So you Have a Harpist at your School?
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Stories from Local Bay Area Harp Students
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My name is Hailey and I’m 17 years old, a current junior at Leland High School in San Jose, California.
I first began playing the harp in kindergarten, plucking strings at random which created a jumble of noises
instead of actual music. I never really started actual lessons until second grade, when I was eight years old.
Before then, I had tried an assortment of instruments, ranging from piano to violin, but none ever really piqued
my interest. It's been about nine years since I started playing the harp, and so far I’m only a part of San Jose
Youth Symphony’s harp ensemble, which I’ve been in for about three or four years. At my school, there is an
orchestra students may join, however, there are no harps available on campus for use. Thus, I’ve never joined
my school’s orchestra, and I doubt most even know I play the harp in general. I’ve talked to the music teacher
at school regarding the situation, but he simply replied back that there was nothing he could do, and the only
way for me to play at school was to bring my harp every day to play. Of course, I was against this, as moving
the harp from my house to school and back was too much of a hassle, so I never joined my school’s music
program.
At my school, there is a strings orchestra, which includes cellos, violins, violas, and double bass, and a
band for woodwind instruments which includes flutes, clarinet, trumpet, oboes, and french horns. There is a
piano at our school as well for students to occasionally play in the orchestra. I don’t know much about our
school’s orchestra as I’m not a part of it, but most of my friends say it’s pretty fun, and often miss school for
CMEA and other events. I think my school should definitely buy a small - on the cheaper side - pedal harp for
use, so that harpists can join if they would like, rather than make it impossible for them to participate in general.
But since harpists aren’t given the opportunity to join the music program, it kind of discourages me and maybe
others as well from trying it. If my school did provide harps for orchestra, I would definitely want to join because
I love playing with my peers and creating music together. I definitely don’t feel shy being the only harpist at
school; in fact, it makes me feel a bit unique from others as I play an instrument most don’t. My friends find it
interesting as well, that I play the harp, and I was even featured in my school’s yearbook on the “special
instruments” page which featured students who play uncommonly found instruments.
When I first joined the SJYS harp ensemble, I was actually very nervous. I believed that my skill level
was quite far from the others in the group, and thought I was lacking in comparison to others. However, after
the first day of practice, I came to love playing in an ensemble, because the music we created together
sounded so beautiful and lovely. It was unlike anything I had heard when playing solo, and I soon began to
love coming to practice. Playing with others made me realize how important each individual person is to the
piece, and how our skill levels did not matter when creating melodies together. If my school could incorporate
harp into its program, it would definitely make my school and community feel a bit more inclusive.
Read More:
My name is Hailey and I’m 17 years old, a current junior at Leland High School in San Jose, California.
I first began playing the harp in kindergarten, plucking strings at random which created a jumble of noises
instead of actual music. I never really started actual lessons until second grade, when I was eight years old.
Before then, I had tried an assortment of instruments, ranging from piano to violin, but none ever really piqued
my interest. It's been about nine years since I started playing the harp, and so far I’m only a part of San Jose
Youth Symphony’s harp ensemble, which I’ve been in for about three or four years. At my school, there is an
orchestra students may join, however, there are no harps available on campus for use. Thus, I’ve never joined
my school’s orchestra, and I doubt most even know I play the harp in general. I’ve talked to the music teacher
at school regarding the situation, but he simply replied back that there was nothing he could do, and the only
way for me to play at school was to bring my harp every day to play. Of course, I was against this, as moving
the harp from my house to school and back was too much of a hassle, so I never joined my school’s music
program.
At my school, there is a strings orchestra, which includes cellos, violins, violas, and double bass, and a
band for woodwind instruments which includes flutes, clarinet, trumpet, oboes, and french horns. There is a
piano at our school as well for students to occasionally play in the orchestra. I don’t know much about our
school’s orchestra as I’m not a part of it, but most of my friends say it’s pretty fun, and often miss school for
CMEA and other events. I think my school should definitely buy a small - on the cheaper side - pedal harp for
use, so that harpists can join if they would like, rather than make it impossible for them to participate in general.
But since harpists aren’t given the opportunity to join the music program, it kind of discourages me and maybe
others as well from trying it. If my school did provide harps for orchestra, I would definitely want to join because
I love playing with my peers and creating music together. I definitely don’t feel shy being the only harpist at
school; in fact, it makes me feel a bit unique from others as I play an instrument most don’t. My friends find it
interesting as well, that I play the harp, and I was even featured in my school’s yearbook on the “special
instruments” page which featured students who play uncommonly found instruments.
When I first joined the SJYS harp ensemble, I was actually very nervous. I believed that my skill level
was quite far from the others in the group, and thought I was lacking in comparison to others. However, after
the first day of practice, I came to love playing in an ensemble, because the music we created together
sounded so beautiful and lovely. It was unlike anything I had heard when playing solo, and I soon began to
love coming to practice. Playing with others made me realize how important each individual person is to the
piece, and how our skill levels did not matter when creating melodies together. If my school could incorporate
harp into its program, it would definitely make my school and community feel a bit more inclusive.
