A Performance Observed: Fear and Elation
March 25th, 2017
Yesterday I joined a visiting wind ensemble for a concert of Navarro’s “Clarinet Concerto N. 1” and David Maslanka’ “A Child’s Garden of Dreams.” I had played the …
4 Things That Strike Terror Into the Heart of Every Harpist
(Being by no means a complete list of existing harpist problems)
1. The malfunctioning handicap entrance button
It lures one into a false sense of security, promising not only to open the …
Moss, Wood, and Thicket: a description
Learning this arrangement? Stephanie offers one-time coaching lessons online.
All throughout high school, as I was waiting for the morning school bus, I would look east as the sun rose …
Outdoor Wedding Harp Essentials
If you’re reading this, you are probably considering having harp music for your outdoor wedding ceremony or reception. Wonderful! It might be absolutely perfect. But as we all know with …
Attend Harp Concerts, Earn Free Harp Lessons
Introducing the “Attend Concerts, Earn Free Lessons” program!
Updated 6/09/25
Attending harp concerts and events is an important part of developing as a harpist. For every three harp events/concerts my students …
On Thumbs and Appreciating 20th Century Music
You don’t appreciate your thumbs until you lose one for awhile.
Isn’t it always like that in life? You’ve got a good thing going – full use of all ten fingers …
Well that was interesting| 2016
2016 brought many opportunities for me.
Challenges and fears accompanied every one of them.
Of course there are always challenges that show up unaccompanied (by opportunity or anything else) as well. Whether …
A peripatetic part-time orchestra harpist
Why peripatetic?
Well because it’s a great word that for me it will forever summon to mind Elizabeth Peters’ thrilling novel set in 1890’s Egypt, “The Crocodile on the Sandbank,” in …
Stephanie Claussen Harp Studio Policy
Updated 10/1/25
Payment
Lessons are $40 per half hour, $60 per 45-minutes, and $80 per hour. Payment for the entire month is due at the first lesson of each month. A $5 …
Ravenscroft Musicke Guild
Beginnings
About ten years ago, I sat playing my harp under a tree at the MN Renaissance Festival. My father stood nearby, talking with various passers-by. As I finished up a …