Learn to play the harp by ear and to read music
No prior musical experience necessary
- Experienced and Patient teacher
- Individual lessons at your own pace
- Lessons to suit your schedule
- Music lessons are fun!
- Harps for hire
Lessons at Point Chevalier, Auckland or online using Skype or zoom
Lesson days Monday - Friday
Music soothes the soul and harps are wonderful instruments to play. Spending a little time each day playing is all you need to make progress. The more you play the easier it all becomes.
You will learn:
To read music and play by ear.
To arrange music for the harp so you can play your favourite songs, as well as how to write your own music.
To work out the best fingering to use and options for left hand parts, including which chords to play and different ways to play them. |
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Whether your little one dreams of starring on youtube or you’re a parent looking at options to nurture their creativity, the harp offers a special learning opportunity.
At what age can your child begin harp lessons?
Children can start to learn to play the harp at age 5 or 6.
If they are enthusiastic about the harp then it is a good time for them to learn.
You may want to learn the harp with your child, if you are playing music at home then you can be the inspiration for your little one to practice. This will become a very special time that you can share together.
Why Children Love playing the Harp
It's fun!
Learning to play the harp is fun. Each lesson is tailored to the individual and is an enjoyable challenge.
Harps sound great from the start
The harp is a lovely instrument for your child to learn music on. Each string is a separate note so it is easy to get a good sound out of it from the start. You don't need to coordinate 2 hands to play a note like the guitar or the violin. On a harp the string is plucked and the note sounds. This is very encouraging for beginner players and quite soothing for others in the houselold listening.
Singing and playing the harp
Singing with the harp is almost like singing with another person, the gentle sound of the harp is like a voice singing along with you. Well known children's songs will be used for lessons as well as a mixture of other music. Most children like to sing but not all are confident about singing when other people are around. It is easier to sing with someone else and sometimes their confidence blossoms as they sing along. Sometimes they just don't want to sing, and that is fine too.
No prior musical knowledge required
Any previous musical instruments played, like recorder or piano, will make the process of learning music easier. While you don't need any musical training to learn how to play the harp, being able to read even a little music will make it easier. Knowing the names of notes in the treble cleff or note values is a very good start.
Children new to New Zealand
For students new to New Zealand they will learn about kiwi music, songs in Te Reo, favourite Christmas music and other songs and pieces familiar to most New Zealand children. When you are in a new country it is nice to have some things feel familiar.
Connection with family and friends
When your child knows a few tunes they can play for family or friends to build confidence, this is also a lot of fun. You can make a video and send it to overseas relatives, there are lots of things to learn from such experiences. Live performance via the net is also a lovely way for family to feel a sense of togetherness when they are separated by geographical distance.
Why Parents Love their Children Playing the Harp
Confidence
Confidence grows with success and it is wonderful to watch students become more sure of themselves as they realise that they have skills needed to learn to read music, play music and write music.
Helping with Social Skills
Music is a universal language, and as well as playing music on their own at home, playing the harp can be a social activity. Many children have family overseas and will play for them via the internet
Performance Opportunities
Most schools have an orchestra and would welcome a harp. Many schools also have various performance opportunities such as playing in front of the class or entering into a school talent quest. This helps more confidence to grow once enough has been gained to play in front of people.
Cultural Appreciation
Learning music from many different countries teaches children about cultural differences. Learning to play exposes children to diverse traditions and fosters an appreciation for music history.
Focused Attention
As your child progresses in their playing they will develop discipline and concentration. Many children find that their attention wanders and music is a gentle way of training the mind to remain focused on the task at hand. The instant feedback coming from playing the music helps with finetuning attention. This is a skill that will help them in other areas of their education. If they can't pay attention, they can't learn. It is an excellent skill to cultivate.
Memory improvement
Learning to play a musical instrument requires focus, discipline, and an ability to remember. We will work on playing our music by ear, i.e. from memory, as well as reading the notation. These skills are useful for other learning and help to sharpen young minds.
Developing Motor Skills
Precise hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills are essential for harp playing. These abilities extend beyond music improving the other activities your child will be involved in, handwriting, drawing, sports performance.
The harp can be a bridge between creativity and physical dexterity.
Discipline
The time that your child spends playing the harp at home is is very important. It will improve their playing and ultimately give them more satisfaction. It is best if they can have a regular time to play at home. A short 10 minute play each day will yield results, a small amount of playing regularly will make a huge difference to the progress made. They will want to play for longer as they find more enjoyment in their music.
Improved Creativity
As your child experiments with their playing, their creativity will have the opportunity to be expressed. It is a wonderful feeling to sit with the harp and just play.
New Zealand Harp Teachers Directory
If you need to find a harp teacher in New Zealand have a look at this resource.
email or phone for more details or with any questions you may have.
email: robyn@robynsutherland.com or Ph 021 25 27 632
Robyn's musical beginnings
When I was a young girl my father would play the piano and encouraged my 2 sisters and I to sing. He was a fantastic musician who could read a little bit of music but who could also play well by ear. When he went away with the troops in World War 2 he took his piano accordian and would play for their entertainment.
He taught me about melody, harmony and rhythm and I also learnt how to give an amateur performance to my Aunts and Uncles when they came to visit!
They were great times and these memories sit among the fondest of my childhood.
Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a musician in the family and some people live in a home with no music played at all.
