March is Music in Our Schools Month, and we are celebrating. Harpist Tori Parrish visited school and demonstrated all the sounds that can be made on a harp. Some students got to strum the strings.
Ms. Parrish performed several pieces for students and shared information about the harp through a guessing game. Students had to guess how many strings the harp has (47), how much it weighs (80 pounds, and how tall it is (6 feet). Her harp is a concert grand and was built in the 1980s. Students asked how long she has been playing the harp, and she said 6 and that her harp was very small.
She played “A Whole New World” from the movie Aladdin, and students immediately recognized it. She played another piece that had many different kinds of sounds play on a harp including tapping on the wood frame. Ms. Parrish explained how the pedals on the harp work gears that effect the pitch of the strings. The strings come in four colors to help the harpist identify them: red, black, clear and silver.
