Thanksgiving Day is the last Thursday in November here in the United States. This year, in addition to your usual thankful prayers and messages, I hope you will send special thanks to the people who have helped you on your harp journey. Here are a few possible examples:

I would also like to thank all of my customers and students -- you are wonderful!

Here are some of the PDFs that I've added to harpcenter.com this past month.

Harp Moments: Christmas and Holiday Music - 18 holiday pieces from all over the world

Trista Hill - You can watch videos of Trista playing these original compositions on the product pages.

Azure - for lever or pedal harp

Bienfiel - for lever or pedal harp

Cerulean - for lever or pedal harp

Evergreen - for pedal harp

Sapphire - for pedal harp

Sonora - for pedal harp

Joy to the World - harp solo or duet

Carol of the Bells - harp duet

Star of Wonder - six beautiful, lesser-known Christmas carols

I learned about the traditional Irish band The Chieftains in the mid-1970s when I first got interested in Celtic music. Once I found them, I listened to their LPs all the time. Their harp player, Derek Bell, was a significant influence and inspiration for my playing.

Following Derek's untimely death in 2002, The Chieftains decided not to replace him in the band. But, as a tribute, they still wanted to include the harp in their 2003 U.S. tour. Their booking agent contacted me, and I referred them to harp players in the various concert cities. I was honored to perform with them in their five California concerts. I wrote an article about my experiences for the Winter 2003 issue of the American Harp Journal. You can read my article by following this link to the Harp Journal page. You'll learn that I shot an arrow with my harp in four of their concerts!

I'm mentioning The Chieftains in this issue because Paddy Moloney, the band's founder, passed away last month in Dublin at age 83. His contributions to the Irish music scene were immense and legendary.

You can read more about The Chieftains on their official site.

I want to thank the American Harp Society for adding my Chieftains article to their web page. So, now is a perfect time to encourage you to join, support, and actively participate in your national and regional harp societies and organizations.

Here in the U.S., the two largest organizations are the American Harp Society and the International Society of Folk Harpers and Craftsmen (also known as the Folk Harp Society). Another major worldwide society is the World Harp Congress. They have a helpful list of harp societies in 32 countries on their website.

You can also search the internet for harp societies in your country, area, or musical genre. For example, a Google search for "harp societies Ireland" points to The Historical Harp Society of Ireland. A "Scottish harp societies" search will find The Scottish Harp Society of America and The Clarsach Society in Scotland.

Join, support, and participate!

Our sale this month should help you with your Christmas shopping. Your favorite harp player or student will love to receive one of these gifts. (It is also OK to buy them for yourself!) Save 15% off these items when you use the Gifts code!

To get the 15% discount, enter the code word Gifts in the "Enter Promo Code" box on your shopping cart page and click "Enter Code" by November 30, 2021. See the "How to get the 15% discount" section at the bottom of this newsletter for more information.

15% off select sale items when you use the code word Gifts

Our newsletter promo codes are redeemable online and are only valid for the products in the Sale Section above. They are not valid for phone or email orders. This month's code word is Gifts.

Here's how to get your newsletter discount at harpcenter.com:

#2. On the page where you view the items in your cart, type this month's code word Gifts in the "Enter Promo Code" box and click "Apply."

REMEMBER: You must enter this month's code word Gifts in the Promo Code box and click "Apply" on your shopping cart page by November 30, 2021, to get the discount!

If you forget, or if you have trouble adding it to your order, email Sylvia immediately.