Tegucigalpa Harp School Cuarto Creciente

Tegucigalpa Harp School Cuarto Creciente, "New Moon": March 17, 2005

On March 17, 2005, The Harping for Harmony Board of Directors approved a project that will establish a harp school in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. The school will be known as Cuarto Creciente, "New Moon."

Lis Joosten, of Tegucigalpa, will receive $2000 in assistance, to establish the school, to obtain instruments and to promote harp building. Harps are not well known here, but Joosten's own harp has attracted wide attention. As a social worker and long-time resident, she has been working with a guitar-maker to produce a prototype for local manufacture. In this effort she has received encouragement from Patrice Fisher, who has established a similar project in neighboring Guatemala.

Other projects approved for 2005 are El Molino Harp School and Summer Braille Music Institute.

All funding is contingent upon donations.

(Following are excerpts from Lis Joosten's complete proposal)

Harp is not a well-known instrument in Honduras and cannot be studied at any music school. The national symphonic orchestra uses piano or guitar to fill the harp parts. I have been living for about ten years in Honduras, doing social work through local development projects and co/founded the artist organisation Arte Acción, which reaches out to youth and kids from excluded areas. Besides anthropologist, I am harpist, and have been performing playing Celtic, Latin and Classical harp with groups, orchestras and operas which has been very well received.

Often people ask me if I would give harp lessons, but the problem is the lack of instruments for them to practice on. So I contacted John Lozier of the Harping for Harmony Foundation, who provided me with the contact with Patrice Fisher. Patrice luckily had already planned a trip to Honduras to make an Ecos Latinos documentary of this beautiful and diverse country together with her husband, Carlos Valladares. We became friends immediately and her support and enthusiasm stimulated me to start a small harp school in Tegucigalpa the capital of Honduras. We visited a local guitar maker, don Jesús, with a copy of harp plans from Musicmakers and hardware from Blevins harps.

Don Jesús is really willing to try to build this harp and phones me every other day to come and look at his progress...it is very hard to build a harp with just a picture and some pieces of paper if you don't really know the instrument. My Aoyama Irish harp is rather different which confuses him even more. Today, he was almost putting the back part as soundboard and cut a soundboard of wood one inch thick. In the meantime, one message posted through internet has led to five students for the harp classes that I'll start in early March, with the help of ARTE ACCION our artist organization. Patrice Fisher donated a set of methods which will be very useful and provides me with a lot of tips.

The national music academy is also interested and has offered me a space to teach...I just need them to get the instruments to enable the students to practice, because the guitar maker is not going to be able to quickly produce high quality harps soon. But the start has been made and I hope to be able to report on real facts and progress in a couple of months.

The school will be called CUARTO CRECIENTE, referring to the first stage of the moon after new moon, which is the period in which ideas and dreams are realized or materialized. We hope to grow little by little, full the room and be able to play harp in a full circle soon.
Besides teaching I am thinking of starting a harp therapy programme for elderly people as well as for sick children. For that I would like to get access to a lap harp that is easy to transport and share with people of all ages and circumstances. (may be a cardboard Waring harp or a Sassafras harp)

In the meantime, all kind of help is welcome. We need harps (different sizes), strings, hardware, music stands, anything to be able to give Honduran musicians the opportunity to study and play harp.

General Objective: Promote harp music in Honduras though the Tegucigalpa harp school and facilitate access to affordable instruments for harp students in Honduras
Specific objectives: · Promote harp building in Honduras · Facilitate access to instruments (lease/buy) · Train at least 10 students · Start a harp therapy pilot programme
Target Group: I will start teaching to individuals that respond to the small promotion campaign (youth and adults). In second instance, as soon as I got at least 3 harps, I will be able to offer classes for kids in excluded areas, elderly, sick kids as well as provide services to the national music academy.

Contact Lis Joosten by email: arpalis@yahoo.com.

Summer Braille Music Institute

- providing harps for week-long workshop at Overbrook School

Christina Cotruvo, of Duluth Minnesota, will be provided with six to eight harps for use during a week-long Braille Music Institute at Overbrook School for the Blind, in Philadelphia, July 17-23. A budget of $500 will provide the means to transport the harps from West Virginia to Philadelphia and back. I am hoping that additional resources may be leveraged through personal networking with the West Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind.

Other projects approved for 2005 are El Molino Harp School and Tegucigalpa Harp School.

(Following are excerpts from Christina's full proposal)

GOAL: To develop harmony and community by integrating the harp with the Summer Braille Music Institute’s School Music Study July 17 through July 23, 2005 at Overbook School for the Blind in Philadelphia, PA for blind children.

WHY: Bring experience of harp to 6 blind music students between the ages of 17- 20 at the music camp who are bound for advanced music study in upper high school grades or beginning college. To use the harp to bond the students and teachers through the harp the first night of gathering and through the week. To learn a new instrument, learn of harp music, feel how harp can heal personally and provide coping skills. To show use of a harp to Philadelphia community volunteers who participate in the seminar. To provide publicity for Harping For Harmony missions.

WHO: Christina Cotruvo – harp, music instructor, and transcriber No-C-Notes Music. Board member CHOICE, unlimited www.choiceunlimited.org. Controller Liscomb-Hood-Mason Co. 2005 Millennium Harper quest filed 3/05 for Harper of Harp-Abilities. 4210 Quebec Ave. Duluth, MN 55804 218-525-9839 E-mail: xina@no-c-notes.com Visit: www.no-c-notes.com David Goldstein, director of National Resource Center for Blind Musicians NRCBM) Music and Arts Center for Humanity (MACH) 510 Barnum Avenue, Third Floor Bridgeport, CT 06608 Phone: 203-366-3300, Extension 229 Email: info@blindmusicstudent.org Visit www.blindmusicstudent.org

The NRCBM is a division of MACH. The resource center provides information and referral services for visually impaired students of all ages, their parents and teachers; learning opportunities for blind students heading to college; and maintains a network of visually impaired musicians willing to share their expertise in braille music, technology and coping strategies. In addition to its Summer Institute seminar, other activities of the resource Center include development of programs for blind children in Connecticut and teacher training.
Past summer seminar students have come from 18 states and 4 countries. Teachers, assistants and volunteers are from Philadelphia and across the U.S.: 2 visually impaired braille music teachers, 2 visually impaired computer teachers, sighted teachers may be hired for theory, individual lessons and ensembles.

