Thank you to so many of you who sent kind messages about my eye, it has almost fully recovered. Accidents like that with children seem so unnecessary but these things happen.
Turning our minds back to the Special Class on July 3, Yuko and I had an outcome for all who attended to understand both how the harp works and the amazing range of music and sounds that it is capable of. It is one of the most beautiful and elegant instruments but it is said that it is also one of the most difficult to play, as it involves all of the hands and feet in perfect coordination. There are seven pedals close to the ground near the feet of the performer, each of them corresponding to a note of the scale, and each pedal with three positions to adjust the pitch of the note. When the children tried to copy Yuko’s pedal work in the class they were so busy that some of them complained of sore legs!
The class engaged everyone with different sources of stimuli – feeling the music with the heart, understanding the mechanics of the instrument with the brain and enjoying the movements of the body when playing along with Yuko. Music can influence the brain in many ways and I look forward to the day when these children can relate ideas from the class to their own lives!
Yuko is a passionate music educator and we were so privileged to have her join our Special Class. She is available for harp instruction for all ages, even if you do not own a harp. Please contact Yuko here for more information.
Thank you all for being involved – Yuko-sensei please come back to Rie’s Music World soon!
