One of the functions of Festival of Harps is to present educational outreach programs about the harp. One of the most popular of these programs is the 45 minute lecture-demonstration entitled, History of the Harp. This lecture-demonstration has been performed in schools for all ages, and in a wide variety of arts and cultural organizations

If you know of a school or arts organization that might be interested in the History of the Harp, please contact the MCMF office.

2419-A Tenth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710
Tel/Fax: (510) 548-3326
Email:

Please Help Us Make a Better World through Music

Give the gift of a harp for the new "Mission Harp Ensemble" (MHE)

MCMF is pleased to announce the formation of a new harp ensemble for  underprivileged children in the San Francisco Mission district. This new harp ensemble builds on MCMF's positive and highly successful sponsorship of the "Bay Area Youth Harp Ensemble" (BAYHE) since 2000.  This new ensemble will be directed by Festival of Harps and BAYHE Director, Diana Stork, who founded and directed BAYHE, and Portia Diwa, who has been teaching and assisting in BAYHE since its inception.

The harps that will be used are called "Harpsicles," which are built by the world-renowned harp maker William Rees. Harpsicles are small, affordable harps that are perfect for beginners and children because of their durability, lightness and bright tone. The harps are painted many colors so that the Mission Harp Ensemble will be a beautiful sight to see.  Imagine a group of young children playing a rainbow of colored harps-it will surely touch the hearts and souls of many people!  Music has been well documented to enrich children's lives by building their self-esteem, social skills, and emotional well-being; and playing such a gentle instrument as the harp has brought much beauty and goodness to those lucky enough to be able to play this lovely instrument. This experience is becoming more critical than ever for inner city children living in an increasingly complex world.

William and Pamela Rees have generously offered to provide us with a Harpsicle, tuning key, harp strap, harp case and shipping for the greatly reduced price of $250 per harp.  Because of their generosity, our dream of starting this ensemble is possible.  But we need your help. Would you consider donating $250 to pay for a harp for a young musician who would not otherwise have an opportunity to develop his or her talents?  For $250, you can help to bring this ensemble to life and provide children with harps and opportunities to play for many years to come. Each harp will be a different color will have a plaque with your name on it (or the name of your choice).

If you are interested in helping in becoming a donor to the Mission Harp Ensemble, you can do this by writing a check for $250 to MCMF and sending it to:

MCMF
2419-A Tenth Street
Berkeley, CA 94710.

Please specify your first, second, and third choice of color in that order.  We will try to honor this, but we may have to choose different colors in order to get a full rainbow of harps.  Colors include: red, purple, pink, blue, dark green, white, black, gold, silver and natural maple. To view the harps and colors, visit the "Harpsicle" website:

http://traditionalharps.com/Harpsicle.html

Also include the name you would like on the plaque. If you cannot afford a full harp but would like to contribute to the Mission Harp Ensemble, any amount would be gratefully accepted. Thank-you for your time, support and for considering helping to make the world a better place for our children!

Home