WHAT: Summer Braille Music Institute – A Seminar on Braille Music & Technology for School Music Study for 6 blind music students ages 17 – 20 and teacher interns. The summer music camp is in its 10th year and provides individualized instruction in the skills needed for full participation to high school and college theory classes, as well as intensive study of braille music. Days are comprised of classes in braille music, computer, tutoring in theory and related skills, as well as group instrumental and voice activities meant for fun and presentation skills. 2004 summer camp can be viewed at http://blindmusicstudent.org/Summer_Institute.htm *Attached is the 2005 brochure draft.

WHEN: Seminar dates are July 17-23, 2005. Setup on campus by staff will begin July 14. Teachers will arrive July 16 and students July 17. Harp program would begin the evening of Sunday, July 17 to provide bonding activity.

WHERE: The Overbrook School for the Blind, (6333 Malvern Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19151, Telephone: (215) 877-0313, www.obs.org) is on a beautiful campus in Philadelphia, with architecture from the 1890s and a design for today’s needs. School drivers will meet students at the train or airport and provide transportation for any off-campus activities. Facilities are air conditioned, fully staffed with administrative and security personnel. Students and teachers stay in the dorms which also have kitchen and living area. Class rooms are fully equipped for music and computer instruction. Swimming, cookouts, and outings for concerts and recreation in Philadelphia’s cultural centers is also included.

SEMINAR PROGRAM (including harp): Sat. 7/16 – Teacher and assistant training begins Sun. 7/17 – Students arrive in the afternoon. Harp gathering of music and try-it-out instruction will follow dinner. Mon. – Fri. 7/18 thru 7/22: Morning-4 period classes with activity after first 2 classes Lunch and swimming Afternoon-tutoring, ensemble, presenters Wed. Afternoon open house for younger students, family and community. Harps to be part of the open house. Wed. – Fri. Computer braille music notation training by Dancing Dots (DEFINE DANCING DOTS) Evenings and free time: harps are available for use by students. Sat. 7/23 Students and teachers depart

HARP-ABILITIES CHILDREN PROGRAM: Christina Cotruvo is responsible for this proposal, program and harps. Celtic and American folk songs performed by Christina for students and possibly teachers. Q & A session about folk harps and Harping for Harmony Children and teachers receive a harp instrument lesson, how to hold, tune and pluck strings and how to find middle C to find other string tones by ear and by feel and finger position. Scale type of songs to be taught: example the first phrase of “Joy To The World”. Feel of triad chord finger position. How to enjoy! Harps to be available during free time when students are done with homework. Harps to be included in Wed. open house attended by younger students, family and community. HOW: The Summer Seminar is organized and funded by the National Resource Center for Blind Musicians with collaboration of facilities, transportation, and room and board by Overbrook School for the Blind. Christina Cotruvo’s cost: $420 est. harp round trip shipping 400 teacher tuition, room & board 225 airfare round trip from Duluth, MN $1,045 Christina has applied to NRCBM for a seminar paying teacher position to defray costs of airfare and teacher training tuition, room & board. Christina will bring her own lap harp to use. Therefore, this proposal is only for the use of 6 – 8 Rafaella harps and shipping cost estimated at $420.00. Since the size and weight of each package is unknown, only an estimate could be created. *FedEx estimate attached. 6 – 8 Rafaella harps on loan for students and some teachers: $0 Overbrook School for the Blind administrative staff has experience in shipping large items and is willing to handle that. Harps should arrive no later than Sat. 7/16 as there will be no shipping or admin staff on Sun. Harps can be shipped back after the Wed. open house on Thurs. 7/21 or Fri. 7/22. There is on campus security 24 X 7.

SUMMARY: We are VERY excited about the possibility of this proposal and could see it as an annual event. Maybe by next year we’ll be able to have it funded directly by the summer music camp. THANK YOU for your time and effort in helping make this a possibility!

Christina Cotruvo

Harping at Caney del Arpa

February 15, Here's a picture from Caney del Arpa in Guanare, Venezuela. The harpist is "Longo," aka Aurelio Rodriguez, owner of the club. The little boy with maracas is Johnny (Juanito). Behind him is Adolfo Cardozo (el famoso "Doctora Gallina"). At left with maracas, Jose Alejandro Castillo, and seated, Augustin Perez. Castillo and Perez are superb singers in traditional llanero style, regulars at the club.

Venezuela Projects and Prospects 2005

I want to review my Venezuela trip, and to consider projects and prospects. Other projects calling for brief mention include Haiti, Guatemala, Millennium Harpers, and our stalled Russia project. All of these and other projects call for an investment of time, devotion, cooperation, and money. This note is going out to our newsletter "short list," folks who have expressed a serious interest in our mission. Please ask yourself how you can help.

In Venezuela, I propose to help sponsor a harp school at Rancho El Molino, near Elorza, heartland of Venezuelan traditional music, in March of 2006. The instructor would be Euro Olivero, who was my host for a week last month. Also cooperating would be Adolfo Cardozo (see photo), my friend the singer-songwriter who created the Doctora Gallina project. The El Molino Harp School would bring Venezuelan youth together for a week of intensive instruction. A few international folks might take advantage of this as an agro-eco-cultural tourism opportunity.

Adolfo's own non-profit organization, CENDI, is heavily involved in environmental education and rural development. At El Molino, they want to replicate their beautiful project at La Florida. I would like Harping for Harmony Foundation to be a partner.

To cooperate in Venezuelan projects in 2005, I would like Harping for Harmony Foundation to invest at least $2000, and preferably $5000. With our commitment I am confident that we can leverage two, three or four times as much from other sources.

Our Haiti project is up in the air as I write, but I have made tentative plans to travel there in July. If this happens, the cost will be about $2000.

Regarding Guatemala, I want us to sponsor one or more volunteer harpists who would travel there to participate with Patrice Fisher in her harp school project. Also, in neighboring Honduras, we may want to help Lis Joosten to develop a harp school project. Could we budget $2000 over the next two years, through 2006?
Continuing the popular Millennium Harpers project involves awarding as many as 10 small harps a year to volunteer musicians who "stretch themselves as persons and as performers." The budget for this is $2000 to $3000.

I mention this now because our Board of Directors will meet in mid-March. I want Harping for Harmony Foundation to have more financial resources. After more than ten years, our annual revenues approach $20,000. The biggest chunk of income comes from my performance fees and the harps I build. I would like to double and triple our revenues in 2005 and 2006. Grants are part of the strategy, but our independence requires sustainable small donorship.

