Heather's Pedal Harp

When I was six years old, a family friend introduced me to traditional Celtic harp. Through a community rich in music, I found a home and purpose. Traditional Celtic music gave me a foundation for my growing love of harp, which has come to define me as a person. Though I haven’t forgotten my roots in Celtic music, over the past ten years I have expanded my repertoire to many genres and composers ranging from Tchaikovsky to The Beatles. More recently, I have found a way to share my thoughts, emotions, stress, and mental debris through harp by composing my own music. Music has been a way for me to connect with people and share ideas and beliefs regardless of background or age.

Now that I’ve decided to devote my professional life to playing and composing music, I need a professional quality harp, one that plays chromatically, has a full range of strings, and is capable of playing in all keys, allowing me to play jazz, pop, and orchestral music. The harp I play now is a Thormahlen lever harp, which I am borrowing from my school district. I love this harp very much. However a lever harp limits me in the kinds of music I can play. I plan to study harp performance in college, but in order to do this and further myself as a musician, I need a pedal harp. I am grateful to my school district's music program for loaning me my current harp, but moving forward, I will need a harp of my own.

My family has always supported my music either by driving me for hours to and from concerts or paying for my music lessons. But despite support from my friends and family, I was scared to consider studying music in college and making it my career. Though after I started writing my own music, I realized I didn't want it to be something I just did for fun - I wanted music to be my life. Playing harp is the greatest thing I have to offer the world. I am constantly looking for ways to expand my abilities and I can't wait to explore the opportunities that college will offer me.

The first time my harp teacher suggested I get a pedal harp, I looked up the cost and thought: "Wow, maybe not." More than $10,000 is a lot of money for a teenager and for my hard working family. Nevertheless, as I progressed with harp, I decided that money shouldn't prevent me from following my dream.

Over the last summer I made money working at an organic vegetable farm and busking on the streets of Portland. I have saved every penny, and am now much closer to my goal. From my summer job and the generous dollars of passersby (including five bucks from world famous mandolin player and host of Prairie Home Companion Chris Thile), I have raised $3,000. My parents have also put aside $3,000. Now that I am in my junior year at Forest Grove High School with college applications and auditions approaching fast, it is time for me to buy a pedal harp – but I still need just a little bit of help.

I recently found a harp that is perfect for me. It is a Camac Clio 44 string acoustic/electric pedal harp with an extended soundboard. It's a used instrument, so the owner is asking $11,000.

I understand I'm not going to get rich and famous, but I truly believe music helps bring people together. I hope to make the world a better place through music, and your donation of any amount goes towards this worthy goal.

I am thankful for everybody's help and support over the years, and for the opportunities I have been given. Your help means so much to me, and because of this, there will be a “thank you” house concert at my family's farm. I hope you can all attend.

Even if you are unable to donate monetarily, you can still help by sharing this project. Thank you again for your support.

-Heather Monahan