Teaching classical music was an easy follow-on within a
well established music education system that has catered for aspiring musicians
for a number of centuries. The challenge of addressing the idea of teaching
Irish traditional music in the 1970s was new. The ‘traditional music’ ‘training
system’ was to grow up with the music around you, join in and be encouraged by
the older players – much in the same way a child learns language before ever
going to ‘school’. Because ‘traditional music’ had been widely viewed by the
institutions of education and state as of little merit, recognition of skills or
appreciation of heritage and repertoire was not forthcoming. Historically, the
only way you could indicate your standard was to win prizes and titles in the
many nationwide competitions where players are judged against each other. As far
as indicating actual standards achieved, this was always inconsistent and
inadequate.
Janet started out working between two worlds: the Classical one in which she
performed and taught piano and the traditional one in which she played Irish
harp. From early on in her primarily classically orientated career (in the late
1970s), she was often invited to perform, demonstrate, judge and coach
traditional harp players from all backgrounds. Knowing little about the concert
harp or indeed, the ‘Irish’ classical style of teaching, she applied Irish
‘traditional’ values in her work which was unique at the time. Bringing her
students to an understanding of how the tradition works from having been a
totally unselfconscious participant - particularly when there wasn’t even an
established vocabulary describing much of the ‘goings on’ in or with the music,
was an absorbing challenge. However, many years’ experience, deliberation and
polished strategies later, the system that was to become the ‘Irish Harp
College’ developed. The challenge was to preserve the improvised and creative
aspects of the music as well as to provide all the necessary skills and
repertoire to enable participation in traditional music making, competent formal
stage performance, high standards of individual excellence in musicality and
performance and an appreciation of the heritage of a tradition and profession
that gave Ireland its national emblem.
Janet’s traditional and classical music backgrounds has afforded a unique
approach to music education which is embodied in the IRISH HARP COLLEGE training
and qualification system. The system has been evolving for over 30 years, the
examination syllabus was established in 1993 and the textbooks were published
from 2005. The Irish Harp College will be formally launched late in 2007.
The IRISH HARP COLLEGE focuses on three aspects of musicianship:
Developing the Musical Competence of the Individual
Physical training: toward agility, strength, speed, control
Aural acuity: ability to listen, concentrate, analyse, process, respond
Language and Logic: judging balance, proportion, expression, command
Mental discipline: memory, recall, patience, consistence
Getting Involved in Social and Creative Music-Making
Adaptability: moulding music confidently and creatively for any occasion
Social skills: relevance of inclusivity, team-play, mixed skills collaboration,
modest leadership
Creative skills: experimentation and creative improvisation, skill development
Formal Performance and Stage Training
Formal performance: staging, programming, presentation; building
self confidence,
Self and team reliance, stress management, stress utilisation
Stage training: Preparation, Teamwork, Leadership, responsibility to self,
team & public
Concert touring: shared adventures, goals, challenges and triumphs
Even if we never paid for a ‘music lesson’, music is part of everybody’s
everyday life – we use it to energise or relax ourselves, to reflect or change
our moods, to emphasise and empathise... Essentially it is all about the skill
of expressive communication and managing emotion in our lives.
MUSIC IS A LIFE SKILL which should be an essential part of every child’s
education. In past times, all ages gathered by the fireside in the evenings and
were entertained with traditional pastimes and by the older folk in the family
or community - telling stories, singing, playing instruments, and dancing around
the kitchen. This is how ‘tradition’ was handed down through countless
generations. Nowadays however, young folk gather around tvs and play stations,
‘cruise the malls’ and socialise with their age-equals from school. They are now
more deeply influenced and enculturated by Australian soap operas and American
sitcoms than by traditional interests. Nobody wishes to turn the clocks back,
but parent’s now have to rely on the schools and after-school music lessons to
at least pass on the skills of music-making. But, without the social context, is
music education that teaches you only to read the notes, play exam pieces and
perform for an examiner once yearly an adequate or even relevant experience?
The Irish Harp College teaching system puts music in context. There are still
exams and technical training – but this is only part of it! We start students in
group classes which address the total music experience, all-inclusive as in a
school classroom. This still allows for the virtuosos to emerge and be
celebrated with or without the extra one-to-one tuition (or ‘grind’) to
guarantee their results.
The Irish Harp College is founded and directed by Dr Janet Harbison whose
background embraces both classical and traditional Irish music; doctoral study
in Social Anthropology; and primary degree in Music (with Psychology). Her many
years of experience as a solo performer, composer, director, producer and
teacher are what she brings to the Harp College which has established standards
of attainment and qualification, recognising diversity in the Arts of Harping
and integrity in professionalism.
Director of the Irish Harp Centre: Dr. Janet Harbison.
D.Litt., M.A., L.T.C.L., F.I.H.C., T.T.C.T.
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