Best regards,
John

Traditional Venezuelan Night Spot - El Caney del Arpa

January 22, 2005, Guanare, Venezuela. As midnight approached, 8-year-old Johnny was drooping. At El Caney del Arpa, Johnny brought his musical talent and interest to a new level. He played maracas and danced throught the evening. Although his skills were rudimentary, the experienced musicians were careful not to discourage him. Once or twice, Adolfo told him discreetly that he should stand behind the singer, not in front. Much of the time he sat alongside a more experienced maraca player, learning in the traditional way, "enyugado" (yoked together), watching and copying the older man.

No sign marks the location of El Caney del Arpa. Instead, a line of cars parked along a residential street, late at night, marks the spot. The atmosphere is very family-friendly. The music is all acoustic. Although harp is central, the singer gets more glory. The cuatro player, essential for the rhythm, gets the least. The fourth member of the traditional group plays maraca.

In general, each musical role is distinct. Last night, one singer accompanied himself with maracas, in a remarkable show of virtuosity. Otherwise, performers might sing or play maracas, but not both. I never saw anyone sing while also playing the harp or cuatro.

In singing, a performer who displays a great deal of emotion, with dramatic gestures, is called "rancheriado," reflecting a Mexican influence. These performances are crowd-pleasers. On the other hand, a more traditional style of delivery is more reserved. In the traditional style, favorite performances involve two singers who challenge each other with alternating verses, called "contrapunteo," in musical forms known as Zumba que Zumba and Quirpa.

In the audience were several other children and babies, as well as couples. Our party included my host, Adolfo, and his wife and baby, plus a babysitter, plus Johnny. However, the audience was predominantly male. I noticed several men sitting alone. The audience sometimes sang along. Adolfo is known locally as "el profesor" and "La Doctora Gallina" for his composition of children?s songs. Adolfo performed three songs last night.
For the record, the singers last night other than Adolfo Cardozo included Jose Alejandro Castillo, Carlos Morales, and Agustin Perez. The heroic cuatro player was Jose Verro. The owner of the establishment, Aurelio Rodriguez (Longo) was the main harpist. Also harping was Jose Antonio Surbaran.

Songs identified last night include the following (with composer if known): Flor Sabanera (Perdomo), Pescador del Rio Apure (Perdomo), Laguna Vieja (Reynaldo Armas), Fiesta en Elorza (Perdomo), Adios Barranca de Arauca (Perdomo), En Silencio (Julio Miranda), Por un Poquito de Amor (autor de Apure), Alza la frente, mujer (R. Armas), Viajando en el Bus (pasaje jocoso, author unknown), and Tierra Negra (Angel Cotorio Loyola). Traditional songs in public domain included zumba que zumba, pajarillo, seis por derecho, quirpa (Amame Siempre)

Harping in Guanare, Venezuela

January 9, 2005. Here in Guanare, Venezuela, there used to be many "familiar" type night clubs where traditional harp music was played. Now, there is just one left, says my host, Adolfo Cardozo. He took me there on Friday night, and again last night (Sunday).

The performance is all acoustic, and the standard is incredibly fine. Three excellent harpists took the lead in the course of the evening. Several different people took the part of cuatro and maraccas. Many patrons danced in a very traditional way. Also, at least five different men, and two women, took the floor to sing the traditional llanero songs. There are about a dozen well known traditional tune types, such as Gaban, Pajarillo, Zumba que Zumba, Seis por Derecho, and Quirpa.

Adolfo is an energetic singer and composer of songs teaching children about nature and the environment. They describe, for example, the water cycle, biodiversity on a traditional farm (conuco), and the food chain. It is somewhat misleading to think of this as music for children, because it speaks strongly to people of all ages.
We are located here at the edge of the great Venezuelan llano (grassland plain). As I mark the end of my first week in Venezuela, I'm looking forward to trip out into the llano, where we will visit the young harpist who has recorded with Adolfo and his group, on their three CDs featuring the commentaries of La Doctora Gallina (Doctor Chicken).

More later.

Harping for Harmony News - 2005 Annual Letter

Dear Friends of Harping for Harmony Foundation,

Happy New Year!! I'm turning over a new leaf in 2005. I'll be a better communicator, starting with this "annual letter." Harping for Harmony Foundation (HHF) is entering its eleventh year. The mission remains unchanged: to promote harmony and community, locally and globally, through harp music. New year projects and prospects include Guatemala, Honduras, Haiti, and Venezuela, plus our continuing Millennium Harper Awards.

Patrice Fisher started her own harp teaching program in Antigua, Guatemala, a couple of years ago. In 2002, independently, I re-introduced the harp in San Lucas Toliman. Guatemala. Since then, San Lucas harpers have been involved with Patrice's program in Antigua. Patrice and I discovered one another when she announced her own program on the harp listserv. Harping for Harmony Foundation has provided travel support for harpists wishing to participate in her ongoing program. Our Board of Directors is currently considering a request from another harpist, Eala Clarke. I am asking our Board to approve an expenditure of $250 for her.

Lis Joosten is a harpist in Honduras, which borders on Guatemala. Lis wrote me recently requesting support in starting a harp school. Naturally, I connected her with Patrice Fisher, by email. It turns out that Patrice will be in Honduras in late January. We are hoping that she and Lis can meet and move ahead. If this prospect develops, I hope that HHF can offer material support in Honduras and perhaps neighboring countries.
In Central America, El Salvador could be the next step. It was there that I first traveled as a harper for harmony, in 1994. Or, perhaps Chiapas, in Southern Mexico, where I visited in 2002. In Chiapas, on Easter Sunday, I harped in the streets with scores of indigenous Maya harpists. In San Cristobal, I enjoyed the hospitality of Kippy Nigh at Casa Del Pan, a natural vegetarian restaurant closely associated with organic and sustainable agriculture development in Chiapas. I highly recommend it!

I met Alexis Gardy when I travelled with my harps to Haiti in 1997. I gave him a small harp, just 15 strings, and he learned how to play it. A teenager at the time, he is now married with a daughter entering school. In the last three years, HHF has given him about $1000 in financial support. Now, our Board of Directors is considering his request for a loan of $900 to build a house. I think the consensus may be that we would make it a gift rather than a loan. I'm hoping to visit Haiti again before long, perhaps in July, 2005.

Venezuela is perhaps dearest to my heart, as a harpist, because it was there, in 1991, that I discovered the folk harp. I'm heading back to Venezuela this week, visiting folks in Barquisimeto, Guanare, Barinas and elsewhere. I will be away till January 25, seeking further inspiration from the heartland of llanero harp. For more, sign up for the short list.

