STUDENT EVALUATIONS PROGRAM Spring 2025
March 22nd, 2025: 2-4 pm (MT) Online Zoom Format
April 26th, 2025: 11am-1pm (MT) in Person and
Mile High Chapter Spring Harp Recital. Time TBA
Click Here for more information about the Recital
We are excited to announce our guest advisor will be Courtney Hershey Bress
These evaluations are held to help our Mile High Chapter Members improve their playing and musicianship. It is our hope that students (of all ages) will gain experience playing for and listening to others while receiving feedback from a guest advisor.
AN OVERVIEW
From The American Harp Society Website
"Auditions and Evaluations is an educational program for harp students sponsored by the American Harp Society, Inc.
Participants come specifically to be heard and to hear one another. Because this is a unique two-part program, there is
special focus on the improvement that can be made by participating on both days.
The word “audition” comes from the Latin [audio] which means “to hear.” We must not confuse our Harp Society “Auditions” with the more common usage of the word audition; for this is not a competition. On the first day, participants play pieces of their own choosing for an advisor and for one another. The advisor gives each student feedback on their performance. A performer’s worksheet or traditional theory test is given. On the second day of the program, about a month later, participants show their improvement by playing the same pieces again. Because this is not a competition, no prizes are given, however everyone who participates both days receives a Certificate of Participation from the Music Education Committee of the American Harp Society."
INFORMATION ABOUT THE 2025 MILE HIGH CHAPTER STUDENT EVALUATIONS
There will be two evaluations – The first will be held on March 22nd from 2:00 - 4:00 pm
and the second will be held on April 26th from 11:00 am - 1:00 pm.
The first evaluation will be held in a completely virtual setting (as previous years)
and we will use the format found below. The second evaluation will be held in person at Faith Bible Chapel South in Denver. If there are travel hardships please reach out to the Mile High Chapter Board. Students must complete both evaluations to receive their American Harp Society Participation Certificate.
Step by Step Information for the evaluations:
1. For the evaluations, participants should prepare 3 to 5 minutes worth of music. This can either be one piece, several shorter pieces, several orchestral excerpts, or an excerpt of a piece that is longer than 5 minutes. (See below in the FAQ for more information) If you are new to student evaluations, you can ask your harp teacher for help in selecting your music and if you have further questions, please reach out to the Mile High Chapter.
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We ask that each student participating in the evaluations submit a video recording of their music before the first Zoom evaluation, so we can hear the student with better audio quality.
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At the start of the video please announce the title of the song(s) before playing each piece.
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Please send your unedited recording as either an .mov or .mp4 file to milehighahs@gmail.com. The submission date for the video recording is March 18th by 11:59 p.m.
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Additionally, please attach a pdf file of each song that the student is performing and be sure to put (Name) Student Evaluation Recording 1 in the subject line of the email. (If you do not own a scanner there are several apps that convert a picture taken with your cell phone to a pdf file.)
A few tips to help make your recording session go smoothly:
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Don't worry if your performance isn't perfect. We want to hear the real you! To help take some of the pressure off, try recording the song several times and then use the best take of three.
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Be sure to record your "practice" takes as well. Sometimes it is the recording that you are the happiest with as you are more relaxed.
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Enlist a family member to help press record/stop. Also, that family member can help to keep background noise to a minimum.
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Dress for success! Sometimes wearing clothes that you would normally perform in can help get you in the zone.
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Please Don't forget to give your harp a good tune up before recording!
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Have fun and remember to breath.
2. On March 22nd, participants will be assigned a time (about 20 minutes) to receive live feedback and work with the guest harp advisor in real time through Zoom. We encourage you to sign on to the Zoom meeting early or stay on after your assigned time to listen to at least one other student work with the advisor. This is a wonderful opportunity to get to hear other harpists perform, learn something about their songs, and support one another. (Participants or their teachers are welcome to stay signed in for the entire Zoom session if they so desire.)
The Zoom meeting link and the assigned feedback time will be emailed out to the participants using the email address provided when registering, a minimum of 24 hours prior to the event. The schedule will also be posted on this website page.
3. Participants will receive written feedback from their assigned guest harp advisor based on the video performance and Zoom session. The participants can then take this feedback to their teachers, and they have the opportunity to work on incorporating the comments into their piece over the next month.
4. The second evaluation is scheduled for April 26th in person at Faith Bible Chapel South in Denver. If the student participant has illness or traveling hardships, please reach out to the Mile High Chapter Board prior to to second in person evaluation so that other arrangements can be made.
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On April 26th, we ask you to arrive 20 minutes before your scheduled performance time. There will be a pedal or lever harp available for you to play on, however if you feel more comfortable on your own harp you may bring it as well. Students will have the opportunity to play their music for everyone and then receive additional feedback from your evaluator. The second evaluation will be of the same music in order to demonstrate improvement in performance and show mastery of the music. If possible, we encourage the student to perform the music from memory at the second evaluation.
