Playing the Harp at Interlochen Arts Camp - YouTube

Why play the harp?

Well, I think it's like an open heart.

You know, it rings. It's....

It gives out.

It has opportunities for melody and also awesome harmonies.

I love the sound of the harp, honestly.

I mean, I can make a mistake and it still sounds pretty.

The harp is one of those instruments that has the ability to be incredibly versatile.

It can be percussive, but it also can really sing.

First there's your concept of your sound,

and then how you are going to work the string.

We call this "closing."

I was trained in a method where

you get away from the harp not just any old way,

but so that you're affecting the sound.

So for example, if you want your sound to be sustained and

slower sustained, then you

play that way and you draw the sound out that way.

If you want your sound to have a lot of

energy and to sound fast and brilliant,

then you also play that way and move that way.

And there's like an acoustical

phenomena that happens where you really can effect those vibrations.

Closing is a technical thing when you're playing the harp.

It's the way that your hand moves into your palm after you play the note,

and even though it's this after-motion,

it completely changes how the string is heard.

It's a whole mental game kind of to try

to get this perfect combination of all these tiny muscle movements.

To get what you want from the instrument.

All of these little things that come together to make

this space around you just perfect enough so that you're not

stressed when you play and you're not

like thinking of anything else— it's just all

one big motion.

So for all of that beautiful sustain—

people say it's sort of heavenly—

It's very mechanical.

You have to be a mechanic.

It doesn't stay in tune. That's a royal pain.

It can hurt your fingers.

You have to be practicing consistently. It can be really painful.

There is such thing as too many glissandos,

because that's when your fingers start to hurt

from sliding up and down the strings too many times.

People have said, "Oh, when you get into the real world, outside of Interlochen...."

But the truth is, they're in the real world here.

Maybe in a very—

with a lot of depth.

They are learning to work through struggles with people they don't necessarily click with initially,

and they end up being lifelong friends.

After the first rehearsal, I wanted to quit so bad.

But I was kind of like,

"I don't know when I'm going to get this opportunity again,"

so I was like, "I'll try it one more time."

And so I did. I went to that next rehearsal,

and I went to every rehearsal after, and I went to the concert,

and the concert was fantastic.

It just really stuck with me that like,

I thought that I could maybe, kind of, possibly do it,

and I tried it, and I could do it. It turned out to be great.

When students come here to Interlochen, they're living it.

They're surrounded by other people,

you know, in all the arts,

who are learning artistic discipline, the art of patience,

and that if you hang in there, you're gonna get it.

I don't know. It's just—

It's what life is supposed to be about.

Good job. —Thank you!