I am pleased to announce that Sandy Hehl has claimed her title, Millennium Harpist to the Elderly and the Young of Hampton Roads, VA. She sent me a beautiful scrap-book telling the whole story of her year-long quest, which took her to 13 preschool and children's programs, plus 13 nursing and retirement homes. She will receive a small harp and a personalized ceramic medallion. We are hoping to make several more awards between now and Saint Patrick's Day.

School programs in West Virginia are a big part of my personal work with the harp. I'm in my third year under contract with the WV Department of Education. The national program, called Learn and Serve, is aimed at encouraging children to be helpful.

Our website needs continuing development. My vision for Harping for Harmony Foundation, in 2005, is to expand our support for programs in Central America, in Haiti, and elsewhere. Also, to double or triple our annual budget, which has been steady around $20,000 for the last several years. I'll be devoting more time to this as I retire on Social Security in March.

Harpists: if you are interested in joining our Board of Directors, or receiving support for your own project, or otherwise participating in this effort, please contact me or any member of the board.

Happy New Year!
John

Busking in San Francisco

After a beautiful sunny day of busking in San Francisco, I took the Oakland ferry from Pier 41, stopping back at Embarcadero, then under the Bay Bridge, and past the "skywalker" cranes that inspired the name of the Star Wars hero. That brought me full circle on a day, Tuesday, November 30, 2004, which started when my daughter-in-law delivered me from Berkeley me to Larkspur in Marin County. From there, I rode the 8:20 AM ferry with commuters, across the bay. The fantastic San Francisco skyline was in plain view from sunny corner shelf on the ferry where I sat, playing my harp. I was happy and free. Soon to quit my day job, kids grown, I can do as I please. From here on, it is all about me.

First off the boat I was, already performing on the landing as the other passengers disembarked. One of them dropped in my cup a friendly poem he had written about my music during the passage. Inside the ferry terminal I found a comfortable bench. I was picking up a few tips and plenty of smiles from passers-by. Among them was an interesting character that I want to tell you about.

Arthur Escoto is a fruit and vegetable sculptor, and a great talent! He introduced himself to me as a "fellow artist," but I would never have guessed his medium. With just pride he showed me photos of his fabulously transformed fruit and vegetables. Imagine watermelons, carrots, radishes, transformed into flowers, animals, and complex geometric abstractions. He was here, at the Farmers' Market, scouting business with the vendors.

See more pictures here, or search for his name.

When I learned his country of origin, I played my Filipino tune, Dahil Sa Iyo. This gave him the idea of displaying me to his fruit vendor friends. I was happy to comply. For an Italian vendor, I played "Three Coins in a Fountain" and "Marina." For a Mexican vendor, I played "De Colores" and "El Caiman." She gave me a bag of oranges and a grapefruit. At the foot of California Street I climbed on a cable car, ready for the next trip, empty but for two operators. They immediately requested that I play "Pajaro Campana." I offered as a substitute "Moliendo Cafe" and "Alma Llanera." I handed the Bolivian a small maraca, and he provided rhythm accompaniment. (I carry these little shaker eggs wherever I go, they are very useful with children.) Soon my rhythm section, with his Salvadoran partner, were obliged to turn their attention to driving the cable car and collecting fares, but they did not ask me to pay. I entertained riders on the way up to Hyde street. Another cable car took me down to Fisherman's Wharf, but this time it was crowded and I had to pay.

At Hyde Street Pier, as I ate my lunch, I thought of Fred Gosbee and Julia Lane, musicians from Maine. They have incorporated maritime interests into their music. Perhaps they have visited the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. A variety of very interesting old ships are on display, including sidewheelers, an old ferry, and sailboats large and small. A group of children, visiting the sailing ship Balclutha, stopped to touch my harp strings as they departed. They also tried the block and tackle arrangement set up to demonstrate "mechanical advantage." The day was nicely warm, but I shivered to think what it must have been like for those old mariners, working the sails in all seasons and climates!

Nearby, I discovered the recently renovated and Del Monte Square. A sign caught my eye with its offer of "non-stop live music." The music caught my ear, coming from a small stage before a row of empty benches. The singer was a very sweet and friendly young woman who announced, when she saw my harp, "here comes the rest of the band." With no audience in close attendance, she took the opportunity to be informal. She graciously invited me to join in the music, which I did, just improvising on her basic chords. Her name is Krickie. Just Krickie.

Back at Pier 41, waiting for the ferry to leave, I watched a cool street act. This guy was all painted silver, standing like a statue, on a milk crate, with a cup in his hand. At his feet, a bucket, and a boom box playing hip-hop music. When I put money in his cup, the statue came to life and danced, finally emptying the cup into the bucket! Though the crowd was small at the time, he was steadily making money. Great act!!

Onto the ferry, under the bridge, past the skywalkers, to Oakland, then Berkeley, I went, then back home to West Virginia the next day. It was a great Thanksgiving trip, with many highlights, among which was my day of busking in San Francisco. Although I was slacking as a street performer, I still broke even, spending on ferry and other expenses just about what I brought in from tips.

John

Patrice Fisher's Guatemala Harp School

Louisiana harpists Patrice Fisher and Ginna Paredes traveled to Guatemala from November 17 to November 21 to continue the Guatemala Harp Teaching Project. Partial support for travel costs came from the Harping for Harmony Foundation, the Lawless family and TACA Airlines. Charlotte Rowe, a harpist in Virginia, donated another harp and supplies to the project, making a total of three harps, available for the students to use.

Patrice and Ginna gave 4 days of group classes at El Sitio Cultural Center in Antigua, Guatemala. Pascu Robredo Arrutia, the manager of El Sitio, organized the students, promotion for the project and the class schedules. Twenty one students attended the free classes. Patrice and Ginna also gave teacher training to local harp student, Brendy Escalante, so that she could help in continuing the harp teaching program.
A fund-raising concert was presented on Thursday, November 20, featuring ten professional musicians, including Colibri (guitar, voice and percussion), Terry Rubin (Flute and voice), Byron Sosa (Guitar), Paulo Alvarado (Cello, bass and vocals), Lenin Fernandez (Percussion and vocals) Moises Amaya (harp) and Carlos Munguia (drums), as well as Ginna and Patrice. The musicians donated their time to raise money for El Sitio Cultural Center. The concert also featured performances by many of the project students. The concert raised enough money to pay local teachers, Brendy Escalante and Moises Amaya, to give weekly group lessons to the local students at El Sitio for the next three and a half months.

