Harp workshops in your area, or online!
Tiffany is available to teach group workshops at your local harp circle, harp festival, or on Zoom.
Contact Tiffany to work out details and availability.
Check the event page for any upcoming workshops.
A sampling of workshop topics:
Beginner-friendly classes:
Customize Your Music: How to adapt those complicated arrangements you love to your own level,
without sacrificing what makes it sound beautiful to you. We'll use a specific arrangement and explore
this concept in real time, including what to look for to keep the original feel of the piece, and extra tips
for adapting to a small harp. Late beginner and up.
A Playful Start to Arranging for Harp: A DIY toolbox for making your own arrangements with or without
lead sheet chords. Late beginner and up.
Music Theory Made Easy: An intensely practical crash course, especially designed for folk harp players.
Late beginner and up.
Easy Celtic Repertoire: Learn some favorite tunes and arrangements, both beautiful AND easy.
Emphasis is on learning by ear and shapes, but sheet music is provided. Mid beginner and up.
Put Your Hands Together: Exercises for two-hand coordination for harp beginners. Early beginner and up.
Intermediate classes:
Harp in Irish Sessions: Everything you need to learn the art of tune backing, with rhythms explained for
different Irish tune types, and harp-specific patterns to plug into different chords. Early intermediate and up.
Dancing Fingers: Ideas for arranging fast Celtic music. Mid intermediate and up.
Intermediate-Advanced Celtic Repertoire: Learn some intricate and catchy traditional tunes and
arrangements. Emphasis is on learning by ear and shapes, but sheet music is provided.
Late intermediate and up.
Teacher Training: Strategies & resources for teaching the Celtic harp to adults and children.
All levels welcome:
Meet My Friend, Anxiety: Finding space for discomfort in performing. All ages, levels, & instruments.
Fearless Composing: Trying to come up with an original tune, but the page always stays blank before you?
Try this light-hearted, gentle shove into musical creativity. All levels.
My Harp Has an Accent: An introduction to some distinctives between Irish and Scottish music. All levels.
Ear Training 101: If you think you can't learn by ear...you're about to surprise yourself. All levels.
Learn Irish Session Backing (recording)
For Harps, Guitars, Bouzoukis and other stringed instruments -
Instructors Nye Farley (guitar) and Tiffany Schaefer (harp) will cover what you need to know in order to pick suitable chords by ear and make your accompaniment sound more professional with substitutions, inversions, links, passing chords, incorporating segments of melody and much more. They'll also be featuring a special section on how to play along in sessions with multiple accompanists.
This live Zoom workshop has passed, but you may purchase the recording and handouts HERE.
Is This Workshop Right for You?
Brand-new beginners will not get as much out of this workshop. Harp players (and others) should already be comfortable with basic chord progressions and able to move fairly quickly between chords. If that’s you — and you’re ready to dig deeper — you’ll leave with tools and techniques that will transform your session playing.
What people are saying:
"I am so happy I was able to participate in the composing workshop! I learned so much and can't wait to try this on my own! I never thought I could ever compose, but now I'm hopeful. The workshop was a lot of fun." - Sherry N., Fearless Composing
"I'm really enjoying it and learning so much! I've wanted to learn all this stuff for years, so I was so happy when I came across your workshop! And now I'm massively looking forward to my next session." Lavinia B., Harp in Irish Sessions
"Tiffany was amazing!! She is an excellent teacher. Well prepared with handouts. She goes slow and teaches thoroughly. I love it when an excellent player is also an excellent teacher." - Paula B., The Harp Gathering, Archbold OH
"This workshop was fantastic, Tiffany!...One of the big things that happened for me is that I think I can now study reading material and watch videos on these topics and have the tools to learn from them. Sylvia Wood's book Music Theory and Arranging Techniques for Folk Harps has always seemed like complete gibberish to me, but I picked up my long avoided copy the other day and actually understood it!" - Renee H., Music Theory Made Easy
"I so 'hate' this....but LOVE it!! I’m so used to playing just what someone else arranged that I could feel my mind rebelling...But I kept going and about 3/4 of the way through really started getting it! I’ve always wondered how arranging was done but it seemed daunting and terribly 'music theory' heavy (which I barely know) but wow....this approach is BRILLIANT!! I feel positively renewed in my playing!! Thank you." - H. M., A Playful Start to Arranging