Teaching

"Teaching music is not my main purpose. I want to make good citizens. If children hear fine music from the day of their birth and learn to play it, they develop sensitivity, discipline and endurance. They get a beautiful heart"

Shinichi Suzuki

As a creative and innovative teacher, Mrs. Lake currently teaches over 25 students in the Chicago area. Mrs. Lake loves to teach all ages and levels as evidenced by her three teaching posts at her home studio, the Sherwood Conservatory of Music at Columbia College, and the University of Chicago.

All methods of harp playing (Salzedo, Grandjany, Suzuki, Grossi, Harp Olympics, wire strung, Celtic, Latin American/Paraguayan/Ecuadorian, jazz, etc.) are familiar to Mrs. Lake, and she believes that whichever method makes the best music while remaining healthy for the player is the right method. Keep an eye out for her new book "Beginning Music on the Harp" which is geared towards young children with no musical training. (Why start on the piano when you really want to play the harp?)

Group lessons are available for the intermediate and advanced levels only.

Mrs. Lake's private studio is on the near west side of Chicago on the corner of Madison and Leavitt streets. Terms for private lessons are as follows:

Lessons are to be pre-paid according to the payment plan chosen.

  1. If lesson is canceled within 24 hours of the originally scheduled lesson, the payment is still required. Exceptions to this rule include only a diagnosed contagious disease; (at least two hours notice is required), weather that warrants a school closing, or a death in the family.Please call as soon as possible.
  2. Rescheduling must be done at least 24 hours before the originally scheduled lesson.
  3. Lessons do not transfer between quarters.

Punctuality is important! Missed time will not be made up.

Payment Packages

Lessons will be paid according to a quarter system.

Please identify the quarter that you wish to receive lessons.

Quarter Length of Quarter
Winter Quarter January 1 - April 2 (13 weeks)
Spring Quarter April 3 - July 1 (13 weeks)
Summer Quarter July 2 - September 10 (10 weeks)
Fall Quarter September 13 - December 31 (16 weeks)

Please choose the number and length of lessons that you would like to receive.

Rate: $50 for 60 minutes, $40 for 45 minutes, and $30 for 30 minutes.

Length of Lessons
Number of Lessons 60 minute lessons 45 minute lessons 30 minute lessons
6 lessons per quarter $285 ($15 savings) ($225 ($15 savings> ($165 ($15 savings)
9 lessons per quarter $430 ($20 savings) $340 ($20 savings) $250 ($20 savings)
12 lessons per quarter $550 (one free lesson) $440 (one free lesson) $330 (one free lesson)

Mrs. Lake accepts personal checks made out to Janelle Lake or cash.

Weekly lessons are recommended for all students to ensure continual progress, and are required for all beginners. Mrs. Lake is currently accepting students ages four and up. No one is "too old" to play the harp.

Curriculum

Each lesson includes these components: Warm up/technical exercises, music review, rhythmic work, and a new piece of music. Mrs. Lake teaches music history, music theory, and harp maintenance in lessons.

Performance Opportunities

When students work hard, they earn the right to perform for others. All ages have the opportunity to perform in a spring and fall recital. Adults have the opportunity to take part in quarterly teas or salons at Mrs. Lake's home. Children are strongly encouraged to take part in at least one holiday party, recital, or group class per quarter.

How to Begin Harp Lessons

First, contact Janelle Lake to set up a trial lesson. During a trial lesson, you can see if the harp and harp lessons are feasible for you without being obligated to sign a package contract. Trial lessons are $45/hour, $35/forty-five minutes, $25/half- hour. If you are in the middle of the quarter and you would like to start right away, you may pay for individual lessons until the next quarter begins. Otherwise, this might be a good time to pick out a harp.

Choosing a Harp

Choosing a harp is like choosing your first car. Most likely, you did not waltz into a car show room and pick out the first one you liked, or even worse... pick one out on the internet because it looked nice or was the cheapest car. You researched. You heavily weighed different pros and cons. You took it for a test drive. You consulted someone who knew more than you did about cars.

The better sounding the instrument that you choose, the more fun you will have with it and the more fun you have, the more you will want to use it. Luckily, you have two of the world's best harp factories here in Chicago. Mrs. Lake regularly chooses harps for students. She has personally matched over seventy students with harps that they are all happy with.

It is important that you choose a harp that fits your body type, the musical style(s) that you wish to play, and your budget. In addition to the model, you should consider that each harp has its own personality. Since wood was living at one time, and harps are made out of wood, all harps sound different.

Small Harps

Also called lever harps, Troubador Harps, Folk harps, Celtic harps, Irish harps, Clàrsachs, or Latin Harps, are generally used to play folk, Celtic, or Latin music respectively. However, you are not limited to those types of music with small harps. Many small harps have similar tension to pedal harps so that the transition (if desired later on) to a larger harp is not a difficult process. The main difference between small harps and pedal harps is that most small harps have levers to change the sharps and flats instead of pedals.

Prices for an acceptable instrument generally range from $800-$6,000. Occasionally used harps show up for less than that, but the lower the price, the more time you will spend fixing the harp.

The harps are small enough for any adult to transport and any child to reach all of the strings and mechanisms. These harps are ideal for beginners as they are the most affordable option. See the links section at the bottom of this page for some major lever harp manufacturers' and retailers websites.

Pedal Harps

Any harp that you see in a professional orchestra or Harpo Marx playing is a pedal harp. On a pedal harp, harpists use their feet to change the sharps and flats during music. The pedal system takes a bit longer to learn, but once a student acquires that skill, he/she has a wider repertoire list available.

Pedal harps are a larger investment all around. They cost more ($10,000 and up, or $25,000 for the average pedal harp); they are harder to transport (you must have a large enough vehicle); and they require more space in your home (you cannot put a pedal harp by a brightly lit window, or by any heating/cooling vents). They do not become more valuable with age.

Pedal harps mostly come in three different sizes, 44 string, 46 string, and 47 string. There are different names at each company for these types of harps, but the variations beyond the strings and sound board (small, medium, and large respectfully) are a matter of personal taste. The larger the harp, the more sound it can produce.

See the links section at the bottom of this page to view pedal harp manufacturers' and retailers websites.


Links to Helpful Sites

Instrument, Strings, Accesories, and Music Resources

* Janelle Lake holds no consistant preference for any harp company over another.

Publications

Links for Students (Extra Credit for visiting them!)