I enjoy sharing my love of music and ability to play and sing with others, just as my father enjoyed sharing his love of music with his friends and his family.
Comments from some students who have taken lessons:
Cathie - Auckland and Hawkes Bay
Robyn is such a calm, reliable and patient teacher. She has been so encouraging while our daughter has been learning the harp. She is always happy to modify the lessons to suit whatever interests our daughter had... even going as far as teaching her Pink Fluffy Unicorns Dancing in Rainbows on the harp when it becaome the "it" song at school. We really appreciated that individualised approch. We have also been lucky enough to experience lessons in person and online (when we moved out of Auckland) and found both to be excellent. I could not recommend Robyn's talents enough!
Campbell - Auckland
Thank you for your patience teaching them and for being such an understanding teacher. Your lovely soft nature was a real hit with the girls and so fitting with teaching such a beautiful instrument. It was such a pleasure listening to the girls play, it is so mysterious and soothing.
Liuyan Wang - Auckland
I signed my 7 year old daughter up for lessons with Robyn and she said Robyn is the best teacher she has had! Robyn is a very friendly, calm, professional and patient teacher that is definitely talented in playing the harp. Look forward to our future lessons with her!
Yu Liu - Auckland
The harp classes with Robyn were wonderful experiences. Robyn taught me the basics of harp playing with easy-to-follow tips, and she corrected my gestures so I can play the harp smoothly. In the Christmas holiday, Robyn also gave me extra sheet music, of my level, and I can play Christmas songs with the harp to my friends. On my boyfriend's birthday, I also played him a birthday song, and he was amazed. Have to say thank you Robyn for giving me helpful instructions and lending me a harp, I enjoy harp learning with you so much, thank you!
Natasha Lewis - Henderson Heights, Auckland
My daughter has had harp lessons with Robyn and the experience has been wonderful.
Robyn is a natural teacher, she is patient, warm, friendly and encouraging.
In a short spate of time, has not only learned to play the harp and read music, but was motivated enough to consider playing in her school talent showcase : )
Robyn's enthusiasm is infectious, her ability to encourage her students and create a genuine love of learning is impressive.
I would highly recommend Robyn as a music teacher.
Sasha - Waiuku, Auckland - In person and online lessons
Robyn was a wonderful teacher to my daughter. Being able to hire a harp enabled my daughter to try a new instrument and see if it was the one she wanted to pursue long term before having to make a significant investment in a new instrument. Robyn was a wonderful teacher, patient and had a real raport with my daughter. I particularly appreciated Robyn making Skype lessons available as we were located a fair distance from Robyn and it enabled us to have lessons on the weeks we couldn't make commutes. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Robyn to anyone considering pursuing the harp.
Nicola Wilson - Northland - Online lessons
While living in rural Northland I was able to fulfull a long held ambition of playing a harp by hiring one that Robyn couriered to us in a harp travel case. I had lessons fortnightly via skype using the internet. This was a learning curve with the technology in addition to the instrument but Robyn was very helpful and supportive. My five year old daughter was enchanted with my harp playing and decided to join me in learning. We would visit Robyn a couple of times a term for an in person lesson which we found invaluable. Our harp learning was a memorable and treasured experience. Robyn is an exceptional person. Her gorgeous character flows over into every aspect of teaching, playing and personal interactions. How grateful we are for the opportunity to have studied under her tutelage!
Linda and Alex - Auckland
Robyn Sutherland has been teaching music to our two children for the last three years. Our daughter has learnt to play the harp beautifully. Robyn has managed to feed her natural enthusiasm and confidence to a stage where she genuinely enjoys performing for a public audience. She is now using the skills Robyn has taught her to teach herself how to play the piano and the Irish Penny flute. She is also learning to play the violin. All that Robyn has taught her is making the violin an easy instrument to learn.
Robyn has taught our son to play the acoustic guitar. He has now moved on to the electric guitar. His new teacher is extremely impressed with our sons musical knowledge and his playing ability considering the short period of time he has been having lessons. One of the best things about her teaching is that Robyn has not locked him into one style, therefore he is very receptive to new ideas and can adapt his playing accordingly. Our son is a shy child and Robyn has built his confidence up to a stage where he willingly enjoys performing in public, something we thought we would never see.
Robyn has taught them how to arrange their music so that they can play together. They now give "mini concerts" to elderly people. They have also played at The Corban's Estate Arts Festival.
At 13 yrs of age our daughter wrote a musical stage show for the Scouts Jubilee. Robyn helped her arrange and record the backing music onto CD and also supported her with advice on how to direct the show. For the same Jubilee Robyn took nine of the instrument playing scouts, ranging from 7 - 13 yrs of age (seven of whom she had never met before) and turned them into a mini orchestra. She did this in a little less than three months, one lesson per week. There were two violins, a harp, a guitar, a saxophone, two pianos and two recorders. They all achieved their music badges and had a great time doing it. The whole show was a great success and a good part of the credit goes to Robyn.
We are both very grateful to Robyn, always wish her well and highly recommend her to any parent as a music teacher.
Robyn is calm, patient, reliable, honest and multitalented, she has a lovely sense of humour and a natural rapport with children."
Are you interested in learning the harp
but have no instrument to play?
Hire a harp!
Email or txt Robyn to book your first harp lesson today
email: robyn@robynsutherland.com or phone: 021 252 7632
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