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The Mile High Chapter Board encourages participants to arrive early or stay after their assigned time to listen to at least one other student work with the advisor. This is a great opportunity to show support for your fellow harpists and learn about other fun harp music you may want to learn as well!
5. The registration fee is $15 dollars and students need to be current members of the local Mile High Chapter of the American Harp Society in order to participate. If you are not a member of the Mile High Chapter, you can pay membership dues online and participate in this event and other events in the future. Space is limited, so be sure to register soon!
All students who complete both evaluations will receive a
Certificate of Participation from the American Harp Society, Inc.
6. The annual Mile High Chapter Spring Harp Recital will follow the second round of evaluations. All chapter member harpists are welcome to participate in this event even if you did not play for student evaluations. Please Click Here for more Information.
Please register and pay online by clicking the event button below.
We are pleased to announce that our 2025 guest advisor will be
Courtney Hershey Bress
See more information about our guest advisor below.
Evaluation Schedule
FAQ
WHAT IF MY SONG IS NOT VERY LONG? (EXAMPLE UNDER 2 MINUTES)
Students are encouraged to play more than one song for the evaluation if their perfomance time is under two minutes. Just be mindful that the total performance time for all songs combined cannot exceed 5 minutes.
DO MY MUSIC SELECTIONS NEED TO BE ”PERFORMANCE” READY?
No. As long as the music is out of the learning notes stage and can be played at a steady tempo it is acceptable to play it as a piece in progress.
DO I NEED TO BRING MY HARP?
Not for the first evaluation as it will be held in an all virtual setting. For the second evaluations, there will be a lever and pedal harp available for participants to play. You are welcome to bring your own harp instead for the second evaluation if you are more comfortable playing on it instead. We ask that if you are bringing a harp please arrive early to get your harp unloaded and possibly tuned, so we can stay on schedule.
DO I NEED TO BE AN AHS MEMBER TO PARTICIPATE?
Yes, you need to be a current member of our local Mile High Chapter to participate in the student evaluation program. Student Member ship dues are $15, regular membership dues are $20, and the registration cost is $15
IS THIS A COMPETITION AND WILL MY PERFORMANCE BE COMPARED TO OTHER PARTICIPANTS?
No. This is an opportunity to grow as a performer, gain more mastery of the music, learn from others, and support your fellow harpists.
IS THERE AN AGE LIMIT FOR STUDENTS TO PARTICIPATE?
Students of ALL ages are welcome and encouraged to participate.
Courtney Hershey Bress
International soloist and principal harpist Courtney Hershey Bress joined the Colorado
Symphony in 2001, after a celebrated freelance career that took her all over the world. Her
travels took her to engagements in Asia with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, in the United
States with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and, as Principal Harpist with the United States
Army Field Band, as soloist and as part of the ensemble, on tour to the 48 continental states.
She has been Principal Harpist of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music and guest
Principal Harpist with the Baltimore Symphony. She has played with the Grand Teton Music
Festival, the Strings Music Festival and as a guest artist with the Colorado College Summer
Music Festival.
Ms. Bress has performed for the American Harp Society and the World Harp Congress. She
was the soloist in the world premiere of Michael Daugherty’s only harp concerto Harp of Ages,
in May 2023, a piece commissioned by the Colorado Symphony for Ms. Bress. She gave the
International premiere with the National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia in Bogotá, Colombia
in June 2024. She will be performing the piece across the United States starting fall of 2024.
The live recording is available from Naxos Records, streaming on all digital platforms.
Ms. Bress is also an active teacher in master classes around the world and in her private
teaching studio. She is the Adjunct Professor of Harp at Lamont School of Music, University of
Denver; Harp Instructor for the Lamont Summer Academy; and Lecturer of Harp at the
University of Wyoming. She was Assistant Professor of Harp at Colorado State University from
2016–2021 and has been visiting Professor of Harp at the Eastman School of Music.
Ms. Bress is the author of the book For Love of the Harp, published by Veritas Musica
Publishing. The book gives advice to young musicians and relates stories about her career,
then provides a guide to arranging and composing music for the harp.
Ms. Bress was a 2005 GRAMMY® nominee for her performance of Ancient Voices of Children
by George Crumb. Her performances can be heard on recordings with the Colorado
Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, the U.S. Army Field Band, and on recordings on the Naxos,
Bridge, and Albany labels. Her duo album, Night Music and Fantasies, with violinist, Andrés
Cárdenes, was released in December 2022.
Ms. Bress earned a Bachelor of Music degree and the Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman
School of Music and received her Master of Music in Orchestral Studies from the Chicago
College of Performing Arts, Roosevelt University. Her teachers include Kathleen Bride, Sarah
Bullen, and Gretchen Van Hoesen.