On Friday, November 21, harpist, Ginna Paredes, traveled to the small town of San Lucas Toliman, on Lake Atitlan, Guatemala to teach. She gave another three days of harp classes to the 11 students there, concentrating not only on harp, but also on technique, theory and note reading. Ginna also taught harp maintenance, including changing strings, tying string knots and tuning. "The people there were very helpful." Ginna said. "The children were great!!!" Ginna continued on to San Salvador, El Salvador and will be giving classes and concerts there during Thanksgiving week.

Local Guatemalan carpenter Abraham Hernandez is hard at work building two more harps, based on the Musicmaker "Studio" Harp model. We hope to have these harps available in the near future for sale in the U.S. Profits from the sale of these harps will be used to support the project.

For more information about the Guatemala Harp Teaching Project, please contact Patrice Fisher. This project is sponsored by El Sitio Cultural Project, the New Orleans Chapter of the American Harp Society, TACA Airlines and the Harping for Harmony Foundation. Special thanks to Enrique Matheu, director of El Sitio. On the web: www.patricefisher.com.

Newsletter #1, October 1, 1994

(Transcribed with minor editing on November 5, 2003)

Dear friends of Harping for Harmony,

I find that the idea of harping for harmony has really taken off, in just a few short months. However, it is still very formative. Upon my return from El Salvado in July, I had 12 harps, 10 of which were either made or decorated in El Salvador. Nine of these went to new homes right away. No more Salvadoran decorated harps will be available unless and until there is another trip. If you have received one of these harps, this letter is partly an effort to follow through on my commitment to help you start harping. If you happen to have ELECTRONIC MAIL, you can get a lot of help from the HARP listserver group (2003 update: go to www.yahoogroups.com and search for "harp"). You also might want to join the International Society of Folk Harpers and Craftsmen, http://www.folkharpsociety.org. Their Folk Harp Journal is the best place to find stories, pictures, and ads for instruments, music, methods, videos, etc.

ON HARPING FOR HARMONY
The idea of harping for harmony came to me in the Spring of 1994, and lots of things have happened since then. Of course, the idea is nothing new. The harp is an ancient and powerful symbol, with mythical and mystical significance. I consider as partners each of you who has contributed encouragement, money, or materials, or who plays the harp with our mission in mind. This effort of ours is not for profit, and the money we raise is dedicated to building peace.

My personal focus now is on the Salvadoran Peace Accords, but effort is needed all across the globe. The idea is to sustain the effort needed for implementation AFTER conflicting parties have reached some kind of agreement. Harping and other joyful activity can strengthen the will to follow through.

POTTERS FOR PEACE
My friend Steve Earp is a potter who spent a couple of years in Nicaragua, forming strong ties with other potters. When the Morgantown Companion Community sponsored a fiesta to raise money for El Salvador, Steve donated fine hand-made bowls which raised several hundred dollars. That is how I learned about POTTERS FOR PEACE. Their "empty bowls" projects are dedicated to relieving world hunger.

In a similar spirit, our "harp project" is dedicated to peace, and especially to the sustained effort that is needed for implementation after agreement has been reached. (Steve and I have talked about creating a special bowl with a harp design. We would sell it to promote both peacemaking and hunger relief.)

MY HARP PROJECT
In late spring, I was planning a June trip to El Salvador with a brigade to help restore environmental damage from the 12-year civil war. I needed a small, portable harp that would stand up under hard use. I discovered John Kovac's simple design, which I adopted with a few changes. Kovac was in the Peace Corps in Peru, and is now a harper and harp-maker in Front Royale, VA.

With technical assistance from the West Virginia University College of Creative Arts, and several local sponsors, we produced parts fo 12 harps. I carried parts for 7 harps to El Salvador in June. I left four with Salvadoran friends, and returned with 10 harps, including 7 manufactured there on the modified Kovac design.
The "Mariposa" design is brightly painted with butterflies, in the traditional style of the Maya. The "Concertacion" model depicts a countryside with people, houses, trees and fields. "Concertacion" is a word which connotes harmony, consensus, and a willingness to overcome differences.

HARPING IN EL SALVADOR
I went to El Salvador hoping to find harping preserved in popular culture. I carried my brightly-painted little 22-string harp openly, almost everywhere, and I played on buses and street corners, at churches, and in parks and homes. People called it "arpa del Rey David." This King David was, of course, the shepherd boy who played harp for King Saul in the old testyament story. Saul's anger was cooled, in the earliest recorded instance of harping for harmony.

Although Salvadorans were interested in the harp, they were also aware of the lack of teachers and instructional materials. I presented two workshops and various informal introductory lessons on harping, reaching a total of perhaps 40 interested persons. It is a start, but much more is needed. One day I hope to return, and perhaps to find other harpers who would like to go along.

THE MISSION OF HARPING FOR HARMONY is to promote harmony and community, locally and globally, through the sharing of traditional and new music, especially harp music; to recruit young people to play traditional music, especially harp music; and to celebrate the diversity of traditional music through intercultural sharing, especially between Latin America and North America.

HARP PRODUCTION AND ECONOMICS
The Morgantown harp production process is organized for efficiency with mostly skilled volunteers. To produce a run of 10 harps I am budgeting 50 shop hours with 1-3 volunteers working for a total of 50-150 man-hours, or 5 to 15 hours per harp. Material costs for 10 harps amount to about $750. If sold at $225 each, the proceeds amount to $1500, or $10 to $30 per volunteer hour. Elaborate decoration is outside this budget.

The Salvadoran production process is very different, since we are establishing relations with existing or new entrepreneurs and our aims include giving them an economic boost. I do not negotiate for the best price, but simply try to work with interested carpenters and artists, as I do with musicians. As a result, costs and results are variable, but customers must be satisfied or they get their money back.

The finish we aim for is "appropriate," musically excellent and attractive to look at. It is not our purpose to compete with finely crafted harps favored by many harping professionals and amateurs. At the same time, I challenge anyone to demonstrate a better-sounding harp at a comparable price.

THE FUTURE OF ARPA IN CENTRAL AMERICA
"Arpa" is Spanish for harp. ARPA can also be the acronym for an organization which would re-establish the harp in popular culture (Asociacion para el Reestablecimiento Popular del Arpa).
In El Salvador, I presented harp workshops with two organizations actively involved in cultural development: Casa Cultural La Mazorca, and Emanuel Baptist Church. I also found vigorous interest at Resurrection Lutheran Church, at Central American University, and even at the US Information Service at the American Embassy. The harping spirit is moving.
...
Essential for the reestablishment of harping in popular culture is the recruitment and training of new harpers among the Salvadorans, Guatemalans, and Nicaraguans, as well as North Americans. This is not a process controlled by any individual or organization, but we can contribute our efforts each in our own way.

