WELCOME TO
Week 3 ~ Fall 2020

Weekly Academy Class Notes for
Mon. Oct. 12, 2020 ~ Sun. Oct. 18, 2020

LIVE Events This Week

Link to the chats & live event from the “Chat Info” link in the sidebar

• MON at 11AM EST: CHAT SESSION #1 (60-90 minutes)*
• MON at 5:30 pm EST: CHAT SESSION #2 (60-90 minutes)*
• WED. OCT. 14 at 5:30 EST: Office Hour (60 min) (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)
• THU. OCT. 8 at 4:30 pm EST: Harp Time Live (60 min)

*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.

Class Content This Week

Link to each class through the Dashboard

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:

1. We’re starting MODULE 3 this week. (From your Dashboard find the “Hip Harp Toolkit” badge, then navigate to the modules)
2. To see the homework people shared last week  see the Homework Display Page.
3. To see the FEEDBACK to last week’s homework, see last Mondays’ Chat Replay
4. What we’re doing THIS WEEK:

There’s ALOT in this week’s lesson and you don’t have to do it all.

• [Essential] This week you’ll be ‘filling in’ your arrangement by expanding it inward: building accompaniment DOWN from the top (i.e. building accompaniment below the melody note) or UP from the bottom (i.e. building accompaniment above the bass note). 
• [Optional] You’ll be learning to use the 1-5-10 lefthand structure to create a pulse or rhythm with your left hand and how to simplify that rhythm when the piece get more complex.
• [Optional] Singers will learn to use the same 1-5-10 pattern, split into 2 hands, as an accompaniment for singing. 
• [Optional] You’ll learn to take that same 1-5-10 and ‘shape shift’ with it to create a ‘vamp.’

If your time is limited, you can see a REVIEW of what you’ll learn this week on this page.

Jazz for Harps:

• In Week 1 we learned about how the harmonic roadmap works. In Week 2 we learned the difference between the “Swing” and “Latin” (or straight eighth) feels.
• In Week 3 you’ll get a different melody for “Leaves” – a melody that has a little more space in it.
• You’ll learn to play a whole arrangement rubato (this should be familiar from “Hip Harp Toolkit” or “Lead Sheet Bootcamp” – the big difference with Jazz is that the harmonic roadmaps are more complex in jazz that in the simpler tunes we use in Hip Harp Toolkit.

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