Instructor: Shannon Schumann

Individual lessons for 10 week term

25 Min. Lessons: Members $20 per lesson, Non-Members $22 per lesson.
50 Min. Lessons: Members $40 per lesson, Non-Members $44 per lesson.

Celtic Harp

Ireland is the only nation to have a musical instrument as their national symbol, and that instrument is of course the Celtic Harp. This beautiful instrument figures heavily in Irish mythology and folklore, and boasts a singularly lovely sound. Shannon Schumann, a member of De Mairt Ceol and a harpist with The Harp Foundation of Phoenix, teaches Celtic Harp for our Academy. Shannon may be able to help you find an instrument to rent if you don’t have your own.

Beginning Harp: No previous musical experience is necessary. Focus is on basic technique and musicianship. There is a required text, which will be supplemented with tunes provided by the teacher. We can help you find a harp to purchase or rent.

  • How to hold the harp
  • Hand position and notes
  • Placing and bracketing
  • Basics of music notation
  • Working with levers, key of C, G, D, and F
  • Playing simple tunes from sheet music, a lead sheet, and by ear

Intermediate Harp: Facility with simple tunes in both hands required. Depending on the student’s background and experience, there may or may not be a required text. Focus is on Celtic repertoire, style, theory, and arranging.

  • Playing from lead sheets and by ear
  • Faster tunes
  • O’Carolan
  • Ornamentation/ Airs
  • Moving levers mid tune
  • Modes
  • Arranging
  • Session accompanying
  • Session etiquette

Class Day/Time:

Please check out the Academy’s Term schedule for more details.

About the Instructor:

Shannon Schumann began her musical studies at the age of 10 and majored in oboe performance in college. Her initiation to Celtic music was in 1994, in the tiny mountain town of LaGrande, Oregon.

“It was really trial by fire,” she says. “The town was so small back then and we were really isolated, but there was a great little band playing traditional music. They invited me to perform with them while I was still learning the style, all the while playing on a classical flute, so I was lucky to learn from some very good players early on. Now there is a thriving Celtic music scene there.”

Since then, she has performed in Celtic groups in Oregon, Kentucky, Colorado, and now, Arizona. Here in the Valley, she can be heard performing solo at festivals, weddings, coffee houses, and restaurants; in her duo, Begged and Borrowed; and with the local band De Mairt Ceol (which translates as Tuesday Music).

She teaches both Celtic flute and harp at the Academy. Musicianship and Celtic style are paramount, and she teaches traditional tunes with both written music and ear training.

As a Certified Therapeutic Harp Practitioner, she provides individual and group therapeutic sessions both privately and through the Therapeutic Harp Foundation. She is a Reiki practitioner and will complete her Reiki Master Teacher certification in September, 2018.