(Update January 2009: See the Guatemalan projects of harpist Patrice Fisher)

Harp on!!
John Lozier

Celtic Harpist Julia Lane Performs in Morgantown

October 23-24, Folk Harp Workshops, Coffee House Concert with Castlebay Duo

Celtic harpist Julia Lane offered workshops for area harpists on Thursday and Friday, October 23 and 24. Lane and her partner Fred Gosbee also performed at the Blue Moose Cafe on Friday evening. Their duo, called Castlebay, returned for a repeat performance after receiving a very warm welcome in October of 2002.

This year, Lane gave two harp workshops: a beginner workshop on Thursday evening, and an intermediate workshop on Friday, at the Ronald McDonald House, where the Almost Heaven Harpers have been meeting weekly for more than three years. At this workshop, Lane taught some of her own compositions and demonstrated her own distinctive personal technique.

At the Blue Moose on Friday evening, The Castlebay Duo presented the timeless traditions of Maine's nautical legacy and its British Isles heritage. With Gosbee on fiddle, guitar and woodwinds, the sang a mix of traditional and original music that blend history, legend and personal experience.

Gosbee and Lane reside in Round Pond, Maine, where their summers are devoted to staging musical events for the waves of holiday visitors who return there year after year and generation after generation. The two also frequently visit Scotland, to attend and to perform at maritime festivals and other events. Their visit to Morgantown is sponsored jointly by Harping for Harmony Foundation and The Blue Moose Cafe.

Workshop fees: $15 for each workshop, or $25 for both. Observers: $10.

Morgantown's harp community has become very active in recent years. The weekly harp circle at Ronald McDonald House has recently decided to call themselves The Almost Heaven Harpers and to form a chapter of the International Society of Folk Harpers and Craftsmen. At WVU's Ruby Hospital, Howard Emerson, Certified Music Practitioner and Celtic harpist, has been serving on the staff in the Chaplain's office for two years. There is also a local chapter of the American Harp Society which meets monthly to perform for patients at Health South Rehabilitation Hospital, under the direction of harpist Christine Mazza.

Formed in 1995, the mission of Harping for Harmony Foundation is "to promote harmony and community, locally and globally, through harp music." For more, go to www.harpingforharmony.org. For more about Castlebay, go to www.castlebay.net.

Harps among the Maya of Southern Mexico and Guatemala

Morgantown, WV, April, 2002. Wire-strung harps have been in use for hundreds of years by the Tzotzil Maya Indians of the town of Chamula in Chiapas, Mexico.

I tracked down harpmaker Juan Mendez Gomez on a recent trip to Mexico. I had learned of him from a video (Laudero Chamula, produced by Universidad de Ciencias y Culturas de Chiapas) that shows him producing harps and other stringed instruments with simple knives and hatchets. Instead of using clamps when gluing, he wraps the parts tightly with string.

I was in Chamula for 3 days at Easter. In the Easter procession, I counted 50 harps, along with scores of guitars, accordians, drums, whistles, and even firecrackers. The music is very distinctively indigenous, and does not sound “Latin American.”

Local folks don’t like to be photographed or recorded, so I just grooved on the live scene. My harp, which I carried with me always, attracted attention as on my earlier trips to El Salvador, Russia, Haiti, and Northern Ireland. I was invited into a closed ceremony where, amid the smoke of copal incense, traditional religious authorities (mayordomos) in elaborate costumes danced and sang (or chanted) in the Tzotzil language to the sound of 2 harps, 2 accordians, a guitar and a drum. The songs constitute a cycle of prayers with indigenous as well as Christian roots.

Apart from religious settings, I met several people in Chiapas who readily picked out their own Mayan style of music on my harp. Mayan harps are quite large but very light-weight. They have 22 strings, a bass group of 6 and a treble group of 16, with a wide space in between. In relation to a diatonic scale, the bass strings are tuned to 1, 3, 5, 2, 1, and 5. The treble group starts on the third and runs up 2 octaves to end on a fifth.

These harps are as different from Paraguayan as from Celtic harps. Technique involves the use of thirds and octaves in the melody, with appropriate single or double note bass accompaniment. The performances are simple, repetitious, and spell-binding. I have tried to incorporate some of the Mayan style in my own standard program, Music from Many Lands.

In highland Guatemala, I spent time in San Lucas Toliman, with a group from my Rotary Club (Morgantown North). Unlike the Tzotzil, these Kakchikel Maya do not traditionally use the harp. There is great local variation in customs among the Maya, whose languages and traditional costumes can differ markedly from one town to the next. In San Lucas, Abraham Hernandez, the staff carpenter at the local Catholic mission, adopted the role of harpmaker. He built a small harp (on the design of my Rafaella ) and also a larger one copying the harps I brought with me. Abraham’s son Rigoberto, an accomplished guitarist, took on the task of learning to play the harp. These Maya of Guatemala seemed more ready to adopt the harp for popular or secular music, whereas for the Tzotziles of Mexico the harp is dedicated to religious use.

There are many adventures for the intrepid harper, in Chiapas, in Guatemala and elsewhere. Where in the world are you going with your harp!!?

John Lozier

Sustainable Music and Live, Local Agriculture: a Direct Marketing Partnership

Presentation at Mid-Atlantic Direct Marketing Conference, York, PA

In this presentation, I performed on the folk harp four Irish tunes representing traditional livelihoods: The Jolly Plowman; The Merry Merchant; The Miners of Wicklow; and John the Blacksmith. They recall a time when marketing was mostly direct and local. The market was a place, not an abstraction. There, in addition to foodstuffs and merchandise, in a festive setting, you could find community neighbors, friends, family, and perhaps enemies too.

Live music, in such a tradition, is not mere entertainment. It serves to promote sociability, to soften differences, to enhance learning, to motivate collective action. In today's world, there is a need to restore a balance toward regional and local economies, to preserve competition in markets, and to protect livelihoods. Live local music can help to counter propaganda from mass media, agribusiness, and the "music industry" which serves mainly national and global integration and market concentration.

I see a great opportunity to involve local musicians as collaborators in local and sustainable community development. Locally, this happens in places like main street and the farmers' market. More broadly, it can happen at conferences like this one, with musicians acting as full participants and not mere entertainers.

Biography: John Lozier is Executive Director of Harping for Harmony Foundation; Adjunct Associate Professor of Agricultural Education at West Virginia University; and Research Assistant, WVU Extension Service. A musician from childhood, and a fiddler most of his adult life, John took up the folk harp after a visit to Venezuela in 1991. Trained as a cultural anthropologist, he taught for several years at WVU and at California University of Pennsylvania.

