Tag: Christmas

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Special Event November 11

(Oct. 31, 2018) — On Sunday, November 11, I am coming out of retirement to play for an introductory Christmas event at Brooklyn Antiques, Arts & Refinements in Brooklyn, CT from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.

A special selection of Christmas carols arranged for the harp will be performed as the fine, hand-selected wares offered by proprietor Michelle Pappas will be on display in the historic setting of 7 Putnam Place on Brooklyn Green.

Follow Michelle on Instagram and check out her Facebook page for the best antiques in a setting nestled in the heart of Northeastern Connecticut.   All are welcome.  Don’t miss this unique event!

 

 

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Time Flies When You’re Having Fun…Arranging!

I can’t believe it’s been three months since I’ve posted.  Since I retired from gigging and decided to concentrate on arranging music, I’ve been busier than ever.

I now have a publisher page at SheetMusicPlus and have added more than a dozen new arrangements since mid-March, when I last posted.

My goal of arranging a second group of ten Broadway/popular songs was met back in April.  Feeling as if I’d arranged and uploaded all of my best selections eligible for publication through SMP’s licensing agreement, I returned to Celtic selections, rediscovering songs I’d heard but never considered bringing to life on the harp.

My “popular” song compendium does not include Christmas selections, which are in a category of their own, at least as far as I’m concerned.  I did include, though, a few Christian contemporary songs which I felt were “naturals” for the harp.

In the midst of all of this, two fantastic things occurred:  SMP obtained licensing rights for 1,000,000 new songs…that’s right, one million!  Because of the sheer volume, songs are being added about 5,000 at a time, providing people like me a plethora of music and genres to work through.

A few titles I asked SMP about at the end of May have already shown up in the new list — great songs from classic movies and Broadway shows.  And there are more on the way!

The second thing:  completely unexpected and unsolicited, I was contacted by a major publisher of harp music with a request to submit some of my work.  I quickly asked myself,  “Of everything I’ve done, what I should I send?”

I decided on something I thought would give them the best glimpse into what I’m about while at the same time providing an idea of my favorite songs.  As requested, I provided a bio — rewritten and tailored to the audience — and other information available at my fingertips — literally.

The next day I received a “thank-you” with a promise that they’d be back in touch in the next several weeks.

Wow!  While nothing is guaranteed, it certainly served as an impetus to continue arranging and expanding the harp repertoire.

And before we know it, the Christmas season will again be upon us, and it will be time to find some great new songs to arrange.

 

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It’s Not Too Early to Think About Christmas Music!

(Sep. 12, 2017) — Last week, the publisher of my arrangements, SheetMusicPlus.com, reminded its newsletter audience that musicians are already looking for Christmas music and associated titles have increased in sales in recent weeks.

At first it seemed to be too early to even think about snow, turkey, ornaments and the music that comes with it with the temperature still a balmy 80° during the day in these parts., However, with the effort it takes to notate, record and upload with an eye toward perfection and the time necessary for musicians to learn new music and play it at their best, it’s a credible statement.

I have therefore taken a break from notating all of my best-loved Celtic selections and turned to music for the upcoming season, beginning with “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” made possible through SheetMusicPlus’s “ArrangeMe” program which allows arrangers to legally produce their own interpretations of copyrighted music. That feature is a big “plus!”

Whether you are a beginning, intermediate, or advanced harpist, the selections I will be uploading over the next few weeks should offer you a new perspective on some familiar songs as well as new, easy-to-learn repertoire not previously arranged for the instrument to my knowledge.

Two songs falling into the latter category are already available.

Each year I used to scour all kinds of playlists to find public-domain but unique pieces to adapt for annual Christmas performances.  It is my hope that these arrangements will provide that capability, with less effort, to others.

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