For lever or pedal harp.
Phala Tracy has created four volumes of music for harp students to practice sight reading.
Each volume is 40 to 48 pages, with 32 to 40 fun pieces in graded difficulty. Fingerings are not included, allowing the teacher to customize the fingerings to the student.
Volume 1 is for pedal harps or lever harps tuned to F (1-flat).
Volumes 2 through 4 are for pedal harps or lever harps tuned to E-flat (3 flats).
I developed this reading curriculum over a five-year period, composing a new piece almost every week. I wanted my Suzuki harp students to have a constant supply of new material to use to develop their reading skills, and I found that I was constantly searching for appropriate pieces for them to play. I needed pieces that were simple enough that my students could be successful in their attempts but challenging enough that reading music kept their interest. I needed pieces that were written idiomatically for the harp. I needed music that was printed simply with an age-appropriate layout and no fingering or placing indications, allowing me the freedom to mark each piece in a way that could meet the individual needs of each student. I finally realized that it was far easier (and more fun!) to compose my own sight-reading curriculum than it was to be constantly adapting pre-existing music to fit this purpose.
There are four graded volumes of sight reading pieces in this curriculum. Several of the pieces are duplicated in multiple volumes at varying levels of difficulty. This allows students at different levels to play together. It can also be a pleasant surprise for the student to occasionally come to new material that is partly familiar already. These particular pieces are cross-referenced in the indexes of the four volumes.
Volume 1 is perfect for beginning readers who want to gain confidence or for more experienced readers who want to gain fluency and confidence.
30 of the 40 pieces are in the key of C. The other pieces are in 1 flat or1 sharp.
Volume 2 is perfect for emerging readers who want to gain confidence or for more experienced readers who want to gain fluency and confidence.
15 of the 36 pieces are in the key of C. The other pieces range from 2 flats through 2 sharps.
Volume 3 is perfect for experienced readers who want to gain confidence and fluency.
14 of the 34 pieces are in the key of C. The other pieces range from 3 flats through 4 sharps.
Volume 4 is perfect for experienced readers who want to gain confidence and fluency and who are eager to take on new musical challenges.
The 32 pieces range from 3 flats through 7 sharps, and some require additional lever or pedal changes.
These products are PDF files, to be downloaded to your computer. We do not sell them as regular printed music. They are only available here in this PDF download format.
Click on the blue titles below to see a sample of the first few lines of music.
Several of the pieces are duplicated in multiple volumes at varying levels of difficulty. Here are some examples.