His life's mission is that of Harping for Harmony Foundation: to promote harmony and community,locally and globally, through harp music. In pursuit of this mission, he has traveled with his harp to El Salvador, Russia, Haiti, and Northern Ireland. He has offered musical-educational participation at various sustainable agriculture events including Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture; Association for Farming Systems Research/Extension; Michael Fields Agricultural Institute; Ohio Citizen Action; and Mountain State Organic Growers and Buyers Association.

Street Music for Sustainability

Workshop Discussion Paper for Sustainable Fair, July, 2001

Buckhannon, WV. Musicians and other street performers are an attraction in world cities like Paris, London, Belfast, and Seattle. Why do we find so few street musicians in Charleston, Beckley, Morgantown, or Kingwood? The answer is that street performance is poorly rewarded; often actively discouraged; and at best merely tolerated. Can street performance be part of a program of community vitalization and renewal? I say yes. However, it needs to be encouraged and rewarded.

Morgantown, already thriving, is experiencing new and exciting developments: rail-trails, river-front park, wharf district; new trolleys; and more. I have interviewed many friendly merchants, professionals, civic leaders, and other citizens interested in preserving and enhancing local heritage, traditions, and customs. Most are enthusiastic about promoting street performance. I have yet to find a single person who is unconditionally opposed. However, on the way to consensus we must address conditions to be established for street performance.

Legal conditions are the first that come to mind. Two possible approaches for a street music enterprise are 1) for profit; and 2) not-for-profit. Additionally, there is a concern for the cultural acceptability of soliciting tips or donations. Finally, there is the question of educating or persuading the public to provide a sufficient level of financial support to sustain the motivation of street performers.

Basically, a for-profit street music enterprise is required to have state and city business licenses, to file quarterly reports, and to pay applicable taxes, like any business. "Red tape" is perceived as burdensome to small business generally, and especially to very small street-based entrepreneurs such as vendors and hawkers as well as street performers. I would like to think that a determined street performer could make a livelihood based on tips and perhaps sale of recordings. Ideally, Morgantown ought to be able to support a few part-time for-profit street-music entrepreneurs. A friendly environment would be essential for such a success.

A not-for-profit enterprise must have IRS 501(c)(3) status to obtain a city license to solicit donations. Under such a license, street musicians can solicit donations for a charitable purpose. Since street music itself can be regarded as a public good (like flowers, clean streets, etc.), it seems appropriate to solicit funds for the purpose of providing street music. After all, other public goods are purchased with solicited funds. Operating on this model, and acting as Executive Director of Harping for Harmony Foundation, I have tested this approach and it works. Of course, the nonprofit organization is responsible for assuring the public that donations are used in accordance with its charitable nonprofit mission and purpose. In this case, livelihood for musicians is a major part of our purpose.

With a legal basis established (for profit or not), another barrier to street performance is the cultural acceptability of soliciting tips or donations. Street performers are sometimes lumped with panhandlers who accost passers-by in an aggressive way. To resolve any controversy, a "jury" system could be established which would give authorization to qualified performers and exclude panhandlers.
The remaining hurdle would be to educate the public to provide financial support for street performance. The most obvious way would be to (re-)establish the custom and practice of tipping, regarding it as a proper and effective way to reward a public service. Could street music be promoted simply by paying wages, without relying upon tips? Perhaps. The key would be to establish the popularity of such a program with musicians as well as the public and merchants. To attract continuing involvement, the performers involved must become stakeholders.

In a late development, Main Street Morgantown (MSM) has expressed interest in funding a program of scheduled street music on Fridays from 11:30 to 1 PM, through October. Each Friday, two musicians, to perform in separate locations, will be offered $22.50 for a 1.5 hour performance ($15 per hour). Harping for Harmony Foundation will collaborate with MSM to work out details and promote the program. Interested musicians may contact John Lozier (304-599-8233, jl@harpingforharmony.org) or Terry Cutright at MSM (304-292-0168, mainst@westco.net).

Remembering Portadown

Reminiscence of Northern Ireland, July, 2001

Morgantown, WV, July 5, 2001. About 3 months ago, in early April, I visited Portadown, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. I arrived from Belfast in the evening, on my journey as a harper for harmony. Consulting a local friend, I planned what I would do the next morning.

I arose early, as planned, and walked the Garvaghy Road from bottom to top. I was surprised to find it a wide thorofare with residential neighborhoods set quite far back. At the top, I found the Drumcree Road. It was not well marked, but was unmistakeable as it leads out into the nearby countryside where stands the Drumcree Chapel. What a beautiful walk it was, in the fresh early morning, after a rain. At Drumcree I was surprised to find no real village just a handful of houses. I sat on the curb outside the chapel gate, playing my harp for about 10 or 15 minutes.

Presently, a man came out of a yellow house across the road. It was Trevor, the caretaker, who invited me to see the chapel. I accepted his offer, and he returned to his house to fetch a very large key. We then entered the charming cut stone structure, not large or very grand but with a nice silence within. With Trevor's permission I played my harp for a few minutes in the chapel: Be Thou My Vision, Simple Gifts, and De Colores. When I asked him if he recognized the tunes, he said "the last one sounded Mexican," which of course was correct. As I left, I signed the visitor's register and wrote "harping for harmony." Trevor directed me to the home of the pastor, across the dale. I found the parsonage, beyond a wrought iron arch, across a bright, dewy yard dotted that morning with yellow daffodils and purple crocus. It was a bit past 8 AM, and I exchanged a brief "good morning" with the pastor, John Peckering.

A light rain began to fall as I walked back toward the town. When I reached the corner where stands Saint John the Baptist Church, people were beginning to gather for 9 AM Mass. Since it was now raining harder, I sought shelter within. It is a grand and beautiful modern building, a very pleasant place of refuge from the rain. After Mass, I went to speak with the priest. Of course, I was carrying my little harp, as always, and this caught his attention. I told him I was looking for other harpers, and he sent me, with an escort, to the adjacent primary school in search of Aileen McKeever.

Aileen was teaching a first grade class in Irish language. But the priest was wrong: she is not a harper but a fiddler. In the Irish language, she introduced me to the children - and they understood her and replied! I played a short program ("music from many lands") and then the children sang for me. As I left, I was able to say "thank you" in Irish, which sounds something like "GUR a my AGad."

