WELCOME TO
Week 2 ~ Fall 2020

Weekly Academy Class Notes for
Mon. Oct. 5, 2020 ~ Sun. Oct. 11, 2020

Click to Refresh Your Page for the most Current Info

LIVE Events This Week

Link to the chats through the “Chat Info” link in the sidebar
Realistically, these Live sessions will last more than an hour
(but hopefully not more than 90 minutes)

We have two chats each week to accommodate students in different timezones. You can come to either or both. I’ll be going over the same basic material in each, but we’ll be reviewing different people’s homework. We try to review the homework of people who are attending the chat. If you are never able to attend chats, but you’re submitting homework, let us know so we can make sure you get reviewed at some point in the semester.

  • MON at 11AM EST: CHAT SESSION #1
  • MON at 5:30 pm EST: CHAT SESSION #2
  • TUE. OCT. 6 at 4:30 EST: Office Hour (if you’re behind, or having trouble with something, this is a good time to check in — others are also welcome to check in during this time)
  • WED. OCT. 7 at 4:30 pm EST: ELITE CHAT – If you’ve been in the Academy more than one year, you’re an ‘Elite’ member and you have an extra chat each quarter
  • THU. OCT. 8 at 4:30 pm EST: Harp Time Live

LINKS for all LIVE Events are on the “Chat Info” link in the sidebar.

     How the Masterclass/Chats Work

    My goal in the Masterclass/Chats is to:

    • Give an overview of what you’ll be learning in the coming week
    • Give you an opportunity to ask questions
    • Review homework together

    Each session will be organized this way:

    • Urgent technical questions or breakdowns
    • Brief review of last week’s lesson in Toolkit; then in Jazz for Harps
    • Overview of this week’s lesson in Toolkit; then in Jazz for Harps
    • Homework review – alternating between Toolkit and Jazz

      Class Content This Week

      Link to each class through the Dashboard

       WELCOME TO THE SECOND WEEK of the FALL SEMESTER!  We’re running two classes this Fall:

      If you’re a first year student, you should focus on Hip Harp Toolkit. If there’s a special reason you want to work on Jazz for Harps, let DHC know.  

      If you’re past your first year you can choose either class.

      • Hip Harp Toolkit: 
        – We’re in MODULE 2 this week. (From your Dashboard find the “Hip Harp Toolkit” badge, then navigate to Module 2)
        – To see last week’s homework and feedback look here.

        This week you’ll be developing a ‘repertoire’ and, instead of working on a single arrangement, you’ll be applying the arrangement form to several tunes. What’s essential this week is to play the arrangement without stopping — regardless of how you think you’re doing. Do not stop & fix things. Even if you are not playing a single ‘right note’ keep going.  If you’ve ever seen “The Music Man,” this is kind of like the “Think Method.” 

      • Jazz for Harps: Last week was about learning the ‘roadmap.’  This week is about learning the ‘feel.’ The two basic ‘feels’ in jazz are “Latin” (or straight eighths) and “Swing”.  The music is written exactly the same way, but when you play Swing, you ‘swing’ the 8th notes. There are many other subtle differences in the two feels, but those are the basics you need to learn.
      • Special Projects: If you’ve been in the Academy for at least 2 years, you’ve taken both classes and you’re playing the material in the fluently, you can propose a special project to DHC. You’ll still come to the chats to share your questions and experiences with the project.  Right now I’m working on a breakdown of the roadmap for a tune similar to “Blue Bossa” for Alicia. If there are others in the program who can play Remember, Orpheus, Valentine, Season & Leaves, then you are welcome to work on the roadmap of the “Blue Bossa-like” tune as well.

      Upcoming Deadlines & Events

      Homework is Due

      See “Homework Submission & Guidelines” link in sidebar to submit homework
      You are encouraged to submit homework each week. If you can’t, then come to one of the masterclass-chats and share your takeaways.

      Homework description will be found in the class itself – or come to the chat

      • Sunday Night at Midnight EST

      Project Due Dates

      See “Project Submission” in the sidebar for info on what the projects are and how to submit them

      • Half-Baked Projects are due: TBD 
      • Final-Beginning Projects are due: TBD

      Elite Chat

      See “Elite Chat” in the sidebar for link to the Zoom Room

      • Wed. Oct. 7 at 5:30 pm EST 

      Special Events

      • Sat. Oct. 3 at Noon EST ~ Under the Hood with the DHC Harp – Get the link and handout from the Chat Info page in the sidebar (just make sure to refresh the page to see the most current content)

       

      From the Newsfeed

      STATUS – This is a section that Nyx & DHC created in Nov. 2021 using the old Newsfeeds, so that we can see what happened in the past, and clean up the newsfeed. Even though we started having class notes this week, we are just putting the Newsfeed below so we have it.

      Always refresh your screen to see the most updated news on this page

      We Are Here => Week Starting: MON. Oct. 5 – Ending: SUN. Oct. 11

      SAVE THESE DATES

      1. ELITE CHAT: Wed. Oct. 7 at 4:30 pm EST*  (*NOTE this change. This originally was listed wrongly as 5:30 pm.)

      THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE: Oct. 5 – Oct. 11

      Look in the sidebar for Academy Schedule link to find the “Class Notes” for this week.

      1. Mondays: MASTERCLASS CHATS – at 11:00 am – 12:00 pm EDT AND at 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm EDT. Come to either or both. These are masterclass-chats: they include a training session and play along – followed by questions. Academy Members Only (the link is in your reminder email)
      2. Tue. Oct. 6: Office Hours at 4:30 pm EDT. Look in Chat Info (in the sidebar) for the link
      3. Wed. Oct. 7: Elite Chat at 4:30 pm EDT: Look in Elite Chat Info (in the sidebar) for the link
      4. Thursdays: “HARP Time LIVE” (Free to the Public)  Thursdays at 4:30 – 5:30 EDT  Opt-in Here ~  watch REPLAYS here ~ Share with Friends here 

      NOTE: The Universe is in a constant state of flux … and so are schedules. Sometimes these schedules change. We try to give plenty of notice but it’s not always possible.

      Where are the Replays?

      • Untangle Weekend Retreat: Scroll down on your dashboard to find the “Untangle” badge
      • Lead Sheet Bootcamp Retreat – Look under “Foundations” on your Dashboard for the badge
      • Chats: Look in the sidebar for “Chat Replays” under “Fall 2020”
      • Special Event “DHC Harp: Under the Hood” replay isn’t ready yet

      FOR ALL Chats & Schedules: Double-check the SIDEBAR for Chat Info & Upcoming Schedule. If you notice discrepancies, please let us know, using the “Ask a Question” form (which is also in the sidebar)  If you ever notice this news-feed isn’t current, you can let us know what’s missing or incorrect with the “Ask a Question” form – and thank you!

      [Updated Oct.  4, 2020 – 11:51  pm / DHC]