those who want to improve existing skills?  Beginner is easier - 'intermediate' has a wide range of interpretation. Some will want to work on the transition from -3' to -3".  Other will ask what bending is.  I'd recommend 'beginner' - a bigger potential crowd and its easier to start from scratch than having to guess where to start.
2.  Make sure everyone knows its BYO Harp (and specify the type and key (I'm assuming diatonic in C)).  Its probably wise to have some cheap harps for sale, 'cause someone will forget.
3.  Now you've got the 'known' audience and something for them to play on, what are they going to play?  You've only got an hour, so what objectives should you aim at?  I'd suggest:
a.  Key objective is to have fun and learn a couple of tunes that they'll be able to play by the time they leave.
b.  Brief description/explanation of a harmonica and how it works.
c.  Brief description of the tab format you're going to use ('cause you'll need to write things on a black or whyte board or use a projector).
d.  Breathing - inhale and exhale from the diaphragm.
e.  Basic chords, progressing to a couple of simple, well known (nursery rhyme type) tunes using only chords.
f. A basic 12 bar 'layout' then play it using only chords.
g. Introduction to single notes - demonstrate the lip pucker and the tongue block.
h. Finish with an 'all in' jam of a simple 12 bar using chords (over a backing CD or a guitar?).
i.  Give them an opportunity for follow-up instruction.  Recommend a book/CD/DVD, and/or some You Tube instructional videos and/or a local teacher or the local blues society (the local folkies may not have even heard of blues!).  Or even a local player who might give them some tips.

That's nine topics in an hour, so you'll need to be ruthless with your time allocation - some might only get a couple of minutes!

Hope this helps. Good luck
Cheers
Maka





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