Aileen sent me on to another teacher, who was the harper that the priest had in mind. Helene (I think it was Murtagh) was in charge of a pre-school group of about 25. The children sat happily on little chairs while I delivered my short program. Then, as they filed out, I held the harp above them and each child reached up to touch the strings. What a charming moment it was for me, to see the bright little faces looking up at me through the strings of my harp!

Now, months later, I recall the beauty of Portadown, and the warmth of the people I met. My visit there was a step in a personal journey, as a harper for harmony, toward a vision of peace on earth. As told in the bible story, the music of David's harp calmed the anger of Saul. This is the vision that inspired the mission of Harping for Harmony Foundation: to promote harmony and community, locally and globally, through harp music.

As harpers for harmony, our guiding vision is peace in Portadown, in all of Ireland, and everywhere.

Harping for Harmony Newsletter Number 1: October 1, 1994

(Transcribed with minor editing on November 5, 2003)

Dear friends of Harping for Harmony,

I find that the idea of harping for harmony has really taken off, in just a few short months. However, it is still very formative. Upon my return from El Salvado in July, I had 12 harps, 10 of which were either made or decorated in El Salvador. Nine of these went to new homes right away. No more Salvadoran decorated harps will be available unless and until there is another trip. If you have received one of these harps, this letter is partly an effort to follow through on my commitment to help you start harping. If you happen to have ELECTRONIC MAIL, you can get a lot of help from the HARP listserver group (2003 update: go to www.yahoogroups.com and search for "harp"). You also might want to join the International Society of Folk Harpers and Craftsmen, http://www.folkharpsociety.org. Their Folk Harp Journal is the best place to find stories, pictures, and ads for instruments, music, methods, videos, etc.

ON HARPING FOR HARMONY

The idea of harping for harmony came to me in the Spring of 1994, and lots of things have happened since then. Of course, the idea is nothing new. The harp is an ancient and powerful symbol, with mythical and mystical significance. I consider as partners each of you who has contributed encouragement, money, or materials, or who plays the harp with our mission in mind. This effort of ours is not for profit, and the money we raise is dedicated to building peace.

My personal focus now is on the Salvadoran Peace Accords, but effort is needed all across the globe. The idea is to sustain the effort needed for implementation AFTER conflicting parties have reached some kind of agreement. Harping and other joyful activity can strengthen the will to follow through.

POTTERS FOR PEACE

My friend Steve Earp is a potter who spent a couple of years in Nicaragua, forming strong ties with other potters. When the Morgantown Companion Community sponsored a fiesta to raise money for El Salvador, Steve donated fine hand-made bowls which raised several hundred dollars. That is how I learned about POTTERS FOR PEACE. (2003 web link...). Their "empty bowls" projects are dedicated to relieving world hunger.

In a similar spirit, our "harp project" is dedicated to peace, and especially to the sustained effort that is needed for implementation after agreement has been reached.

Steve and I have talked about creating a special bowl with a harp design. We would sell it to promote both peacemaking and hunger relief.

MY HARP PROJECT

In late spring, I was planning a June trip to El Salvador with a brigade to help restore environmental damage from the 12-year civil war. I needed a small, portable harp that would stand up under hard use. I discovered John Kovac's simple design, which I adopted with a few changes. Kovac was in the Peace Corps in Peru, and is now a harper and harp-maker in Front Royale, VA.

With technical assistance from the West Virginia University College of Creative Arts, and several local sponsors, we produced parts fo 12 harps. I carried parts for 7 harps to El Salvador in June. I left four with Salvadoran friends, and returned with 10 harps, including 7 manufactured there on the modified Kovac design.

The "Mariposa" design is brightly painted with butterflies, in the traditional style of the Maya. The "Concertacion" model depicts a countryside with people, houses, trees and fields. "Concertacion" is a word which connotes harmony, consensus, and a willingness to overcome differences.

HARPING IN EL SALVADOR

I went to El Salvador hoping to find harping preserved in popular culture. I carried my brightly-painted little 22-string harp openly, almost everywhere, and I played on buses and street corners, at churches, and in parks and homes. People called it "arpa del Rey David." This King David was, of course, the shepherd boy who played harp for King Saul in the old testyament story. Saul's anger was cooled, in the earliest recorded instance of harping for harmony.

Although Salvadorans were interested in the harp, they were also aware of the lack of teachers and instructional materials. I presented two workshops and various informal introductory lessons on harping, reaching a total of perhaps 40 interested persons. It is a start, but much more is needed. One day I hope to return, and perhaps to find other harpers who would like to go along.

THE MISSION OF HARPING FOR HARMONY IS

to promote harmony and community, locally and globally, through the sharing of traditional and new music, especially harp music;

to recruit young people to play traditional music, especially harp music;

to celebrate the diversity of traditional music through intercultural sharing, especially between Latin America and North America.

HARP PRODUCTION AND ECONOMICS

The Morgantown harp production process is organized for efficiency with mostly skilled volunteers. To produce a run of 10 harps I am budgeting 50 shop hours with 1-3 volunteers working for a total of 50-150 man-hours, or 5 to 15 hours per harp. Material costs for 10 harps amount to about $750. If sold at $225 each, the proceeds amount to $1500, or $10 to $30 per volunteer hour. Elaborate decoration is outside this budget.

The Salvadoran production process is very different, since we are establishing relations with existing or new entrepreneurs and our aims include giving them an economic boost. I do not negotiate for the best price, but simply try to work with interested carpenters and artists, as I do with musicians. As a result, costs and results are variable, but customers must be satisfied or they get their money back.

The finish we aim for is "appropriate," musically excellent and attractive to look at. It is not our purpose to compete with finely crafted harps favored by many harping professionals and amateurs. At the same time, I challenge anyone to demonstrate a better-sounding harp at a comparable price.

THE FUTURE OF ARPA IN CENTRAL AMERICA

"Arpa" is Spanish for harp. ARPA can also be the acronym for an organization which would re-establish the harp in popular culture (Asociacion para el Reestablecimiento Popular del Arpa).

In El Salvador, I presented harp workshops with two organizations actively involved in cultural development: Casa Cultural La Mazorca, and Emanuel Baptist Church. I also found vigorous interest at Resurrection Lutheran Church, at Central American University, and even at the US Information Service at the American Embassy. The harping spirit is moving.

...

Essential for the reestablishment of harping in popular culture is the recruitment and training of new harpers among the Salvadorans, Guatemalans, and Nicaraguans, as well as North Americans. This is not a process controlled by any individual or organization, but we can contribute our efforts each in our own way.

Harp on!!

John Lozier