New Project Launch!
Beginning today, I’m very excited to begin sharing some of my projects from the past year. As many of you know, I received double degrees in Harp Performance and Music Theory at the Cleveland Institute of Music when I graduated in May. My thesis project from my theory major consisted of diving into my endeavor of writing a music theory textbook that is centered around the harp. I completed the first few chapters of the textbook this past year, and have continued to work on this project, aside other music theory related projects, since graduation.
Beginning today, I am aiming to share music theory resources and approaches in harp performance on my website every Tuesday. Some of the upcoming projects I will be publishing include:
Chapters from my textbook project, beginning with the fundamentals of music theory at the harp.
Analysis paper of Debussy’s Danses Sacrée et Profane.
The Golden mean in music, from Debussy to Doja Cat and Olivia Rodrigo.
Analysis paper and recording of Fauré’s Impromptu op. 86.
Parallel elements of Minimalism - John Adams to Megan Thee Stallion.
Once school returns in full session, I may be cutting back to biweekly posts on my website and through this subscription email due to the full time course load. However, this only opens the door for a direct stream of the information I’ll be soaking in and exploring during the school year. Regardless, I’m excited to launch this output of music theory and harp performance resources!
Below is a snippet of the Introduction to my theory textbook:
“The intersectionality between music theory and harp pedagogy has been largely limited in both standard textbooks and harp-specific resources. Although there have been some attempts to unite the two worlds together, a large majority of the resources either gloss over theoretical topics and simply introduce ideas without harp-specific aides, or rely on previous piano instruction/knowledge at the harp. While the piano is an accessible and straightforward instrument, the harp’s structure and layout can benefit from a uniquely stylized approach to music theory…
...I believe that there is no need to teach theory through another instrumental lens when the harp presents all of the necessary tools and assets to understand music. The strings are directly in front of the harpist, and we have no medium (besides our own fingers and the instrument’s complex mechanism) that can prevent us from understanding and learning about music theory through the instrument. When one ponders the vast majority of harp writing as intervals, chords, and arpeggios as vital elements of the repertoire, what better way to learn about the elements that create our repertoire than with the instrument itself?”
Click here to read and access the full PDF of the introduction!
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- Juan
