Playing Level Guide

BASIC – knows their way around a harp, can play a simple melody with 1 hand

INTERMEDIATE – understands levers, and can play 2 hands together

ADVANCED – understands chords and keys, can play hands together at a reasonable speed

HHF 2025 Workshops

Read below for this year’s offerings.

HHF Harp Ensemble – NEW for 2025!

Exciting News! We are thrilled to announce that the very first HuronHarpFest Harp Ensemble will be led by our own Sharlene Wallace, Canada’s most celebrated lever harp player.

Huron Harp Fest Harp Ensemble is available to all participants at the harpfest. This is our first venture at gathering everyone to play together, and we are thrilled to have Sharlene lead this ensemble.  There will be 2 rehearsals, Friday 4-5 pm and Sunday 10:45-11:30 am, followed by our performance at 11:30.  There will be music available at all levels, which you can learn at your own pace before you arrive.  Playing the harp is wonderful, but when you can play the harp in ensemble with others it is a truly magical feeling.  EVERYONE is welcome. Music will be available to download through a Google Drive link, that will be sent by August 1, 2025.

Sharlene Wallace

Beginnings of Beauty – BASIC
Sharlene welcomes beginner harp players to her class to learn a tune, discover useful tips about playing, to ask her questions about the harp, to feel the beauty of the harp’s sound and to have fun playing together!  For beginners who have played before.

The Muse of Silence and Listening to the Inbetween – ALL LEVELS
If you know anything about Sharlene, you may know she is all about the “ inbetween”. Listening to the space between notes, paying attention to the sound in our heart and harp. This workshop will bring attention to listening and exquisite tone through intent, relaxation, harp exercises, improvisation… and “silent playing”. Intrigued?! Join Sharlene in this deep listening workshop.

I Love Playing Scales… Sound Fishy?! – ALL LEVELS
Discover delicious ways and reasons to incorporate scales and exercises into your time at the harp and play with productive consciousness You might just learn to love scales!

The Gentle Public-Private Lesson! – MULTI-LEVEL
Share (play) something for Sharlene, bring your questions about arranging, technique, getting off the plateau you’re on, developing the YOU in your playing! All levels welcome.

Stephanie Claussen

Muffling and Flat Hand Techniques: where and how to use them – INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED
Virginia Woolf once said, “One must learn to be silent just as one must learn to talk.” Harp is an instrument where the strings ring freely unless we silence them. In this workshop we will learn how to use muffles to bring clarity to your melodies, to add rhythm and definition to your bass, and to avoid buzzing. We’ll cover the techniques to play flat octaves, walking bass, and brush muffles. Lastly we’ll learn how to interpret written muffles in sheet music and discuss where you might want to add a little bit of silence into your own arrangements. Handouts provided.

Dynamics and Phrasing: how to shape any melody – BASIC
It’s never too early to start thinking about musicality! Even with a simple melody on the harp, dynamics and phrasing can make all the difference between a nice piece and a piece that really speaks to people. We’ll play through several melodies, discuss different ways to think about dynamics (short little hairpin dynamics, long dramatic dynamics, or sudden, unexpected dynamic changes, etc), and cover how to write all this into your music. We’ll also touch on how to hear phrases and how to use that knowledge to let the music breathe. Being able to read the treble clef or pick up simple melodies by ear will be helpful for this workshop. Handouts provided.

Maintaining a Repertoire: how to learn and retain a body of harp music – ALL LEVELS
We will discuss methods of reviewing pieces, what mindset to cultivate when coming back to old pieces, as well as emphasize practice techniques that can help solidify pieces that aren’t as polished. We’ll also chat about ways you could split your practice time between new and old music, and how to keep track of it all.

The Ins and Outs of Scottish Style – INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED
In this workshop, we’ll cover everything that goes into playing a piece on the harp in a Scottish style: the difference between marches and reels, what beats to emphasize, ideas for ornamentation, how to combine tunes into sets, what to do in the accompaniment, and some more contemporary arranging ideas. At the end of our time together, you’ll have a solid understanding of how to bring a Scottish tune to life, and you’ll have lots of tools you can use to make your own Scottish-style arrangements.

Hannah Flowers

HARPIN’ IT IRISH – BASIC/INTERMEDIATE
Have you ever played Irish tunes but didn’t think they sounded very “Irish?” In this workshop Hannah will teach how to play Irish dance tunes and melodies in the traditional style and discuss Irish ornamentation and variation. Harp players of all levels will learn how to play in the Irish style and leave with tips and tricks to invigorate their Irish tune playing. Sheet music will be distributed for personal use and all levels welcome.

Fearlessly Learning by Ear – INTERMEDIATE
Do you feel intimidated by the idea of learning a tune by ear? Or have you ever wanted to learn a certain tune but then discovered there was no sheet music available for it? Join Hannah Flowers, a convert to the art of learning aurally, for a workshop that will empower you to begin your journey toward learning fearlessly by ear.

Relaxing at the Harp – MULTI-LEVEL
Learning the harp can be quite difficult, and many harpists struggle with holding tension in their bodies while playing. In this workshop, Hannah Flowers will guide participants through a series of exercises and techniques designed to recognize and reduce tension, encourage fluidity in your playing and promote greater ease in your harp playing.

Elegant Contemporary Irish Tunes – INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED
Learn some modern tunes to expand your repertoire! The tradition offers a wealth of newly composed tunes that are beautiful on the harp. In this workshop, Hannah will teach several modern Irish tunes that are not dance tunes but suit the harp perfectly. There will be a waltz, a slower tune, and a tune or two out of the ordinary.

Robin Grenon & Gisèle Guibord

The Danzante – MULTI-LEVEL (BASIC/INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED)
The Danzante is a melancholic song of Ecuador reflecting the Indian character of this country. Its pulsating rhythm (6/8 or 2/4) relates to a slow march. The simple and expressive melodies of the Danzante sound beautifully on the Celtic harp. Come discover a new world of emotions!

The Huayno (pronounced ‘’why no’’) – INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED
Enter the festive world of the Huayno, one of the most popular musical forms of Andean music (ex. Peru, Bolivia). Its binary rhythm (2/4) can be heard in many carnivals, although it was originally played during funeral processions of the Quechua Indians. The high register of these melodies fits nicely with the Celtic harp, while the left hand sustains with a rhythmical pattern. Let’s celebrate!

Learn 2 easy pieces with the composers – MULTI-LEVEL (BASIC/INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED)
Robin and Gisèle will introduce you to two new compositions that you will be able to learn easily with their help. There is no better way than a human exchange to integrate new music.

Manuel Gamalinda

Harp Care and Maintenance – MULTI-LEVEL
The structure of a harp evolves constantly over time due its nature and construction. A harp will shift and settle and will affect the complex parts of the mechanisms. All harps require a proper maintenance schedule to ensure its optimal enjoyment and performance.
Bring your questions! It is not mandatory to bring a harp if you just want to take notes or videos for future reference. However, if you want to do a self assessment while following along, it would be best if you had your instrument. You can also ask for a quick checkup to see if there are any issues.