Wilkomnen, bienvenue, welcome!

We are delighted to welcome everyone at Hopscotch Children’s Nursery, Peacehaven, to our harmonica community. Harp Academy will be providing weekly harmonica lessons for Pre-Schoolers in our new setting with Richard Taylor.

Harmonica at Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
In the summer of 2018, Harp Academy piloted an EYFS harmonica programme for Pre-Schoolers in collaboration with the Hopscotch Nursery team at Portland Road, Hove, and sixteen of their fabulous children.

It was an rewarding experience for everyone involved. Using everyday props and fun challenges, children adopted the physical processes necessary for playing a wind instrument; from a hand hold, to embouchure development, breath control, navigation and articulation. Through games, rhymes and exercises they also learned musical principles such as arpeggio, the major scale, decorative instrument skills (glissando and trills for example) and the musical elements.

They even explored the fun of improvisation and performance by bringing stories and songs to life through sounds and action. Repertoire included Twinkle, Twinkle, Four Little Speckled Frogs and Wimoweh (The Lion Sleeps Tonight). Books included Waking Wendell and Charlie’s Harmonica.

Harp Academy is extremely proud to be working in collaboration with Hopscotch’s highly professional management team and amazing staff. Since launching our pilot scheme at Portland Road, we are now operational in their Preston Park, Seaford and Peacehaven settings.

Check out YolanDA’s Band Jam on Saturday 23rd Feb and Sunday 24th Feb at 10.20am on CBeebies, becasue you’ll see somebody you recognise on TV. Yes it’s our very own Will Wilde! He’s in the studio demonstrating the harmonica and sounding really cool! The series is available on BBC iPlayer. Catch Will in the offcial trailer below at the 37 second mark.

Wilkomnen, bienvenue, welcome!

We are delighted to welcome everyone at Eastbrook Primary Academy, Southwick, to our harmonica community.

From Wednesday 6th February, we will be operating weekly afternoon harmonica lessons with Richard Taylor.

If you attend Eastbrook and would like further details, just click the Gold Harmonica here on our homepage, and select the Free Taster option.

Junior National Harmonica Champion 2018-19

Congratulations to Robbie Nicholls in Y6 at Goldstone Primary School, who came first in the rock and pop category at this year’s national harmonica festival music competition. Robbie played Apache by the Incredible Bongo Orchestra on his new Hohner Special 20 harmonica. The tune was heavily sampled in the 1980’s as a backdrop to the emerging hip-hop music craze in America.

Robbie used the piece to show his skills in rhythm and melody playing, as well as improvising with great trill, wah-wah and vamping technique. He also threw in the theme from a famous Western movie, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, as demonstrated here.

We are processing some video footage of Robbie’s performance and will publish this shortly. In the meantime, well done Robbie, congratulations to his proud family and thank you to all our colleagues at Goldstone Primary School, Hove.

We are delighted to announce that Harp Academy has been accepted as a core member of the Anti-Bullying Alliance.

This year’s anti-bullying week runs from 12th-16th November 2018 and it’s theme is ‘Choose Respect’. CBeebies star and Anti-Bullying Alliance patron Andy Day, and his band Andy and the Odd Socks, are supporting the initiative by encouraging children to wear odd socks to school to show their support and raise money for a good cause. Odd Socks day is on Monday 12th November.

If you’d like help or more information about this important issue, please contact us or visit the ABA homepage at www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk