Every student dreams of receiving personal lessons from some of the most respected names in their field, but few actually get the opportunity.
A Kennesaw State student harpist will have private Skype lessons with well-known Irish harpists because of a scholarship she won from Irish Traditions Atlanta, a non-profit organization that promotes Irish culture.
Junior education major Teresa Sheppard plays both classical and Celtic harps and has been playing for eight years. She even went to Scotland on a travel scholarship with the Scottish Harp Society of America and studied with several well-known artists such as Irish Harpist Grainne Hambly.
Sheppard said that one of her favorite performances has been her Junior Recital for the education program at KSU, where she played both classical and Celtic music, which she said reflects her musical personality.
“It was so much fun,” Sheppard said. “I did 30 minutes of a classical repertoire and then I did 15 minutes of Irish and Scottish repertoire.”
One of her favorite songs to play is “Swan LK243” by Catriona MacKay, which she performed at “Dance Kaleidoscope” in Cartersville, Georgia, while the Cartersville City Ballet danced choreographed movements. Another favorite is “Heart Shaped Wood” by Michael McGoldrick because kids have often told her that her harp looks like a heart.
Sheppard said her musical name is “Teresa with the Harp” because she identifies neither as a classical harpist, nor a Celtic harpist. Even though she mainly plays classical music now, Sheppard considers both styles to be a part of who she is.
Her family is very supportive and goes to O’Brian’s Tavern in Dunwoody every Wednesday night while Sheppard performs.
“It’s like a family event,” Sheppard said, “My sister will bring her knitting, my dad will order a burger and fries and my mom will just talk to everybody.”
Sheppard said they are also supportive of her schooling and traveling.
Sheppard started playing the Celtic harp when she was 15 because she liked Celtic music and had been introduced to the harp at church and at other performances. Since then, she has won several awards, including first place at the Midwest Fleadh, a traditional Irish music competition hosted by Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, an organization dedicated to preserving traditional Irish music.
One of Sheppard’s biggest inspirations is her first harp teacher, Kelly Stewart, who Sheppard said taught her how to have fun while playing and how to have a good attitude about mistakes.
“The way she approached the harp with me [was] in making everything a source of creativity,” Sheppard said. “She really encouraged me and got me past some of the perfectionist tendencies that I really had.”
Sheppard plans to teach music at elementary schools and to continue giving private lessons upon graduation in May 2020.
Those interested can listen to her music at facebook.com/teresawiththeharp and at teresawiththeharp.wixsite.com/teresawiththeharp.
