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 A personal note from Sylvia
In my last newsletter, I told you that I had fallen down the stairs and broken the fibula bone in my right leg. Thanks so much for the hundreds of emails I received wishing me well. You are all wonderful, and your kind thoughts, prayers, and concern have meant a lot to me.
I'm doing very well. I'm not in pain, and this past week I have even been able to slowly navigate the flights of stairs in my condo. I'm seeing my doctor again this coming week, and he'll decide whether or not I need surgery. I'm also anxious to hear when I can start to drive again!
If you sent me an email and I didn't respond to you, please accept my apologies. When people reply directly to my newsletters, all of the replies end up in one HUGE email thread, and it is almost impossible for me to sort them out. So, in the future, the best way to contact me about anything is to start a new email to [email protected], instead of replying to the newsletter. That way, you're much more likely to hear back from me!
Easter is about a month away, so now is the time to check your repertoire. You'll find lots of Easter music in the sale section below.
And, don't forget that my two new arrangements of George Harrison's music are now available, both as printed sheets and PDFs.
Thanks again for all of your "get well" wishes!
Aloha,
Sylvia
P.S. My continuing series about life in Kauai will resume next month.
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About three years ago, I asked you to tell me your favorite music apps. I listed many of your suggestions in my
August 2016 newsletter.
Personally, I love the Flashnote Derby app, and have used it with people of all ages who are learning to read music.
Since technology changes so rapidly, I think it is time to visit the subject of apps again!
So, please re-read the August 2016 newsletter, to see what apps were suggested previously. Then email me at [email protected], and let me know YOUR favorite music apps, and how they've been helpful to you and/or your students. Let's make this new list even better than the last!
To give you some inspiration, this next article is about a new app that was recommended by my FaceTime student Carrie Snyder.
P.S. As I mentioned in my "personal notes" above, please don't reply directly to this newsletter to submit your suggestions. Start a new email to me at [email protected]. Thanks!
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During her FaceTime lesson last week, my student Carrie Snyder mentioned that she had just downloaded an amazing app called Modacity. It was really helping her organize her practice time, and she particularly liked the "record" feature. She
was so excited, she agreed to share her thoughts about Modacity with all of you. Here's her review, along with her phone screen shots.
If this review piques your interest, I suggest that you download the free Modacity app, and check it out. If you love it, and want to upgrade, see the bottom of this article for a special lifetime subscription offer at a special price for Sylvia Woods Harp Center Customers. This offer is valid through April 30, 2019.
-Sylvia
Modacity is built on the premise that a focused practice will allow you to progress faster as a musician. I'm new to playing the harp, but it has lots of nice features which I think could be of benefit to harpists of all levels:
Practice Playlists: As you can see from the first screenshot, this is my practice list for Lesson 5 of Sylvia's "Teach Yourself the Folk Harp" book. I've set a time for each song (this is an optional feature), so once I've hit my time limit for each song it dings to remind me to move on to the next part of the practice.
Recordings: This feature is so valuable. I didn't realize how spotty (optimistic?) my memory was until I started using this feature. Also, because I have a set of recordings of the same song over time, I can hear how I've progressed and pat myself on the back for the improvements I've made!
History: Speaking of improvements, it keeps track of your stats by song, including how you've self-rated your performance of the piece each time you practice it.
Other features include Deliberate Practice mode - to target problems you're having by creating a hypothesis and then testing it, the ability to take notes on all your practice sessions, and a built-in metronome.
Some of the features I mentioned above are available with the free version of the app, and others you have to upgrade to Modacity Premium, which is $8.99/month.
Happy harping,
Carrie
As soon as I received Carrie's great review, I emailed Marc Gelfo, the creator of the Modacity app, telling him I was planning to feature his app in this newsletter. Here are excerpts from his email reply.
I grew up in a small beach town in Florida, splitting my time between programming computers and practicing piano. I started playing French horn in high school band, and struggled to practice well. Even though I loved music, I repeatedly failed in auditions and got turned down from every music school I tried out for.
At Northwestern University, I studied cognitive science and computer science, which led to an "a-ha" moment! I started applying learning sciences to French horn, and not only got into music school but won orchestra jobs around the world.
This idea has been in the works for 15+ years, with the goal to make a practice environment that supports faster, more focused learning with positivity, mindfulness, and time tracking. I believe that 10x faster music learning is possible and we're chasing that dream with Modacity.
We launched in March 2018 and are still getting off the ground. So I'd be really honored if you give the app a try -- see resources below -- and let us know what you think.
Modacity is used by all ages and levels of musician, in nearly every genre you can think of - including a surprising amount of Irish pennywhistle players.
The app, when used well, helps accomplish the following:
- Maintain a repertoire and skill list
- Set up practice sessions with time budgets and countdown timers.
- Effortlessly follow practice plans
- Know what you're supposed to focus on at any given moment
- Get immediate auditory feedback from streamlined self-recording
- Written notes and recordings stored with your practice items
- Insights from time and mastery statistics
- Positive mindset from deliberate practice
Ready to dive in? Here's how to get started.
Resources for Using Modacity
Learning more about the science & experience behind Modacity
Special Discount Code
Our subscriptions are $8.99/month in the app. A year of Modacity Premium costs $107 (less than a single music lesson in many cities). But we have a special offer for Sylvia Woods Harp Center customers.
For a one-time PayPal payment of just $115 you can get lifetime Modacity Premium! Just go to:
https://modacity.co/harpjoy
and sign up for this special offer.
This limited-time offer is valid through April 30, 2019.
P.S. from Sylvia
Please note that their website is
www.modacity.co
. . . . that is co . . . not com.
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This month's sale
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This month's sale features music for Easter. The code word is
Eggs.
To get the 15% discount on the products below,
enter the code word Eggs in the Promo Code box on your shopping cart page and click "Enter Code"
by April 8, 2019. For more information, see the
15% Off section at the bottom of this newsletter.
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(Lent, Easter, Pentacost)
PDF by Hugh Callison
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Sheet by Angie Bemiss
(NOT available as a PDF)
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15% off select sale items when you use the code word:
Eggs
Our newsletter promo codes are only redeemable online and can only be used for the items featured in the
sale section of this newsletter. They are not valid for phone or e-mail orders. This month's code word is
Eggs, and it is good for
15% off the select books, sheets, and PDFs in the
sale section
above. Just because an item is mentioned somewhere in this newsletter doesn't mean that it is on sale. It must be listed in the
sale section
.
#1. Put the items you want to purchase in your cart.
#2. On the page where you view the items in your cart, type this month's code word
Eggs in the "Promo Code" box, and click on "Enter Code."
The actual price of the featured sale products on this page will then automatically change to reflect the discount. You'll also see a note below the Promo Code box saying the name of the promo code you entered, and the percentage amount of the discount.
REMEMBER: you must enter this month's code word Eggs in the Promo Code box
and click "Enter Code" on your shopping cart page by April 8 to get the discount!
If you forget, or if you have trouble adding it to your order,
email Sylvia immediately.
Offer expires at the end of the day on 4/8/2019.
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