Miller Avenue School in Paeroa was filled with the dulcet tones of a dozen harps on December 6, as students received a visit from Thames musician Anna Dunwoodie.
The seasoned harpist has been visiting schools across Hauraki and the Coromandel Peninsula with instruments in tow, to give students a chance to hear, see and even play the stringed instrument.
At Miller Ave, the sessions began with students lying on the floor, eyes closed, as they were treated to a performance of the instrument.
They were invited to think about how the music made them feel, and following a short discussion, every student had the chance to try out a harp for themselves.
“It’s neat to see how involved the teachers get on a one-to-one level with a lot of the kids who are tinkering and just finding bits and pieces out,” Anna said.
“Sometimes your most challenging child can be the one who totally gets lost in the music and really engages. There was one in there today… he did not want to let the harp go.”
The interactive workshops were funded through the Hauraki and Thames-Coromandel District Councils through their Creative Communities funding scheme, which supports projects that create opportunities for communities to engage in local arts activities.
Anna said the harp was an ideal first instrument to engage children with music.
“It’s got a good novelty value. I don’t think we’ve seen many, if any, kids who don’t want to be involved at all. There’s a few who’ll take a while to let down whatever that barrier it is,” she said.
“And I think there’s no wrong notes, there’s no discord, we never say you’ve done it wrong because it doesn’t matter how they play it, they can get a nice sound out of it.”
