Workshops by The Masters of the Celtic Harp
William has been doing workshops and classes throughout the United States and Scotland for more than a decade. He does a number of week-long summer schools, like Swannanoa, each year besides teaching at harp conferences and in private settings.
Besides teaching traditional Scottish music on the harp, he also does workshops in composing and arranging. Another area of interest for some groups would be his expertise in music therapy—a workshop he can tailor to medical professional as well as harp players (see more information below on this).
All music workshops are taught in the traditional style, “by ear”, although written music can be provided at the end of the workshops. Participants are encouraged to bring recording devices.
Length: 1½ -2 hours
Arranging Pipe and Fiddle Tunes for Harp:
Get some useful ideas on how to expand your Scottish repertoire and how to select tunes from non-harp instrumental collections. Learn how to develop creative arrangements and perform them by using devices such as intros, bridges and "outros"!
Scottish Ornamentation:
Learn about the different types of ornamentation used in Scottish music and how to add appropriate ornamentation to strathspeys and Gaelic airs.
Accompanying Other Instruments:
The modes used in Scottish and Irish traditional music will be discussed. Some approaches to accompanying other instruments and ideas for playing in sessions by improvising chord patterns will be covered.
Composing in a Traditional Style:
What makes a new composition sound traditional? This is a comprehensive look at the structure of traditional music and the modes and rhythms used from Gaelic song, strathspeys to jigs and reels. Learn how to use a simple chord progression as the basis for developing melodic ideas and then expand these melodic ideas into a larger work.
Using the Small Harp in Music Therapy
Workshop presentation, including video of active music therapy situations
Length: 1½ -2 hours
- Identifying who can benefit from music therapy
- Working in a psychiatric setting
- Promoting and developing communication & social skills through music therapy in special needs populations like autism and cerebral palsy
- How to structure a music therapy session; using the small harp as well as other instruments
This workshop can be geared to educate medical professionals (doctors, nurses, physical and occupational therapists) on how music therapy may be used with their patients or toward harp players who may be interested in this field and want to see how harp may be used in music therapy. It’s an open interactive session using William’s own video as well as his demonstrating his talking points using his harp and other instruments. Unlike the music workshops above, this is not a hands-on workshop. Attendees do not need to bring a harp.
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