The Lap Harp is a great introduction to stringed instruments.
My daughter received a lap harp for her birthday from a thrift store, and it's an awesome instrument. The sad part is, silly her mother placed it up on a shelf for a couple of months before finally buying a $3 tuner. Once that glitch was out of the way (It's so much better to play instruments that are in tune!), we have been having a lot of fun playing the lap harp.
Because I didn't have any sheet music to go with it, I decided to create my own, placing the notes on color-coded bands that match the general colors of our website. I also made a blank template that only has the colored bands as a guide so they can read music and play from color-coded music. My own kids have played songs from our own songbooks as well as music from Preschool Prodigies.
An Instrument for Everyone!
One of my favorite things about the lap harp is that it is very easy to get started. One does not need to be able to read music to play a large variety of music. Simply slide customized sheet music underneath the harp and pluck the strings above the notes.
Playing the correct rhythms can be done either by ear in the case of familiar songs, or by reading rhythmic notation if they are familiar with it. Young children, senior citizens, and special needs individuals are perfectly able to enjoy this instrument, as well as anyone else. I love how it gives children meaningful exposure to pitch, introduces them to stringed instruments, and gives them one more outlet for musical expression.
I've noticed that a lot of homeschooling programs and catalogs include Lap Harps and specialized music, which is how our family was introduced to them. While one can certainly devote oneself to a serious study of harp music through premium instruments like the Zither, and many individuals have gone on to learn the classic harp after playing an instrument like this, my favorite use for the Lap Harp is as an educational toy. Sure, I don't store it in the toy box, but this is an instrument that I don't keep up on a high shelf, and I don't require the children to practice the Lap Harp. I personally think the Lap Harp's best use is as a serious (but still fun!) toy for those who wish to give their children an educational environment. It has served that purpose well for us through the years.
Enter below to win a lap harp!
Enter to win a lap harp (that comes with a tuner!) below. This is a lower-end lap harp, but will be sturdy enough for children to use it. We had similar-quality lap harps as I was growing up and we had a lot of fun with them. The winner will also get a collection of 10 color-coded printables from our members area. We will be running the giveaway through the month of February, 2017.
Learn more about the lap harp we chose for the winner on Amazon.
(This video will give you an idea of how the Lap Harp works, but is not the same model as our giveaway.)
