Harpist pursues musical dream in Scotland
Date: 3/13/2012
March 12, 2012By Matt Murphy
mmurphy@thereminder.comLONGMEADOW — For some people, happiness is as simple as enacting their passion on the street.
Haley Hewitt, a native of Longmeadow, is doing that and more. When she's not playing music on the streets of Glasgow, Scotland, she's cashing in her Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Trust scholarship to study harp as a graduate student.
"I am not a musician because of any reward it offers. There are many experiences related to music that are very rewarding, such as working very hard and mastering a difficult passage … or collaborating with other musicians. But even if all of these experiences were removed, I would still be a musician because the music itself is what I love, not the rewards associated with it," Hewitt said.
Hewitt has had a lifelong ambition to study harp in Scotland since joining the Pioneer Valley Harper's Guild. She began with the Celtic harp at age 9 with teacher Patricia Larkin at the Community Music School of Springfield.
"Musically talented, she had already had piano lessons, but took to the harp quite naturally. [It's] not easy getting the hand positions right at first, and we'd later joke about the comments she made about it 'feeling funny' … Haley is one of those people that make it so satisfying to be a teacher, and I'm proud to have played a small part in the pursuit of a rewarding career for her," Larkin said.
Hewitt graudated summa cum laude from the University of Hartford last year and was the recipient of the Regents Graduate Honor Award.
Her mother, Deborah Hewitt, noted that her daughter received many accolades while studying at the university's Hartt School under Professor Rebecca Flannery.
"She was selected as a member of Performance 20/20, the college's honors chamber music program and was a finalist in the Paranov Concerto Competition. She also received a Surdna Foundation scholarship at Hartt," she added.
It is not all work in Scotland for Hewitt, however. Though she is studying extensively, Hewitt still finds time to enjoy herself and can often be seen "busking" on the streets of Glasgow.
"Around Glasgow it's typical to see lots of musicians playing in the streets and I thought, 'I could do that!' It seemed like a great way to get performance practice in, work out arrangements, and spend time outside. So I started taking my little harp out on weekends when the weather wasn't too bad and I had some free time. It's actually a lot of fun! I get to make people smile and spread a little awareness of the harp," Hewitt said.
Now that she's achieved her dream of studying harp in Scotland, Hewitt said she has new ambitions.
"I am very grateful to the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Trust for the award. The scholarship will significantly help to reduce my tuition fees," she said. "The course requires two years and is very expensive. A master's degree at the least is necessary to teach music at a college, so it is very important to me that I am able to complete the two years.
"When I graduate I will continue teaching, performing, and writing music. I hope one day to build a degree program in the States where young musicians can study folk music to a high level, as I wanted to," Hewitt continued.
